American Express SmartEarn Credit Card | Credit Cards

Name: American Express SmartEarn Credit Card
Brand: American Express
Price: 495 INR
Availability: InStock
Rating: 3 (1 reviews)

Overview

The SmartEarn Credit Card stands out for its accelerated rewards on everyday purchases. You earn 10X Membership Rewards points on spends at Flipkart, Myntra, BlinkIt, Uber, Nykaa, Ajio, PVR, and BookMyShow, with each merchant capped at 500 points per month per card account. Zomato and EaseMyTrip also give 10X points with the same 500 point monthly cap. On top of that, select merchants give 5X points, capped at 250 points per month for both combined. The base earn rate is 1 point for every ₹50 spent on eligible purchases.At ₹495 plus taxes, this is one of the most affordable cards in the American Express lineup. The annual fee gets waived when you spend ₹40,000 or more in the previous card year, a threshold most regular users will cross easily. New cardmembers receive ₹500 cashback after spending ₹10,000 within the first 90 days. Milestone vouchers worth ₹500 each unlock at ₹1.2 lakh, ₹1.8 lakh, and ₹2.4 lakh annual spend, adding up to ₹1,500 in total value.Fuel purchases at HPCL come with 0% convenience fee on transactions below ₹5,000. BPCL and IOCL charge 1% (minimum ₹10 plus taxes), while other oil companies charge 2.5%. EMI conversion is available with tenures from 3 to 24 months at 1.17% per month. A free supplementary card lets you share the account with a family member at no extra cost.The card runs on the American Express network, which has fewer acceptance points in India compared to Visa or Mastercard. There is no airport lounge access and no complimentary travel insurance. Reward points are not earned on fuel, insurance, utility, or telecom payments. The 500 point monthly cap on partner merchants limits how much accelerated value heavy spenders can extract from the card.

Pros

↑10X points on 10 popular online merchants including Flipkart, Zomato, Uber, and BookMyShow at just ₹495 annual fee
↑Annual fee waived at ₹40,000 spend, making this card effectively free for regular users
↑Milestone vouchers worth ₹1,500 at ₹2.4 lakh annual spend add extra value beyond regular points

Cons

↓American Express network has fewer acceptance points across India compared to Visa or Mastercard
↓Monthly cap of 500 points per merchant limits how much accelerated reward value heavy spenders can earn
↓No airport lounge access, no travel insurance, and no reward points on fuel, utility, or telecom payments

Key Highlights

Welcome Offer
₹500 cashback on ₹10K spend in 90 days
Spend ₹10,000 within 90 days of card membership
₹500 cashback credited as statement credit
Eligible spends exclude cash advances and fees
Available only in the first year on paying annual fee

Reward Rate
10X points on Flipkart, Zomato, Uber and more
10X on Flipkart, Myntra, BlinkIt, Uber, Nykaa, Ajio, PVR, BookMyShow
10X on Zomato and EaseMyTrip
500 points per month cap per merchant per card account
Base rate: 1 point per ₹50 spent

Minimum Salary
Age 18+, ₹4.5 lakh income (salaried)
Salaried: ₹4.5 lakh annual income
Self-employed: ₹6 lakh annual income
Must be Indian resident
Good credit history required

Joining Fee
₹495 + taxes (joining and annual)
One of the lowest fee cards in the AmEx lineup
Annual fee waiver available on spending threshold
GST charged on all fees as applicable

Annual Fee
₹495 + taxes (waived on ₹40K spend)
Spend ₹40,000 in previous card membership year
Annual fee gets waived automatically
GST charged on all fees as applicable

Why Choose?
Up to ₹1,500 in milestone vouchers yearly
₹500 voucher at ₹1.2 lakh annual spend
₹500 voucher at ₹1.8 lakh annual spend
₹500 voucher at ₹2.4 lakh annual spend
Total ₹1,500 value per card membership year

Key Benefits

Food Delivery

★4.0

▼

10X Membership Rewards points on Zomato orders
10X points on BlinkIt for quick grocery delivery
500 point monthly cap per merchant per card account
Base 1 point per ₹50 still applies on other food platforms

Fuel

★2.5

▼

0% convenience fee at HPCL on transactions below ₹5,000
1% fee at HPCL for transactions ₹5,000 and above
1% fee at BPCL and IOCL (min ₹10 + taxes)
2.5% fee at all other oil marketing companies
No Membership Rewards points earned on fuel purchases

Grocery

★3.0

▼

10X points on BlinkIt for quick commerce grocery orders
500 point monthly cap on BlinkIt per card account
Base 1 point per ₹50 on other grocery merchants
No accelerated earn rate at physical grocery stores

Lifestyle

★2.5

▼

10X points on PVR and BookMyShow for entertainment
Access to Amex Offers for cashbacks and discounts
Free supplementary card for a family member
Contactless tap and pay for transactions under ₹5,000
EMI options from 3 to 24 months at 1.17% per month

Milestone

★3.5

▼

₹500 voucher at ₹1.2 lakh annual spend
₹500 voucher at ₹1.8 lakh annual spend
₹500 voucher at ₹2.4 lakh annual spend
Total ₹1,500 in milestone vouchers per card year
Vouchers credited on reaching each spend threshold

Reward Points

★4.0

▼

10X Membership Rewards points on 10 popular partner merchants
5X points on select additional partners
Base earn rate: 1 point per ₹50 spent on eligible purchases
2X points on Reward Multiplier shopping portal
5,000 bonus points for each successful friend referral

Shopping

★4.0

▼

10X points on Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa, and Ajio
2X points through Reward Multiplier partner brands
EMI conversion available from 3 to 24 months
500 point monthly cap per merchant per card account
No points earned on merchant EMI transactions

Travel

★2.5

▼

10X points on EaseMyTrip bookings (500 points/month cap)
No airport lounge access included
No complimentary travel insurance
3.5% foreign currency markup on international transactions
Points redeemable for travel vouchers through rewards catalog

Detailed Information

Joining Fee	₹495 + taxes
Annual Fee	₹495 + taxes
Annual Fee Waiver	Waived on ₹40,000 spend in previous card year
Monthly Percentage Rate	3.50%
Annual Percentage Rate	42%
Minimum Monthly Payment	5% of total outstanding or ₹100, whichever is higher
Foreign Currency Markup	3.5%
Late Payment Charges	Up to 30% of total outstanding balance
Overlimit Charges	₹500 per occurrence
Cash Advance Fee	3.5% of amount (min ₹250)
Balance Transfer Fee	Not available
Fee For Supplementary Card	Nil (1 free supplementary card)
Card Replacement Fee	Nil
Fee For Duplicate Statement	₹100 per statement (older than 3 months)
Fee For Cheque Bounce	₹250 per returned instrument

Age Requirement Salaried	18-65 years
Age Requirement Self Employed	18-65 years
Minimum Annual Income Salaried	₹4.5 lakh per annum
Minimum Annual Income Self Employed	₹6 lakh per annum
Minimum Credit Score	700+

Identity Proof	PAN Card (mandatory) Aadhaar Card Passport Voter ID Driving License
Address Proof	Aadhaar Card Passport Utility Bill (recent) Bank Statement
Income Proof Salaried	Latest 3 months salary slips Form 16 or ITR Latest 3 months bank statement
Income Proof Self Employed	Latest 2 years ITR Latest 6 months bank statement Business proof (12+ months trading)

Frequently Asked Questions

The annual fee is ₹495 plus applicable taxes. It gets waived if your total spending on the card crosses ₹40,000 in the previous card membership year.

When you spend at 10X partner merchants, you earn 10 times the standard Membership Rewards points. The base rate is 1 point per ₹50, so at 10X partners you effectively earn 10 points per ₹50. Each partner has a cap of 500 points per month per card account.

The 10X partners include Flipkart, Myntra, BlinkIt, Uber, Nykaa, Ajio, PVR, BookMyShow, Zomato, and EaseMyTrip. Each merchant has a separate 500 point monthly cap per card account.

Each 10X partner merchant has a cap of 500 Membership Rewards points per month per card account. For 5X partners, the combined cap is 250 points per month for both merchants together.

Select partner merchants give 5X Membership Rewards points on purchases. The combined cap for both 5X merchants is 250 points per month per card account. This is separate from the 10X partner cap.

You earn 1 Membership Rewards point for every ₹50 spent on eligible purchases. This base rate applies to all spending that does not fall under accelerated partner categories or excluded categories like fuel, utility, and telecom.

Yes. New cardmembers receive ₹500 cashback as a welcome gift after spending ₹10,000 on eligible purchases within the first 90 days of card membership. The cashback is credited within 10 working days of completing the eligible spend.

The annual fee of ₹495 plus taxes is waived automatically if you spend ₹40,000 or more on the card in the previous card membership year. At roughly ₹3,333 per month, this threshold is easily achievable for most regular card users.

You earn a ₹500 voucher when your annual card spend reaches ₹1.2 lakh, another ₹500 at ₹1.8 lakh, and a third ₹500 at ₹2.4 lakh. The total milestone value is ₹1,500 per card membership year.

You do not earn Membership Rewards points on fuel, insurance, utility (electricity, water, gas), and telecom payments. EMI transactions selected at merchant websites or terminals also do not earn points. However, EMI conversions done after purchase through American Express SafeKey still earn points.

HPCL fuel stations charge 0% convenience fee on transactions below ₹5,000 and 1% on transactions of ₹5,000 and above. BPCL and IOCL charge 1% (minimum ₹10 plus taxes). Other oil companies charge 2.5% (minimum ₹10 plus taxes). No reward points are earned on any fuel purchases.

Yes. You get one free supplementary card for a family member at no additional fee. The supplementary cardholder can enjoy the same benefits, and their spending counts toward your reward points and milestone targets.

International transactions carry a markup of 3.5% on the transaction amount. This applies to all purchases made in foreign currency, whether online or at physical stores abroad.

The interest rate is 3.50% per month (42% per annum). If you miss the minimum payment due three times within a 12-month period, the rate increases to 3.99% per month. You get up to 48 days of interest-free credit if you pay the full statement balance by the due date.

Cash advances incur a transaction fee of 3.5% of the withdrawn amount with a minimum charge of ₹250. Interest on cash advances is charged from the date of withdrawal at 3.50% per month. Note that cash withdrawal at ATMs in India has been paused since January 2022, though international ATM usage remains available.

Yes. You can convert eligible purchases to EMI with flexible tenures from 3 to 24 months at 1.17% per month. Pre-purchase EMI can be selected on the SafeKey OTP screen online or at the point of sale. Post-purchase EMI is available by SMS, calling customer service, or through the Amex mobile app.

Reward Multiplier is an online shopping portal where you earn 2X bonus Membership Rewards points when you shop at participating brands through the portal using your SmartEarn card. This is in addition to the base 1 point per ₹50 earn rate.

Yes. The card supports contactless tap and pay at merchants with the contactless symbol. For purchases under ₹5,000, you do not need to enter your PIN. Transactions above ₹5,000 require PIN authentication.

If your card is lost or stolen and used fraudulently, your liability to American Express is nil when you report the loss within 3 working days. If reported after 3 working days, your maximum liability is limited to ₹1,000.

Salaried applicants need a minimum annual income of ₹4.5 lakh. Self-employed applicants need ₹6 lakh per annum. You must be an Indian resident with a savings or current account in an Indian or multinational bank.

You need identity proof (PAN Card, Aadhaar, Passport, or Voter ID), address proof (Aadhaar, Passport, utility bill, or bank statement), and income proof. Salaried applicants submit salary slips, Form 16, or ITR. Self-employed applicants submit ITR for 2 years and 6 months of bank statements.

Yes. The card is accepted at American Express merchant locations worldwide. You need to enable international transactions through your online account or the Amex app. A 3.5% foreign currency markup applies on all international transactions.

A flat fee of ₹500 is charged if you execute a transaction beyond your sanctioned credit limit. American Express may approve certain over-limit transactions at its discretion.

You can redeem points for e-vouchers from popular brands through the Membership Rewards catalog. Points can also be used to pay card charges directly or to shop through the points redemption portal. The Amex app and online account both support point redemption.

Yes. You earn 5,000 Membership Rewards points for each successful referral when your friend applies and gets approved for an American Express card through your referral link.