American Express Membership Rewards® Credit Card

MRCC pays you for four swipes a month

The Amex Membership Rewards Credit Card, MRCC to most users, is built around two monthly bonuses:

• 1,000 bonus points for 4 transactions of ₹1,500 or more in a calendar month.
• Another 1,000 bonus points for spending ₹20,000 or more in a month. This one is enrollment-based, so sign up for it first.

Base earn is 1 Membership Rewards point per ₹50. A month at ₹20,000 earns 400 base points and up to 2,000 bonus points. The bonuses are where the value is, so the card only works if you hit them most months. Users report an effective return of about 1.5% to 2% in practice, depending on how they redeem.

Fuel, insurance and utility bills earn no points, so do not route those through MRCC.

Applications are paused

Amex India's site currently says it is temporarily pausing new card applications. Existing MRCC holders keep their cards and benefits. If you are planning to apply, check the Amex site for when it reopens.

The fee and the waiver

• First year: ₹1,000 + GST, with 4,000 welcome points if you spend ₹15,000 in the first 90 days.
• From year two: ₹4,500 + GST, about ₹5,310.
• Spend ₹1.5 lakh in the previous year and the fee is fully waived. Amex's page also lists a 50% waiver for ₹90,000 to ₹1,49,999, but only if it appears in the terms you signed.

Users say GST on the fee is not waived, and some fear the 50% tier is going away. Check your own card terms before you plan around it. At ₹12,500 a month you reach the full waiver.

Redeeming the points

Users and CardAdvisor value a point at about ₹0.50 on vouchers and Amex's Gold Collection. Holders talk most about Taj vouchers and Marriott Bonvoy transfers for hotel stays, though one user describes a slow, clunky Taj booking. Statement credit is the simplest option and worth less.

Keep a backup card

Amex is not accepted everywhere in India. Small shops and local vendors are the usual gaps, so holders pair MRCC with a Visa or Mastercard. Our card data also lists a 3.5% forex markup and no lounge access, so this is not a travel card.

MRCC or Amex Gold?

In the Amex Gold vs MRCC threads, users who spend under about ₹3 lakh a year usually pick MRCC, because its fee can be waived. The Amex Gold Card has the same ₹4,500 fee with no waiver, so it suits people making 6 or more ₹1,000 transactions every month. For lower-fee online spends, users look at Amex SmartEarn.

Credit Card Information Compiled by: Abhijeet Kumar | Reviewed by: Anmol Ratan Sachdeva