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American Express
American Express SmartEarn Credit Card
3.9Best for online shopping
- Joining fee
- ₹495
- Annual fee
- ₹495
- Welcome bonus
- ₹500
- Forex markup
- 3.5%
- Interest p.a.
- 42%
- Min income
- ₹37,500/mo
How this card earns
Reward rates by category, with caps and an estimated yearly value.
| Spend category | Reward rate | Monthly cap | Est. value/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
Online shopping 10X Membership Rewards points (effective ~5% value-back) at partner merchants: Zomato, EaseMyTrip, Flipkart, Uber, Myntra, PVR, BookMyShow, Ajio, Nykaa, BlinkIt. 10X cap = 500 points/month (~Rs.125), so the ~Rs.12,500 monthly cap is the spend that hits the 500-point ceiling. MR points valued at ~Rs.0.25/point. | 5% | ₹12,500 | ₹6,000 |
Everything else 5X Membership Rewards points on Amazon (~2.5% value-back); capped at 250 points/month (~Rs.62.50), i.e. ~Rs.5,000 of Amazon spend per month. MR points valued at ~Rs.0.25/point. | 2.5% | ₹5,000 | ₹1,500 |
| All other spends | 0.5% | — | ₹600 |
Estimated yearly value assumes ₹10,000/month spend in each category, capped where the card caps rewards.
Fees & charges
Joining fee₹495
Annual fee₹495
Annual fee waiverRenewal fee waived on eligible spends of Rs.40,000 or more in the previous card year
Foreign currency markup3.5%
Finance charge (p.a.)42%
Spend milestones
| Annual spend | Benefit | Value |
|---|---|---|
| ₹1,20,000 | Rs.500 gift voucher on spending Rs.1.2 lakh in a card year | ₹500 |
| ₹1,80,000 | Additional Rs.500 gift voucher on spending Rs.1.8 lakh in a card year | ₹500 |
| ₹2,40,000 | Additional Rs.500 gift voucher on spending Rs.2.4 lakh in a card year | ₹500 |
Key benefits
- 10X Membership Rewards points at partner merchants (Zomato, Flipkart, Uber, Myntra, Nykaa, Ajio, BookMyShow, PVR, EaseMyTrip, BlinkIt), capped 500 pts/month
- 5X Membership Rewards points on Amazon, capped 250 pts/month
- 1 Membership Rewards point per Rs.50 on other eligible spends (excludes fuel, utilities, insurance, cash, POS-EMI)
- Milestone gift vouchers at Rs.1.2L / 1.8L / 2.4L annual spend
- Zero lost-card liability and contactless payments
- EMI conversion available from ~14% p.a.
What we like
- +Low Rs.495 annual fee, waivable on Rs.40,000 annual spend
- +Strong ~5% effective value-back at popular online partner merchants (within caps)
- +Membership Rewards points do not expire while account is active
What to watch
- −Monthly caps limit accelerated earning (500 pts/month on 10X, 250 pts/month on Amazon 5X)
- −Low 0.5% base earn outside accelerated merchants; no points on fuel/utilities/insurance
- −Narrow Amex acceptance vs Visa/Mastercard; 3.5% forex markup
- −No lounge access
Compare with similar cards
- Top reward
- 1.875%
- Annual fee
- ₹66,000
- Welcome bonus
- ₹35,000 value
- Top reward
- 0.5%
- Annual fee
- ₹5,000
- Welcome bonus
- ₹2,500 value
- Top reward
- 0.5%
- Annual fee
- ₹4,500
- Welcome bonus
- ₹1,000 value