HSBC  has finally learnt the importance of the Indian market and started to pay attention. With new introductions in its portfolio, it has brought its global product HSBC Travelone to India. This is a travel-focused Credit Card, which is extremely popular in Singapore and Malaysia and will now be available in India. With this launch it is now also experimenting global partnerships with Airlines and Hotels which had been very limited till now for India consumers.

This card is priced for a joining fee and an annual charge of 4,999 INR + GST, so approx. ~ 5,900 INR. You also get some welcome rewards though its is not fully compensatory but there are some introductory offers as well which are valid till 31^st December 2025.

Welcome Rewards

Once you download and log on to the HSBC India Mobile Banking app and spend INR10,000 within the first 30 days of opening your credit card account to get:

• INR1,000 cashback
• INR3,000 PostCard voucher
• 3 months EazyDiner Prime Membership

Plus, get 3,000 bonus reward points when you spend INR100,000 in the first 90 days.

You can refer to detailed T&C of the introductory offers here.

Rewards Earning Rate

On usage, it will provide 4 Reward Points for every 100 INR spent on travel, including flights, travel aggregators and international transactions. The redemptions would be available across multiple airline and hotel chains with a mouth-watering 1:1 conversion ratio, making the effective 4% return if you look at travel spends. However, the rewards are capped at 50,000 reward points on a monthly basis which is a thumbs down. All other or non-travel spends shall be awarded 2 Reward Points for every ₹100 spent but there is no upper limit on these spends.

Milestone Program

You also earn 10,000 bonus reward points when you spend more than INR1,200,000 a year. You can refer to the T&C details here.

Redemption Transfer partners

HSBC has brought its global transfer partners to India and thus you can transfer your points to over 22 hotel & airline partners.

For most airlines, you can expect your redemption to be completed instantly or within 1 working day from the day the cardholder keys in the redemption details in the HSBC India Mobile Banking App (except Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club which will be completed within 5 working days, JAL Mileage Bank which will be completed within 10 working days, Air India Maharaja Club which will be completed within 5 working days, and Intermiles which will be completed within 3 working days).

For most hotels, points will be transferred instantly, or within 1 business day.

Lets also understand the other features of the card specially those related to travel & Lifestyle.

Golf Benefits

Enjoy 4 complimentary rounds of golf and 12 complimentary lessons per calendar year (max 1 per calendar month). Plus, get 50% off your green fees for additional rounds. T&Cs apply

Airport Lounge Access

You will get access to complimentary lounge access across domestic and international airports without any specific spend-based criteria. TravelOne Card will provide six domestic and four international airport lounge visits each year. International airport lounge access is offered via LoungeKey, and the list of domestic airports lounges are listed here.

Travel & Lifestyle Offers

§  15% off at Yatra - Save on international and domestic flights and hotels when you book through the Yatra app or website. T&Cs apply (PDF)

§  15% off at EaseMyTrip - Save on international and domestic flights and hotels when you book through the EaseMyTrip app or website. T&Cs apply (PDF)

§  15% off at Paytm - Save on international and domestic flights when you book through the Paytm app or website. T&Cs apply (PDF)

§  15% off at ClearTrip - Save on international and domestic flights when you book through the ClearTrip app or website. T&Cs apply (PDF)

§  11% off at StayVista - Stay for less when you make a hotel booking through the StayVista website (max 2 bookings per card per year; max saving per booking INR3,000). T&Cs apply (PDF)

§  Up to 20% off on duty-free - Save 20% on duty-free shopping via the AdaniOne app or website (minimum order value INR8,000; once per card per year; max savings INR3,000). T&Cs apply (PDF)

§  10% off at Zomato - Enjoy up to 10% off on events and dining through the Zomato app. Plus, get 2 for 1 movie tickets (max 2 times per month; max single ticket value INR200). T&Cs apply (PDF)

      Purchase Protection

The card also offers purchase protection via Tata AIG & Mastercard program. This is an excellent feature for purchases made through this card. See detailed T&C here.

The American Express India Platinum Travel Card is a premium card offered by American Express, designed to cater to the travel enthusiasts which offers tremendous value if used with careful planning. It is the only dedicated offering by American Express in India. It is packed with attractive welcome & joining benefits and attractive milestone rewards where you get bonus Membership Rewards Points once you reach the milestones. These Membership Rewards can be redeemed not just for travel-related expenses like booking flight tickets, hotels, and taxis on the Amex Travel portal but also be redeemed for online shopping vouchers at e-commerce sites, and e-vouchers on American Express’s own website.

Like any other mainstream American Express card, the users earn 1 Membership Rewards Points for every ₹50 spent. However, as with the case of most banks, there are exclusions for Govt payments, utilities etc where you usually don’t earn reward points. This is a great offering for Taj enthusiasts as you can also redeem the membership rewards for Taj Vouchers and use the milestone rewards vouchers at Taj properties across India. As with any other travel card, you also get access to Airport lounges via the card itself at domestic lounges and via Priority pass in lounges abroad.

Benefits

The Membership Rewards Program

The American Express Platinum Travel Card offers 2 Membership Rewards for every 100 INR spent. Additionally, you also earn 15,000 Bonus MR when you reach a milestone of 1,90,000 INR in a membership year and then another 25,000 Bonus MR when you reach a milestone of 4,00,000 INR in the same anniversary year. So technically when you spend 4 lakhs, you end up with 40000 & 8000 that is a total of 48000 MR in one anniversary year.

Travel Voucher on Milestone

When you reach a total spend of 4 lakh INR, you also get a Taj Stay voucher worth 10,000 INR, which can be used at the Taj, SeleQtions, and Vivanta properties across India.

Movie & Dining

The users can get upto a 20% discount on their dining at select partner restaurants on payment via the Platinum Travel Card. Further American Express regularly partners with various websites to bring additional benefits on eating out, or ordering in from portals like Zomato, Swiggy & Taj Qmin.

Lounge Access

The user also gets 8 domestic lounge access (restricted at 2 per quarter) and complimentary membership of Priority Pass, though you have to pay an access fee of 35 USD for each entry with the Priority Pass for any lounges abroad.

Rewards Multiplier

3X Membership Reward Points on all purchases through the Reward Multiplier portal including voucher purchases. If you plan your large purchases via online portals and purchase the vouchers for those on a regular basis, it can be an excellent way to maximize reward points where the Membership Rewards can go as high as 60,000 in a year instead of the standard 48,000. That is enough for a person to fly to London on Virgin Atlantic in Premium Economy. You can watch our video on this here.

https://youtu.be/TU2cdoNnTnc?si=6gXTaU3oT5PoMPF3

Reward Redemption Options

Membership Reward Points can be redeemed for

§  For INSTA purchases at stores, buying e-vouchers from Amex’s online shopping portal, and making credit card bill payments (under the Cash + Points scheme) at 0.25 INR or 25 Paise, which is not a preferred choice.

§  Transfer to air miles & hotel loyalty programs like British Airways Executive Club, Asia Miles, Club Vistara, Emirates, Skywards, Finnair Plus, InterMiles, Qatar Privilege Club, Etihad Guest, Singapore KrisFlyer, Virgin Atlantic Points, Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy.

§  Marriott Bonvoy redemption is done at a ratio of 1:1 while for airlines the ratio is mostly 2: 1 that is 2 Membership Rewards for 1 airmile. This works really well for some currencies which have no other partners in India like Virgin Atlantic.

18 & 24 Karat Gold Collection

If you already have the Gold Charge Card you can also club your Membership Rewards point cto access the American Express 18 & 24 Karat gold collection which we talked in our other post on Gold Charge Card (add link)

However, as always the most lucrative redemption strategy involves transferring points to airline partners, often yielding values greater than ₹1 per point, making it the preferred choice for savvy cardholders

Annual Fees and Value Proposition

The American Express Platinum Travel Card comes with the below fee structure

Joining Fee – INR 5000 + GST

Annual Fee – INR 5000 +GST

Welcome Benefits - 10,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points. 2,000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards Points (Enhanced to 4000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards Points).

Besides the annual and joining fee, there are other charges as below based on specific transactions

Fuel Surcharge

Waived at HPCL fuel stations for transactions up to Rs. 5,000, 1% surcharge on BPCL and IOCL stations, and 2.5% surcharge at all other fuel stations.

Foreign Currency Markup

3.5% of the transaction amount + GST

Cash Advance Charges

3.5% of withdrawal amount + GST subject to a minimum amount of Rs. 250

 This fee structure reflects the card's positioning as a provider of exclusive travel benefits, such as travel rewards, concierge services, and access to airport lounges. Though the fee may appear high, but you can mint much higher value from the card if you use it smartly.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants should be an Indian resident between 18-60 years of age and have an annual income of 6 lacs and can be salaried or self-employed. Those who are self employed should be in the business for atleast 12 months.

While American Express is expanding its network, the card is currently available to individuals residing in cities such as Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Indore, Coimbatore, Chandigarh/Tricity, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Ernakulam, Vijayawada, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Nagpur, Nasik, Trivandrum, Mysuru, Cuttack & Vizag.

How To Apply

To get the bonus 4000 Membership Rewards points, you need to use our referral link here to apply and then complete the KYC process which is now completely online and you will get your card delivered to your home within the next 7 days.  

Final Verdict

While it is not a completely premium credit card but it is a fantastic tool for a medium heavy user to rack up great returns on their everyday expenses. This is also the most rewarding card in the Amex Trifecta which can help you get almost 12-25% returns on your spends. That clubbed with a superior customer experience makes it a card worth 4 Stars.

 The American Express India Gold Charge Card is a premium card offered by American Express, designed to cater to affluent consumers in India. This charge card distinguishes itself from traditional credit cards by requiring cardholders to pay their balances in full each month.

 It comes with a no pre-set spending limit, providing flexibility in their purchasing decisions while maintaining exclusive benefits tied to its Membership Rewards program, which allows cardholders to earn and redeem points on purchases. This charge card is extremely popular among Indian consumers due to its unique features, including the ability to earn substantial rewards with much less spends required, access to American Express award winning customer service, and a wide range of redemption options for earned points including the airmiles and hotel loyalty rewards.

The American Express Gold Charge Card is positioned uniquely with pricing similar to low and middle tier cards while offering some premium features from the American Express stable for  the competitive Indian market, appealing particularly to individuals seeking both luxury and practicality in their financial tools.

Despite American Express having a stricter criteria for charge cards, the card is a must have for the reputation for quality service and reward potential continues to attract a dedicated segment of consumers seeking premium credit solutions.

Benefits

The Membership Rewards Program

The American Express Gold Charge Card offers 2 Membership Rewards for every 100 INR spent. Additionally, you also earn 1,000 Bonus MR Points each month by spending ₹1,000 six times, potentially accumulating up to 12,000 MR Points annually.

Movie & Dining

Up to 25% off on orders from The Oberoi Gurgaon, The Leela and many other partner restaurants, up to 20% off on other select restaurants.

Travel

10% discount on Air Vistara tickets, discounts in partnership with some of the most premium hotel chains.

Zero Cost Liability Protection

If the loss is reported to the bank within three working days, the liability of the cardholder would be zero. Otherwise, if the issue is noted after three days, the detriment of the cardholder would be limited to Rs. 1,000.

Rewards Multiplier

5X Membership Reward Points on all purchases through the Reward Multiplier portal including voucher purchases. We found this clubbed with the 6 transaction the most optimum way to spend on American Express gold Charge Card and you can earn substantial balance of Membership Rewards Points. So much so that you can even sponsor a holiday in Dubai or travel to London with usage of this card in 1 year.

More on that in our video.

 Reward Redemption Options

Membership Reward Points can be redeemed for

§  For INSTA purchases at stores, buying e-vouchers from Amex’s online shopping portal, and making credit card bill payments (under the Cash + Points scheme) at 0.25 INR or 25 Paise, which is not a preferred choice.

§  Transfer to air miles & hotel loyalty programs like British Airways Executive Club, Asia Miles, Club Vistara, Emirates, Skywards, Finnair Plus, InterMiles, Qatar Privilege Club, Etihad Guest, Singapore KrisFlyer, Virgin Atlantic Points, Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy.

§  Marriott Bonvoy redemption is done at a ratio of 1:1 while for airlines the ratio is mostly 2: 1 that is 2 Membership Rewards for 1 airmile. This works really well for some currencies which have no other partners in India like Virgin Atlantic.

18 & 24 Karat Gold Collection

Membership Rewards point can also be used for American Express 18 & 24 Karat gold collection.

18 Karat Gold/18,000 Membership Rewards Points

For 18,000 Membership Rewards points, you can get:

• Taj Voucher Worth Rs. 9,000
• Amazon Gift Card Worth Rs. 7,000
• Myntra Voucher Worth Rs.8,000
• Flipkart Voucher Worth Rs. 7,000
• Shoppers Stop Voucher Worth Rs. 8,000

 24 Karat Gold/24,000 Membership Rewards Points

For 24,000 Membership Rewards points, you can get:

• Tanishq Diamond Jewelry Voucher Rs. 10,000
• Vistara Voucher Worth Rs. 11,000
• Flipkart Voucher Worth Rs. 9,000
• Shoppers Stop Voucher Worth Rs. 11,000
• Taj Voucher Worth Rs. 14,000
• Amazon Gift Card Worth Rs. 9,000

 The most lucrative redemption strategy involves transferring points to airline partners, often yielding values greater than ₹1 per point, making it the preferred choice for savvy cardholders

Annual Fees and Value Proposition

The American Express Gold Charge Card comes with the below fee structure

Joining Fee – INR 1000 + GST

Annual Fee – INR 4500 +GST

Welcome Benefits - 4,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points. 2,000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards Points ( Enhanced to 4000 Referral Bonus Membership Rewards Points till February 27th 2025). 

Also on renewal you get 5000 Membership Rewards Points.

Besides the annual and joining fee, there are other charges as below based on specific transactions

Fuel Surcharge

Waived at HPCL fuel stations for transactions up to Rs. 5,000, 1% surcharge on BPCL and IOCL stations, and 2.5% surcharge at all other fuel stations.

Foreign Currency Markup

3.5% of the transaction amount + GST

Cash Advance Charges

3.5% of withdrawal amount + GST subject to a minimum amount of Rs. 250

 This fee structure reflects the card's positioning as a provider of exclusive benefits, such as travel rewards, concierge services, and access to airport lounges. The perceived value of these benefits often justifies the fee among cardholders who seek premium experiences.

Eligibility Requirements

Since this is a charge card, a good credit score is crucial for eligibility. Applicants should be an Indian resident between 18-60 years of age and have an annual income of 6 lacs and can be salaried or self-employed. Those who are self employed should be in the business for atleast 12 months.

While American Express is expanding its network, the card is currently available to individuals residing in cities such as Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Indore, Coimbatore, Chandigarh/Tricity, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Ernakulam, Vijayawada, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Nagpur, Nasik, Trivandrum, Mysuru, Cuttack & Vizag.

 How To Apply

To get the bonus 4000 Membership Rewards points, you need to use our referral link here to apply and then complete the KYC process which is now completely online and you will get your card delivered to your home within the next 7 days.  

Final Verdict

While it is not top of the pyramid card, but it is a fantastic way to build history with American Express and is an essential part of the Amex Trifecta which can help you get almost 12-25% returns on your spends. That clubbed with a superior customer experience makes it a card worth 4 Stars.