American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card
Rs 4,500Annual fee
Rs 1,50,000Fee waiver spend
0Domestic lounge
3.5%Forex markup
Best for
membership rewards, monthly milestones, shopping, vouchers
Top rewards
retail: 1 Membership Rewards Point / Rs 50 spent on eligible categories; partner merchants: 2 Membership Rewards Points / Rs 50 spent via Reward Multiplier on select brands
American Express SmartEarn Credit Card
Rs 495Annual fee
Rs 40,000Fee waiver spend
0Domestic lounge
3.5%Forex markup
Best for
online, entry level, shopping, amazon, zomato
Top rewards
partner merchants: 10 Membership Rewards Points / Rs 50 spent on select 10X merchants; amazon: 5 Membership Rewards Points / Rs 50 spent on Amazon; retail: 1 Membership Rewards Point / Rs 50 spent on other eligible spends
| Feature | American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card | American Express SmartEarn Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | American Express | American Express |
| Network | American Express | American Express |
| Joining fee | Rs 1,000 | Rs 495 |
| Annual fee | Rs 4,500 | Rs 495 |
| Fee waiver spend | Rs 1,50,000 | Rs 40,000 |
| Reward type | membership rewards | membership rewards |
| Best for | membership rewards, monthly milestones, shopping, vouchers | online, entry level, shopping, amazon, zomato |
| Top reward categories | retail: 1 Membership Rewards Point / Rs 50 spent on eligible categories; partner merchants: 2 Membership Rewards Points / Rs 50 spent via Reward Multiplier on select brands | partner merchants: 10 Membership Rewards Points / Rs 50 spent on select 10X merchants; amazon: 5 Membership Rewards Points / Rs 50 spent on Amazon; retail: 1 Membership Rewards Point / Rs 50 spent on other eligible spends |
| SmartBuy / accelerated caps | Not listed | Not listed |
| Domestic lounge | 0 | 0 |
| International lounge | 0 | 0 |
| Forex markup | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Milestone benefits | 1,000 Bonus Membership Rewards points on 4 transactions of Rs 1,500 or more in a calendar month, Additional 1,000 Membership Rewards points on spending Rs 20,000 or more in a calendar month | Vouchers worth Rs 500 each on reaching spends of Rs 1.20 lakh, Rs 1.80 lakh, and Rs 2.40 lakh in a cardmembership year |
| Redemption | Air miles: upto Rs 0.5 per point; Statement credit: upto Rs 0.25 per point | Air miles: upto Rs 0.6 per point; Statement credit: upto Rs 0.25 per point |
| Key exclusions | fuel, insurance, utilities, cash transactions, EMI conversion at point of sale, excluded spends as per American Express terms | fuel, insurance, utilities, cash transactions, EMI conversion at point of sale, balance transfers |