American Express SmartEarn Credit Card Review
The lowest-fee Amex credit card in India, built for online shoppers who spend regularly on Zomato, Flipkart, Uber, Ajio, Nykaa and BookMyShow.
Quick facts
The renewal fee is fully waived once eligible spend crosses ₹40,000 in the preceding card membership year — one of the easiest waivers among Amex India cards.
Fees and reward rates
₹500 statement credit cashback on spending ₹10,000 within the first 90 days of card membership.
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Joining fee (first year) | ₹495 + GST |
| Renewal fee (second year onwards) | ₹495 + GST |
| Renewal fee on ₹40,000+ spend | 100% waived |
| Cash withdrawal fee | 3.5% of amount, minimum ₹250 |
| Forex mark-up | 3.5% of transaction value |
| Late payment fee | 5% of outstanding, minimum ₹300 |
| Spend category | Reward rate |
|---|---|
| Zomato, Ajio, Nykaa, BookMyShow, Uber & more (10X partners) | 10 MR points per ₹50, capped at 500 points/month per merchant |
| Amazon, Paytm Wallet (5X partners) | 5 MR points per ₹50, capped at 250 points/month |
| All other eligible spends | 1 MR point per ₹50 |
| Fuel, insurance, utilities, cash & EMI conversions | No MR points |
- Vouchers worth ₹500 each on reaching ₹1.20 lakh, ₹1.80 lakh and ₹2.40 lakh spend in a card membership year
What else you get
Convert purchases of ₹5,000+ into EMI at the point of sale from as low as 14% p.a., with zero foreclosure charges
Zero convenience fee on HPCL fuel purchases below ₹5,000
Complimentary supplementary card for a family member
2X bonus points when shopping through the Amex Reward Multiplier portal
Eligibility
| Criteria | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Age | 18 years and above |
| Income (salaried) | ₹4.5 lakh personal annual income and above |
| Income (self-employed) | ₹6 lakh personal annual income and above, business trading for 12+ months |
| Credit history | Good credit history with no payment defaults |
| Residency | Resident Indian in an Amex-serviceable city |
American Express periodically pauses new applications in certain cities, and cards are issued mainly in metro and Tier-1/Tier-2 locations — confirm current city availability on the official American Express India site before applying.
Verdict
What works
- Lowest annual fee among Amex India's standard cards, with an easy ₹40,000 waiver threshold
- Strong 10X accelerated rate on widely used apps like Zomato, Flipkart and Uber
- Three separate milestone vouchers add up to ₹1,500 across the year
- Good entry point into the Amex Membership Rewards ecosystem
What to watch for
- 10X and 5X rewards are capped at modest monthly point limits per merchant
- No airport lounge access
- No rewards on fuel, insurance, utilities or cash transactions
- Acceptance can be patchy at smaller offline merchants
FAQs
Which apps give 10X rewards on the Amex SmartEarn card?
How do I get the SmartEarn annual fee waived?
Does Amex SmartEarn offer milestone vouchers?
Is Amex SmartEarn good for someone who shops mostly offline?
Compare more American Express cards
See the full American Express India lineup on SearchLocally.in.