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American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card

Membership Rewards Credit Card, popularly known as MRCC, is one of the most rewarding and unique cards issued by American Express in India. It offers exclusive benefits and privileges on every spending. 

This credit card comes with a joining fee of ₹1,000 + GST and a renewal fee of ₹4,500 + GST. Although the joining fee is low, the renewal fee from the second year onwards is high, but even then, the card is worth having as the rewards outweigh the cost. American Express also offers another incentive for card renewal: 5,000 Membership Rewards Points as a one-time benefit upon first-time card renewal.

The MRCC offers unique milestone benefits. Cardholders earn 1,000 Membership Rewards Points by making four transactions of ₹1,500 or more in a month. They can earn an additional 1,000 Membership Rewards Points by spending ₹20,000 or more in the same month. This means that by simply spending ₹20,000, cardholders can earn a total of 2,000 MR Points, over and above the regular reward rate.

The Membership Rewards Credit Card also comes with several other perks, including a fuel surcharge waiver, entertainment privileges, and insurance benefits.

American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card

( 4.7 / 5 )
American Express Membership Rewards® Credit Card
  • Joining Fee₹1,000 + GST
  • Annual Fee₹4,500 + GST
  • Best Suited ForShopping
  • Reward TypeReward Points

Rewards Rate

1 Membership Rewards Point/₹50 Spent, Excluding Fuel, Utility, and Insurance. Earn Up to 2,000 Bonus MR Points on Achieving Monthly Milestone Spends

Welcome Benefits

4,000 Bonus Membership Reward Points on Spending of ₹15,000 Within the First 90 Days of Card Issuance

Movie & Dining

Special Dining Discounts at Select Restaurants

Rewards Rate

1 Membership Rewards Point/₹50 Spent, Excluding Fuel, Utility, and Insurance. Earn Up to 2,000 Bonus MR Points on Achieving Monthly Milestone Spends

Reward Redemption

Redeem MR Points for Various Vouchers With the 18 and 24 Karat Gold Collection. Cardholders Can Even Transfer MR Points to Various Partners Such as Marriott, KrisFlyer, and More

Travel

N/A

Domestic Lounge Access

N/A

International Lounge Access

N/A

Golf

N/A

Insurance Benefits

N/A

  • Spend-Based Waiver

    Full Annual Fee Waiver on Spends of ₹1,50,000. 50% Waiver on Renewal Fee on Annual Spending Between ₹90,000 to ₹1,49,999

    Rewards Redemption Fee

    Nil

    Foreign Currency Markup

    3.5%

    Interest Rates

    3.5% Per Month (Annually 42%)

    Fuel Surcharge Waiver

    0% Fuel Convenience Fee at HPCL Fuel Stations (Transactions Below ₹5,000)

    Cash Advance Charges

    3.5% of the Amount Withdrawn, Subject to a Minimum of ₹250

    • 4,000 Bonus Membership Reward Points as a welcome benefit.
    • 1 Membership Rewards Point per ₹50 spent.
    • 2X Membership Rewards on all spends through the Rewards Multiplier portal.
    • 1,000 Membership Reward Points on the spending of ₹20,000 in a calendar month.
    • 5,000 Membership Reward Points on paying the 1st-year renewal fee of ₹4,500.
    • A spend-based waiver on a renewal fee.
    • A 1% waiver on fuel surcharge is available at all HPCL fuel stations.
    • Get special dining discounts up to 20% off.

    Pros

    • Membership Reward Points do not expire.
    • The reward rate on this card can be quite attractive, but it depends on the redemption method. The highest value can typically be achieved by transferring points to Marriott Bonvoy and redeeming them for hotel stays.

    Cons

    • There are no MR Points earned on transactions made for fuel and utilities.
    • This card is exclusively available to residents of specific cities (Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Indore, Coimbatore, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodra, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Nagpur, Nasik, Trivandrum, and Mysuru).
  • Welcome Benefits

    The Membership Rewards Credit Card comes with a welcome benefit of 4,000 Bonus Membership Reward Points. This welcome bonus can be availed upon successful payment of the joining fee of ₹1,000 and upon spending ₹15,000 within 90 days of the card activation.

    Information related to the welcome benefits will be communicated via SMS or Email to the cardholder’s registered phone number or Email ID.

    Bonus 2,000 MR Points Each Month

    Get 1,000 Bonus Membership Reward Points on completing four transactions of ₹1,500 or more on your American Express Membership Rewards credit card in a calendar month.

    Cardholders can also earn an additional 1,000 Membership Reward Points on spending ₹20,000 in a calendar month. The cardholder needs to enroll to avail of this benefit. Click here to enroll.

    The Membership Reward Points accumulated under the spend-based monthly milestone benefit can not be redeemed against statement cash.

    American Express MRCC Regular Reward Rate

    • Get 1 Membership Reward Point/₹50 spent.
    • You don’t earn Membership Reward Points on fuel transactions, utility bills, or insurance categories.

    Cardholders can even earn 2X Membership Rewards Points for spending made with the AmEx Rewards Multiplier.

    American Express MRCC Bonus Reward Points

    Karat Gold Collection – Reward Points Redemption

    At the American Express reward redemption portal, membership rewards can be redeemed against a variety of products and categories, including travel, shopping, and more. The reward points you earn under the AmEx 18 & 24 gold collection can be redeemed as follows:

    Under 18 Karat Gold Collection/18,000 points, you can redeem your Membership Rewards points for the following-

    • Taj Voucher Worth ₹9,000
    • Shoppers Stop Voucher Worth ₹7,000
    • Tata Cliq Voucher Worth ₹7,000
    • Myntra Voucher Worth ₹7,000
    • Amazon Voucher Worth ₹6,000
    • Flipkart Voucher Worth ₹6,000
    • Reliance Digital Voucher Worth ₹6,000

    Under the 24 Karat Gold Collection/24,000 points, you can redeem your Membership Rewards points for the following-

    • Taj Voucher Worth ₹14,000
    • Shoppers Stop Voucher Worth ₹10,000
    • Tata Cliq Voucher Worth ₹9,000
    • Tanishq Voucher Worth ₹9,000
    • Amazon Voucher Worth ₹8,000
    • Flipkart Voucher Worth ₹8,000
    • Reliance Digital Voucher Worth ₹8,000

    AmEx Membership Rewards Credit Card Features

    American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card Rewards

    • Get 1 Membership Reward Point per ₹50 spent.
    • You don’t earn Membership Reward Points on fuel transactions, utility bills, or insurance categories.

    Karat Gold Collection – Reward Points Redemption

    At the AmEx reward redemption portal, the membership rewards are redeemable against various products and categories, including travel, shopping, and many more. The reward points you earn under the AmEx 18 & 24 gold collection can be redeemed as follows:

    Under 18 Karat Gold Collection/18,000 points, you can simply redeem your Membership reward points accrued through either of the following mentioned-:

    • Taj Voucher Worth ₹9,000
    • Shoppers Stop Voucher Worth ₹7,000
    • Tata Cliq Voucher Worth ₹7,000
    • Myntra Voucher Worth ₹7,000
    • Amazon Voucher Worth ₹6,000
    • Flipkart Voucher Worth ₹6,000
    • Reliance Digital Voucher Worth ₹6,000

    Under 24 Karat Gold Collection/ 24,000 points, you can redeem your Membership reward points accrued through either of the following mentioned-:

    • Taj Voucher Worth ₹14,000
    • Shoppers Stop Voucher Worth ₹10,000
    • Tata Cliq Voucher Worth ₹9,000
    • Tanishq Voucher Worth ₹9,000
    • Amazon Voucher Worth ₹8,000
    • Flipkart Voucher Worth ₹8,000
    • Reliance Digital Voucher Worth ₹8,000

    Spend-Based Renewal Fee Waiver

    You get a spend-based waiver on a renewal fee of ₹4,500 on spending ₹1,50,000 in the previous year. You also get a 50 percent waiver on the renewal fee on annual spending between ₹90,000 and ₹1,49,999 in the last year.

    Other Benefits

    • You get 5,000 Membership Reward Points on paying the 1st-year renewal fee of ₹4,500. The Membership Reward Points will be reflected in the cardholder’s account within 90 days of the renewal.
    • Use your American Express Reward credit card at select restaurants for special dining discounts of up to 20%.
    • You get liability protection assurance such as zero lost card assurance, 24×7 card assistance, emergency card replacement, and dispute resolution.

    American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card Eligibility

    The following conditions should be met for the successful application of an American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card-

    • 18 years or older,
    • Annual income of ₹6 lakh or more (for both salaried and self-employed),
    • In the case of self-employed individuals, the company has to be trading for the past 12 months,
    • Permanent residence in India,
    • A good credit score is also needed.

    American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card Review

    American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card is undoubtedly an excellent option for starting your credit card journey. Veterans or beginners can both take advantage of this card and easily earn more than 24,000 MR Points each year.

    AmEx Membership Rewards Card

    This credit card has a nominal joining fee but charges a high renewal fee. However, customers can opt for a renewal fee waiver if they meet an annual spend of ₹1,50,000 in the preceding year. It is an advantageous card offering a decent reward rate, along with exciting benefits and privileges for its customers.

    Those who want to maximize their MR Points earnings with American Express should definitely check out the American Express Trifecta, which includes MRCC, Gold Charge, and Platinum Travel. This combination of three cards is most suited for those with high spending.

    What are your views on this credit card? Do write to us in the comments.

    FAQs:

    No, you can not earn membership reward points on fuel transactions. You earn up to 1 membership reward point per ₹50 you spend, excluding fuel transactions, utility bill payments, insurance, and cash transactions.

    1 Membership Reward point = ₹0.33 in case of statement cash redemption under 18 Karat Gold Collection. 1 Membership Reward point = ₹0.37 in case of statement cash redemption under 24 Karat Gold Collection.

    You get charged with a renewal of ₹4,500 plus applicable taxes.

    You get 5,000 Membership Reward Points on paying the 1st-year renewal fee of ₹4,500. The Membership Reward Points will be reflected in the cardholder’s account within 90 days of the renewal.

    No, you do not get a 100% renewal fee waiver on an annual spending of ₹1,00,000. However, you do get a 50% renewal fee waiver on spending ₹1,00,000.

    Yes, the AmEx Membership Rewards Credit Card offers MR Points for education payments.

    6 comments

    • Can be considered a good friendly card for middle class

      • A

        Kartik Kanwar

        Yes one can easily meet the spending requirements if one is smart.

    • It is actually pretty good card, but I would still prefer the Gold Charge Card.

    • So confused between MRCC and Gold Charge cards.!! Both seem good but this one has milestone benefits on spending Rs. 20k but Gold offers rewards on fuel and utilities. It also has no preset limit. But this mrcc in new design looks super cool.

      • Jayeshkumar Devnani

        I feel **MRCC is actually better than the Gold Charge Card** for most people.

        Main reason is the **₹20k monthly milestone + 1500×4 transactions**, where you can earn up to **2000 MR points every month**, which gives a very strong reward return if used properly ([CardExpert][1])

        Also, MRCC is more practical:

        * Easier **fee waiver on yearly spend**
        * Works like a normal credit card (more flexibility)
        * Better for **consistent monthly rewards strategy**

        Gold is good for **fuel & utility rewards**, but it:

        * Has **no fee waiver**
        * Requires more effort (₹1000×6 transactions monthly)
        * Best only if you heavily use reward multiplier or utilities ([Card Maven][2])

        👉 So for most users, MRCC gives **better value + easier rewards**, while Gold is more niche.

        That’s why I’d personally pick MRCC 💯

        • A

          Kartik Kanwar

          Gold no longer offers rewards for fuel. So in all sense MRCC is the best.

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