Amex Gold Charge Card is one of American Express’s two charge cards. But it does have a reputation and is part of Amex Trifecta. Let’s find out if it is really gold.
What is a Charge Card?
Charge cards are similar to credit cards but are not identical. One major difference is that, in the case of Credit Cards, you can roll over your balance; however, the full balance should be cleared of the Charge Card. So, paying all your dues in full without rolling over won’t impact much.
Overview: Amex Gold Charge Card
Here is a complete overview of the Amex Gold Charge :
| Type | Rewards |
| Joining Fees/Annual Fees | Rs. 1000 Plus Taxes |
| Welcome Benefits | 4000 Rewards Points |
| Renewal Fees | Rs. 4500 Plus Taxes |
| Reversal of Annual Fees | NA |
| Renewal Benefits | 5000 Bonus Points [For 2nd Year] |
| Forex Markup Charges | 3.5% Plus Taxes |
| Lounge Access | Nil |
| Default Reward Rate | 0.50% |
| Maximize Reward Earn By | Milestones & Reward Multiplier |
| Redemption Maximization | Transfer Points to Partners & Gold Collection |
| Stand Out Feature | Gold Collection |
Amex Gold Charge Card Eligibility
To be eligible for an Amex Gold Charge Card, you need to meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Age Above 18 Years
- Annual Income of more than INR 6 Lacs
- Good credit history and no payment defaults
- Live in one of the Amex serviceable cities in India.
Annual Fees
If you apply for an Amex Gold Charge card, you must pay a first-year fee of INR 1000 plus taxes. From the second year onwards, fees increase to INR 4500 plus taxes.
Welcome Benefits
Upon paying first-year fees and spending INR 10K within 90 days from card activation, you will receive 4000 Bonus Points. This benefit is not available from the second year onwards.
Renewal Benefits
You won’t find any renewal benefit details on the Amex Gold Charge Card page. However, you can see the renewal benefit of 5000 Bonus Points on fee payment while applying. This benefit is only applicable on 2nd year fee payment.
Fee Wavier on Amex Gold Card
There is no fee waiver on the Amex Gold card. However, if you have been charged Renewal fees, call Amex Customer executive to get it reversed. There is no 100% probability of a fee waiver, and you may also be offered bonus points instead, which is also not bad.
Annual Fees on Add-on Cards
You can get two complimentary Amex Add-on cards. From the 3rd supplementary card, charges of INR 1500 for every card are applicable.
Amex Gold Reward Earning
With the Amex Gold Charge Card, you will earn 1 Amex reward point for every INR 50 spent on almost everything.
Exclusions
You don’t earn any points with Amex Gold spending on:
- Insurance
- Cash Transactions and
Amex Gold would be one of India’s few cards with only two limitations. However, there is some capping on points earning.
Milestone Earnings
Amex Gold card earns 1000 Bonus points per month after six transactions, with each transaction amounting to more than INR 1K.
| Milestone | Earnings |
| INR1000*6 Transactions Per Month | 1000 Bonus Points |
So, by spending INR 72K a year, you can earn 12K Bonus Points and 1.4K regular points.
Monthly Capping
Amex Gold earn points on everything except Insurance and cash withdrawals, but there are calendar monthly capping:
| Spending On | Monthly Points Capping |
| Utility | 10000 |
| Fuel | 5000 |
| Reward Multiplier [Per Customer] | 25000 |
Annual Earning Potential
The earning potential of most Amex cards is always goos, and so is with Gold Charge Card.
| Criteria | Monthly | Annual |
| Spending | INR 20K | INR 2.4 Lacs |
| Base Earning | 400 Points | 4800 Points |
| Milestone Earning | 1000 Points | 12000 Points |
| Reward Multiplier Bonus [5x] | 1600 Points | 19200 Points |
| Total Reward Points | 3000 Points | 36000 Points |
| Minimum Reward Rate | 3.75% | 3.75% |
One of the biggest benefits of the Amex Gold Charge Card is that you earn 5x points when shopping Reward Multiplier, including purchasing vouchers.
Watch Out for Amex Offers
Amex sends offers regularly. Some offers are bonus points like on Insurance or 24x via reward multiplier, or some are Spend-based. These offers are frequent; however, there is no 100% surety that you will be targeted for the offer. In most cases, you will have to enrol for the promotion.
Redemption of Rewards Points
You can use the points earned on the Amex Gold Charge in the ways below. Here are the options:
- Use them to pay for charges or spending (INR 0.25 value per point)
- Use them on the Amex Travel Online Portal (INR 0.25 value per point)
- Use them for Gold Collection (INR 0.58 value per point)
- Use them for Vouchers (INR 0.23-INR 0.40 value per point)
- Use them by transferring Points.
- Use them for Experiences.
The best way to redeem Amex Gold points is by using them for the Gold Collection or transferring them to partners.
Amex Gold 18 & 24 Karat Gold Collection
Only two Amex cards are eligible for the 18K & 24K Gold collections. One is an Amex Gold Charge Card, and the other is an Amex MRCC.
18/24 Karat Gold collection means you need to use a fixed 18K or 24K for a voucher of a single brand.
| Vouchers | 18 Karat | 24 Karat |
| Taj voucher | INR 9K | INR 14K |
| Shoppers Stop | INR 8K | INR 11K |
| Tanishq | NA | INR 10K |
| Myntra | INR 8K | NA |
| Amazon | INR 7K | INR 9K |
| Flipkart | INR 7K | INR 9K |
| Minimum Value Per Point | INR 0.39 | INR 0.38 |
| Maximum Value Per Point | INR 0.50 | INR 0.58 |
| Reward Rate | 5.5%-7% | 5.5%-8.85% |
With the Amex Gold Collection, you can increase your reward rate from 3.75% to 8.85%. This reward rate is good for spending INR 2.4 Lacs in a year.
Transfer Partners
You can also use it to transfer your points to several airline partners and hotel partners. If used at hotels and airlines, you can get a value of one point from INR 0.5 to INR 1.25.
| Partner | Type | Transfer Ratio | Minimum Transfer |
| Asia Miles | Airlines | 2:1 | 800 Points |
| British Airways Executive Club | Airlines | 2:1 | 1200 Points |
| Club Vistara | Airlines | 2:1 | 900 Points |
| Emirates Skywards | Airlines | 2:1 | 800 Points |
| Etihad Guest | Airlines | 2:1 | 1600 Points |
| Hilton Honors | Hotels | 10:9 | 1000 Points |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Hotels | 1:1 | 100 Points |
| PAYBACK | Others | 1:1 | 1 Point |
| Qatar Privilege Club | Airlines | 2:1 | 500 Points |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | Airlines | 2:1 | 800 Points |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | Airlines | 2:1 | 800 Points |
Luxury Experiences
Now, you can also buy Luxury Experiences vouchers from American Express. These vouchers are valued at one INR per point. However, these luxury experiences may not be for everyone and prices may be higher than what you may get from your points.
Currently, you can use points on Adventures, Dining & Stays. It includes brands like The Postcard Hotel, DreamSetGO, Aqua Club, Brij, etc.
The Hotel Collection
You can access American Express’s The Hotel Collection with the Amex Gold charge card. Upon booking a hotel in The Hotel Collection, you are eligible for two benefits when booking for a minimum two-night stay:
- $100 experience credit that you can use on dining, spa, and resort activities.
- One Category Room Upgrade, subject to availability
These benefits are only valid for a maximum of three rooms.
Booking a hotel from the hotel collection may not always be right. However, there may be times when you would need this. It would not be my first preference, for sure.
Amex Gold Charge Card Other Benefits
You also enjoy these benefits with the Amex Gold Charge credit card:
- No-Pre Set Spending Limit
- 0% Convenience fee on fueling up at HPCL for transactions less than INR 5K
- 15% Discount at Select restaurants.
- Zero lost Card liability.
- Emergency Card Replacement
- 24X7 Card Related Assistance
Apply
If you are interested in applying for this card, then apply via my link, and you can earn 2K bonus points. Everything else remains the same.
| Particulars | Referral | Referral |
| Annual Fees [1st Year] | INR 1000 | 1000 |
| Second Year Fees | INR 4500 | INR 4500 |
| Joining Benefits | 4000 Bonus Points | 4000 Bonus Points + 2000 Bonus Points |
| Apply | Normal Apply | Referral Link |
Bottomline
Amex Gold Charge is a good card that works well when used with Amex MRCC or American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card. This may not be the best card out there on a standalone basis. However, offline acceptability may still be an issue outside metro cities.
