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American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card and Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card are two of the best travel credit cards in the mid-range segment. Both the cards are Reward Points based credit cards. While American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card comes with a membership fee of Rs. 5,000 per annum, you need to shell out Rs. 3,000 every year for the Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card.
In this article, we will analyze the reward structure and other benefits and privileges that both these travel credit cards offer, one by one, and then give you a quick comparison between the two cards so that it becomes easier for you to pick one for yourself based on your needs.
American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card
American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card is a mid-range travel credit card by the card issuer. The card offers a decent reward rate (2 Membership Rewards Points per Rs. 100) and comes loaded with a plethora of travel benefits including complimentary domestic airport lounge access every year, Priority Pass membership and complimentary Taj Stay Vouchers on achieving the stipulated spend milestones. Some of the key features of the card are as under-
- 10,000 Membership Rewards Points as a welcome benefit, subject to expenditure of a minimum of Rs. 5,000 within 60 days of card issuance.
- Bonus 15,000 Membership Rewards Points worth redemption value of up to Rs. 7,500 (against Taj Stay Vouchers) on spending Rs. 1.9 lakh in a year.
- Taj Stay Voucher worth Rs, 10,000 and additional 25,000 Membership Rewards Points worth redemption value of up to Rs. 12,500 (against Taj Stay Vouchers) on the expenditure of Rs. 4 lakhs in a membership year.
- 8 complimentary domestic airport lounge access every year (max 2 per quarter) and complimentary membership of the Priority Pass lounge access program.
- Up to 20% discount on dining bills at partner restaurants.
The card comes with a joining fee of Rs. 3,500 and an annual renewal fee of Rs. 5,000 second year onwards. To be eligible for AmEx Platinum Travel Credit Card, you must have a minimum income of Rs. 6 lakh per annum.
Citibank Premier Miles Credit Card
The Citibank Premier Miles Credit Card is one of the best products by Citibank. This credit card is curated with keeping the specific needs of travelling in view. The card is highly rewarding, where you can earn miles on every spent, and the starting point becomes the welcome bonus where you get 10,000 miles. There are other added features like movies and dining, lounge access, insurance benefits, etc which make this card highly attractive.
Features and Benefits
Welcome Benefit
- 10,000 miles as a welcome bonus upon spending over Rs. 1,000 or more in the initial 60 days.
- 3,000 every year upon the membership renewal.
Rewards
- 10 Miles on every Rs. 100 spent on airline transactions.
- 4 Miles on every Rs. 100 spent anywhere else.
- For Fuel at Indian Oil outlets, 1 RP = Rs. 0.30.
- For travel-related categories 1 RP = Rs. 0.45.
- Utility, retail and dining 1 RP = Rs. 0.20.
- Other categories 1 RP = Rs. 0.20.
- Airmiles, intermiles, TIC 1 RP = 0.5 partnermiles / TIC points.
Movies and Dining
- Up to 20% discount on all dining bills at the selected restaurants.
Travel
- 8 and 6 complimentary domestic lounge access for Visa signature and MasterCard variant, respectively.
Fuel
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all the fuel stations, applicable on all payments.
Fees and Charges
- Joining Fee = Rs. 3,000 + Taxes.
- Interest Rate = 3.75% per month or 45% per annum.
- Foreign Currency Markup = 3.5% of the transacted amount.
- Cash Advance Fee = 2% of the withdrawn amount or a minimum of Rs. 300.
Quick Comparison
| Basics | American Platinum Travel Credit Card | Citibank Premier Miles Credit Card |
| Joining Fee | Rs. 3,500 + Taxes | Rs. 3,000 + Taxes |
| Welcome Benefits | 10,000 membership reward points |
|
| Interest Rate | 3.5% per month or 42% per annum | 3.75% per month or 45% per annum |
| Rewards | 2 membership RPs on every Rs. 100 spent |
|
| Rewards Redemption |
|
|
| Forex Markup Fee | 3.5% of the transacted amount | 3.5% of the transacted amount |
| Travel |
|
8 and 6 complimentary domestic lounge access for Visa signature and MasterCard variants, respectively |
| Movies and Dining | 20% discount on dining bills at selected restaurants | Up to 20% discount on all dining bills at the restaurants chosen |
| Milestone |
|
NA |
| Fuel | 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all HPCL fuel stations for transactions up to Rs. 5000 | 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all the fuel stations, applicable on all payments |
| Cash Advance Fee | 3.5% of the transacted amount or a minimum of Rs. 250. | 2% of the withdrawn amount or a minimum of Rs. 300 |
Conclusion
While Citibank PremierMiles credit card offers a higher reward rate than American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card and also comes with a lower annual fee of Rs. 3,000 (compared with Rs. 5,000 for the American Express Platinum Travel Card), you do get better premium add-on benefits with the American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card like complimentary Taj Stay Vouchers and bonus Membership Rewards Points on achieving the stipulated spend milestones. Moreover, American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card also offers a complimentary membership of the Priority Pass airport lounge access program.
So, if you are to make a decision on purely financial grounds (based on which credit card is more economical), then Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card is the obvious choice. However, if you’re someone who wants to enjoy a premium travel experience, then you should consider American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card as you can get Taj Stay Vouchers worth up to Rs. 34,000 on the expenditure of Rs. 4 lakhs in a membership year (considering the milestone vouchers and redemption of regular as well as milestone Membership Rewards Points against Taj Stay Vouchers)- reward rate of 8.5%, which makes it a very attractive premium benefit.
Another point worth considering is that Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card offers 8 complimentary domestic lounge access per quarter with the Visa variant (total 32 per annum) and 6 complimentary domestic lounge access per quarter with the MasterCard variant (total 24 per annum), compared with just 8 domestic lounge access per annum (max 2 per quarter) with American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card. On the other hand, AmEx Platinum Travel Credit Card offers you a complimentary membership of the Priority Pass lounge access program, which Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card does not. So, if you are a frequent domestic flyer, Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card makes more sense, and if you frequently fly to international destinations, American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card should be the card of choice for you.
