American Express Credit Cards

American Express runs India's smallest top-tier card book — four mainstream SKUs (MRCC, Gold, Platinum Travel, Platinum Charge) and a handful of corporate variants. The headline problem for new applicants is acquisition: as of the Amex India product-page state on record, MRCC, Gold and Platinum Travel all list themselves as not currently accepting applications, leaving Platinum Charge at ₹66,000 as the only card a new customer can actually apply for.

The lineup is a ladder rather than a co-brand bench. Amex does not ship co-brand cards in India the way HDFC or Axis do — there is no Tata Neu, no Swiggy, no airline co-brand. Every card earns into the same Membership Rewards currency and the tier differences are fee, base earn rate (1 point per ₹50 on MRCC/Gold/Platinum Travel, 1 per ₹40 on Platinum Charge) and milestone structure. Gold and Platinum Charge are technically charge cards with no preset spending limit; MRCC and Platinum Travel are standard credit cards.

Membership Rewards is the reason Amex still matters. MR Points never expire, transfer 1:1 or better into 20+ airline and hotel partners (including Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and several Star Alliance carriers), and redeem at ₹0.50 on statement credit or up to ₹1 via specific Taj voucher paths on Platinum Travel. The 18,000-MR Travel Voucher on Platinum Travel is the single best redemption path in the lineup — effectively ₹1 per point against a flat 2% earn rate.

The merchant-acceptance trade-off remains the structural weakness. Amex acceptance in India is broader than a decade ago but still narrower than Visa or Mastercard — useful as a rewards-stacking card on large purchases and milestone runs, less useful as a daily driver. Anyone considering Amex in 2026 should price against the acquisition pause on the three lower-fee SKUs: unless the cycle reopens, Platinum Charge is effectively the only entry point into the MR ecosystem for new users.