The American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card (MRCC) is an entry-level lifestyle credit card from Amex. This card targets the lower segment of credit card users with low income criteria, joining and renewal fees. This credit card is the counter part of the American Express Gold Charge Card and unlike the latter it has a predetermined credit limit and allows you to convert purchases into EMIs.
Eligibility criteria
Amex is very strict about the eligibility criteria and hence a good credit (CIBIL) score is mandatory along with other criteria to get this card.
- Age minimum 18 years
- Annual Income of Rs 6 Lakhs and above
- Location: Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Indore, Coimbatore, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara
Fees and Charges
| Joining Fee / First-Year Fee | Rs 1k plus GST |
| Welcome Benefit | 4k Membership Reward points |
| Annual Fee | Rs 4500 plus GST / Rs 1500 plus GST with referral |
| Annual Fee Waiver | Via referral: Rs. 0 if total spends greater than Rs. 1,50,000, Rs. 750 if total spends greater than Rs. 90,000, Rs. 1,500 otherwise Regular: Rs. 0 if total spends greater than Rs. 1,50,000, Rs. 2,250 if total spends greater than Rs. 90,000, Rs. 4,500 otherwise |
| Renewal Benefit | 5000 MR points if the annual fee is realized |
Reward rate
You get Bonus 1000 MR Points for 4 transactions of Rs. 1,500 and above is made during every one calendar month.
- 1 Membership Rewards point for every Rs. 50 spent. This means saving of 0.74%.
- You also get an additional bonus of 1000 MR on total spend of Rs.20000 and above in a calendar year. This is an enrollment based benefit. Click here to enroll.
- You don’t get points for fuel, fuel, insurance, utility, cash transactions.
- To note, you get points for wallet transactions.
Reward redemption
There are various ways to redeem your points like
- Pay with Points (Rs 0.25/1MR)
- buy voucher
- book air tickets
- transfer to other programs
But all these give poor MR value.
Bonus Membership Rewards
The base reward rate for Amex MRCC may seem low but we have Milestone Rewards like other Amex cards. This is what we aim for in order to get a higher reward rate.
- 1000 Bonus MR Points for every 4 transactions of Rs.1500 or more in every calendar month
- 1000 Bonus MR Points on spending Rs.20000 & above in a calendar month.
| Transactions | Bonus MR Points/Month | Regular MR Points/Month | Total Spend/Year | Total MR Points/Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Make 4 X Rs 1500 transactions every month | 1000 | 120 | Rs 72000 | 13440 |
| Spend Rs 14000 every month for 6 months | 1000 | 280 | Rs 84000 | 7680 |
Other benefits
- Waiver of Fuel Convenience Fee
- Up to 20% off at participating restaurants
- 24×7 Card Support
- Zero Lost Card Liability
- Emergency card replacement
- Two complementary Membership Rewards credit cards at no additional cost
24/18 Carat Gold Collection
24/18 carat gold collection is the best way to maximize MR value.
24,000 MR Point / 24 Carat Gold Collection:
- Taj voucher of Rs. 14,000 (1MR = Rs.0.583)
- Tanishq Voucher Rs. 10,000 (1MR = Rs 0.417)
- Statement Credit Rs. 9,000 (1MR = Rs.0.375)
18,000 MR Point / 18K Gold Collection:
- The cost of the Taj voucher is Rs. 9,000 (1MR = Rs.0.5)
- Amazon e-Vouchers worth Rs. 7,000 (1MR = Rs.0.389)
- Statement Credit Rs. 6,000 (1MR = Rs.0.33)
I always go for the Amazon e-voucher as it can be used for almost anything.
Transfer to Airlines/Hotel Programs
Amex MR points are one of the most versatile when it comes to using them for airline and hotel loyalty programs. We find many transfer partners.
| Partner | Conversion Rate |
|---|---|
| Asia Miles | 800 Points = 400 Asia Miles |
| Club Vistara | 900 Points = 300 Club Vistara Points |
| Emirates Skywards | 800 Points = 400 Emirates Skywards Miles |
| Etihad Guest | 1600 Points = 800 Etihad Guest Miles |
| Hilton Honors | 1000 Points = 900 Hilton Honors Points |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 100 Points = 100 Marriott Bonvoy Points |
| PAYBACK | 1 Point = 1 PAYBACK Point |
| Qatar Privilege Club | 500 Points = 250 Avios |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | 800 Points = 400 KrisFlyer Miles |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 800 Points = 400 Virgin Points |
Lounge access
Even though this card comes with a hefty membership fee, no complimentary lounge access is provided with this card.
Reward multiplier
Also use this portal to be directed to e-commerce websites and buy e-vouchers. You will get double marks. The corresponding savings is just 1.5%.
The link is – Click here
Complimentary Amex Smart Earn Credit Card
As long as you hold an Amex MRCC, you can get the Amex Smart Earn Credit Card Lifetime Free. Smart Earn Credit Card has multiple merchant/partners on which you get 10X, 5X MR Points. Also your MR points will be shown combined for both the credit cards. You must go for it. This will help you reach your 24K gold collection goals faster.
Amex offer
You need to login to your Amex account and scroll down to see the list of available offers. You should keep checking it from time to time. Sometimes, you’ll find outright offers here. Amex offers are great and justifies getting this card.