M16S / American Express / Amex SmartEarn Credit Card
entry · rewards, shopping
Amex SmartEarn Credit Card
The Amex SmartEarn Credit Card costs Rs 495 a year, waived if you spend Rs 40,000 in a year. Its base return is 0.5% (1 MR per Rs 50). The forex markup is 3.5%. It lists no airport lounge access. Read from the issuer's documents and an aggregator on 11 Oct 2026.
- Annual fee
- Rs 495+ GST
- Fee waived at
- Rs 40,000annual spend
- Base return
- 0.5%
- Forex markup
- 3.5%
- Interest
- 3.5%a month
What changed on this card
- Amex India changes Membership Rewards and late fees from 15 Nov 2026
From 15 November 2026, Amex India keeps points separately per card, pauses points when a payment is overdue, ends the MRCC 50% fee waiver and bases late fees on the total due.
Each change is read from the bank's own notice or terms document, linked above. Every card's changes are on the change log.
Fees
| Joining fee | Rs 495 |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | Rs 495 |
| Annual spend that waives the fee | Rs 40,000 |
| Fee notes | Rs 495 + GST each year; renewal waived on Rs 40,000 eligible spend in the previous membership year. 1 supplementary card free, Rs 250 each after. |
Rewards
| Welcome benefit | Rs 500 cashback as statement credit on Rs 10,000 eligible spend within 90 days (first year, after paying the fee) |
|---|---|
| Reward currency | Membership Rewards points |
| Base earn | 1 MR per Rs 50 |
| Base returnunverified | 0.5% |
| Point valueunverified | Not published for this card. Aggregator estimate for statement credit about Rs 0.25 per MR. |
| Accelerated earn | 10 MR per Rs 50 at Flipkart, Uber, BookMyShow, Zomato, EaseMyTrip, Ajio, Nykaa and other listed partners; 5 MR per Rs 50 at Amazon |
| Caps | Bonus points per month per card account: 500 for Flipkart/Uber/BookMyShow/other partners combined; 500 for EaseMyTrip + Zomato combined; 250 for Amazon. Maximum 1,250 bonus points a month. |
| Spends that earn nothing | Fuel, insurance, utilities (electricity, water, gas), cash transactions, EMI chosen at a merchant site or terminal |
| Points expiry | No expiry while the card is active |
| Milestone benefits | Rs 500 voucher each at Rs 1.2 lakh, Rs 1.8 lakh and Rs 2.4 lakh spend in a membership year |
| Reward notes | base_return_pct = 1 MR per Rs 50 x Rs 0.25 (aggregator statement-credit estimate) = 0.5%. The 10X caps are reached at roughly Rs 2,800 of spend per bucket a month, so accelerated value tops out at about 1,250 bonus MR a month. |
Transfers
| Partnersunverified | Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, British Airways Executive Club (Avios), Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer |
|---|---|
| Ratiounverified | Marriott 1:1; Hilton 1,000 MR : 1,500; Virgin Atlantic 800 MR : 640; airlines 2 MR : 1 mile (enthusiast pages; not confirmed that SmartEarn points have full transfer access) |
Travel and perks
| Domestic loungeunverified | None |
|---|---|
| International loungeunverified | None |
| Forex markup | 3.5% |
| Fuel surcharge waiver | HPCL: 0% convenience fee below Rs 5,000, 1% at Rs 5,000 and above. BPCL/IOCL 1% (min Rs 10). Other oil companies 2.5% (min Rs 10). |
Charges and eligibility
| Interest per month | 3.5% |
|---|---|
| Late payment fee | 30% of minimum amount due, min Rs 500, max Rs 1,000 |
| Cash advance fee | 3.5% min Rs 250 (cash withdrawal temporarily suspended in India) |
| Eligibility | Age 18+. Salaried Rs 4.5 lakh+ a year; self-employed Rs 6 lakh+ with 12+ months trading. Resident in a serviced city. |
| Fine-print notes | New applications temporarily paused per Amex India site (read 11 Oct 2026). Partner merchant list can change; Amex publishes it at https://www.americanexpress.com/content/dam/amex/in/legal/cmu/merchantlist.pdf (not read). |
Questions
- What is the annual fee of the Amex SmartEarn Credit Card?
- Rs 495 a year, before GST. It is waived if you spend Rs 40,000 in a year.
- Does the Amex SmartEarn Credit Card give airport lounge access?
- No lounge access is listed for this card.
- What is the forex markup on the Amex SmartEarn Credit Card?
- 3.5% of each foreign-currency transaction, before GST.
- Which spends earn no rewards on the Amex SmartEarn Credit Card?
- Fuel, insurance, utilities (electricity, water, gas), cash transactions, EMI chosen at a merchant site or terminal