Amex Platinum Reserve vs Amex Platinum Charge (2026)
₹10,000 of lounges-and-vouchers vs ₹66,000 of status-and-everything — Amex's two metal tiers, and the cheaper one keeps the points that neither card is really about.
Head to head
| Metric | Amex Platinum Reserve | Amex Platinum Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Our rank | #25 | #21 |
| Annual fee | ₹10,000 + GST | ₹66,000 + GST |
| Fee waiver | ₹10,00,000 spend | None |
| Forex markup | 3.5% + GST | 3.5% + GST |
| APR | 3.5%/mo (42%/yr); 3.99%/mo (47.88%/yr) in cases of default | N/A — charge card, no revolving credit or finance charges |
| Effective reward rate | 1.0% | 1.3% |
| Currency | Amex Membership Rewards | Amex Membership Rewards |
| House value | ₹0.50/pt | ₹0.50/pt |
| Welcome benefit | 11,000 bonus MR on ₹30k spend in 90 days | Vouchers up to ₹60,000 (Taj / Luxe / Postcard) on ₹50k spend in 2 months |
| Lounge doors opened | 602 of 644 | 602 of 644 |
| Income — salaried | ₹6L+/yr (community) | ₹25L+/yr (community) |
| Income — self-employed | ₹6L+/yr (community) | ₹25L+/yr (community) |
Gold marks the better side of a row. House value is our ₹-per-point mark for each card's currency — the full valuation index →
Net annual value face-off
Everyday spend at each card's base rate plus a realistic ~20% at its best accelerator (less for narrow or capped boosters) — milestones, fee waivers and the redemption haircut all at our house ₹/point. That's why the biggest headline rate doesn't automatically win. Tune it to your own spend in the calculator.
Amex Platinum Reserve wins under ₹3L/month; Amex Platinum Charge takes over above it.
Transfer reach
Both cards earn Amex Membership Rewards, so the partner list is identical — 8 live transfer routes each. The fight is decided on earn and fees, not reach.
Both reach
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer 2:1
- British Airways Executive Club (Avios) 2:1
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios) 2:1
Full route maps on each card page, best ₹/point routes on the optimizer →
The call
For the ₹1L/month spender, Amex Platinum Reserve nets ₹24,000 against −₹39,600 — a ₹63,600 gap. At ₹5L/month, Amex Platinum Charge nets ₹1,01,000 against ₹72,000 — a ₹29,000 gap. Lounge chasers get no tiebreak here: both open 602 of 644 tracked doors.
Our standing verdicts: Amex Platinum Reserve — Keep; Amex Platinum Charge — Keep. On our board, Amex Platinum Charge sits at #21 to Amex Platinum Reserve's #25 — that's the overall call. Your spend pattern can overrule us: run your exact numbers →