American Express SmartEarn Credit Card – Complete Guide to Rewards, Fees & Application Process

Ms. Neha is a frequent online shopper. She maximised her American Express SmartEarn Credit Card with every purchase as a reward. Now, while shopping on Flipkart, Uber, and Nykaa, she got 10x rewards points from them in addition to cashback and gift vouchers. 

Moreover, she received a welcome bonus of ₹500 after spending ₹10,000 within three months.

By crossing each spending milestone, Neha earned gift vouchers from top stores besides waiving ₹40,000 of spending within a year, which also waived her annual fee. 

Neha even got a supplementary card free with every purchase and through cashback, reward points, and discounts on every buy. She found the best way to save money with premium benefits through the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card.

Fact: American Express has recently developed a new reward scheme whereby every ₹ 100 spent gets you 25 Membership Reward points from January 24 to January 28, 2025. Besides that, members get added reward points through its Member Get Member (MGM) scheme.

About American Express Smartearn Credit Card

It is an entry-level credit card, easy to use, and helps you earn reward points on all your purchases. Further, you will also get more benefits like cashback, fee waivers, and gift vouchers with this credit card. The American Express SmartEarn Credit Card is, in fact, ideal for frequent online shoppers.

This card is one of the most attractive features—it lets you earn more points while shopping through several popular online stores. You can earn 10 times your reward points on purchases using brands like Zomato, Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa, and many more. Hence, you will get a lot of rewards while shopping at those places. On all other products, you'll accrue 1 reward point for every ₹50 spent.

A gift card earns one a cash reward on becoming new, besides cash back through store vouchers and reward points by simply spending cash within a predefined scale. Then, it becomes more invaluable the more frequent the shopping sites; the worth becomes more

Perfect way to fetch rewards over e-commerce online services, especially during busy schedules by a regular and avid user of e-commerce services.

Welcome Bonus: Cashback ₹500

As a welcome gift, you will get ₹500 in cashback immediately after signing up for the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card. You are eligible to avail of it only after more than ₹10,000 is spent within the first 90 days from your date of membership on the card. 

It comes to you as a statement credit, implying that it would be credited towards your outstanding amount. It's a great way to start your experience with the card and maximise your rewards from the beginning.

American Express SmartEarn Credit Card Rewards Programme

10X Rewards: Earn 10 points on each ₹50 spent at Zomato, Ajio, Nykaa, BookMyShow, Uber, and others.

For example, if you spend ₹2,500 at Zomato, you'll earn 500 points as 2,500 ÷ 50 = 50 and 50 × 10 = 500 points.

5X Rewards: For every ₹50 spent at Amazon, you earn 5 points.

For example, if you spend ₹2,500 on Amazon would get 250 points (since 2,500 ÷ 50 = 50 and 50 × 5 = 250 points).

Standard Rate: You get 1 point for every ₹50 spent on other purchases, not including fuel, insurance, utilities, cash transactions, and EMI payments.

For example, if you spend ₹2,500 on something else (not 10X or 5X partners), you will earn 50 points because 2,500 ÷ 50 = 50 and 50 × 1 = 50 points.

You can get as much as 1,250 Membership Rewards points in a month just by spending ₹7,500.

Here's how

• Spend ₹2,500 on Zomato (10X partner) = 500 points
• Spend ₹2,500 on BookMyShow, Flipkart, Uber or any other 10X partner= 500 points
• Spend ₹2,500 on Amazon, is a 5X partner= 250 points

Total points = 500 + 500 + 250 = 1,250!

What is the monthly award potential in the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card?

The American Express SmartEarn Credit Card can reward you with as many as 1,250 Membership Rewards points a month when you simply spend ₹7,500. 10X rewards are also on the card in specific stores, while you receive 5X for any amount of spending in portals such as Amazon. Otherwise, 1 Membership Reward for each ₹50. 

This means the more money you spend with eligible merchants, the more points you can earn, which helps you rack up rewards quickly and then unlock other special perks on your card.

Gift Vouchers as Rewards in American Express SmartEarn Credit Card

You get gift vouchers on the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card by reaching certain spending milestones. These vouchers are redeemable at popular brands like Amazon, Flipkart, and Uber, allowing you to buy products at reduced prices or get discounts. The more you spend, the more vouchers you earn, helping you save money while shopping or using services from these well-known brands.

How to get gift vouchers?

You get gift vouchers on spending specified amounts on your card.

For instance, if you spend ₹1.20 lakh, ₹1.80 lakh, or ₹2.40 lakh in a year, you might get a voucher worth ₹500. So, if you hit those spending goals, you get a voucher you can use at various brands.

How to redeem vouchers?

You can use more than one voucher at the same time for a single bill.

For instance, if a customer has two ₹500 coupons, they can use one in conjunction with the other so that a customer would get a discount of ₹1,000 from an online purchase.

Also, using the coupon to buy products will be cheaper. For example, if the product will cost you ₹1,500 and you own a coupon of value ₹500, in this case, you will have to pay only ₹1,000.

Renewal Fee Waiver in American Express SmartEarn Credit Card

You can save renewal fees with your American Express SmartEarn Credit Card if you can make a total annual spend of more than or equal to ₹40,000 in that year. If you are going over the hurdle spend, which will be calculated towards the credit card, the subsequent year, when the charges appear, get your renewal waived, and so forth.

How does it work?

• Renewal is free next year if you spend ₹40,000 or more yearly.

For instance, if you spend ₹40,000 or more during the year, you do not have to pay the ₹495 annual fee for the following year.

• The annual charge for the card would be ₹495, along with taxes.

For example, you had to pay ₹495 for the card renewal every year without meeting the spending requirement and any applicable taxes.

Fuel Convenience Fee Waiver in American Express SmartEarn Credit Card

The Fuel Convenience Fee Waiver feature on the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card saves you more on fuel transactions. There is no additional fee for purchases on your card up to that certain amount of fuel.

What does this mean?

The waiver will apply to Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) fuel transactions. No extra fee will be charged if your transaction is less than a specific amount. However, you will be charged a convenience fee if your transaction is more than that amount.

How does it work?

There is no convenience fee for transactions less than ₹5,000. So, if you fill fuel worth ₹3,000, ₹4,500, or any amount below ₹5,000, you won't have to pay any extra fee.

For example, if you pay ₹3,000 for fuel, you only pay ₹3,000. There's no extra charge.

All transactions over ₹5,000 will attract a 1% convenience fee on the transaction amount. 

For example, if you pump in ₹6,000 worth of fuel, 1% would be added as a convenience fee to the bill at ₹60. You would, therefore, pay an amount of ₹6,060 at the end.

This waiver helps you save on fuel costs when you fill up smaller amounts, but remember that the extra fee applies once your purchase goes over ₹5,000.

Fuel surcharge waiver in American Express SmartEarn Credit Card

Save up to ₹5,000 on the surcharge waived while shopping at HPCL fuel station with your American Express SmartEarn Credit Card when you don't have to shell out that convenience fee to them. You pay less when purchasing fuel with this card.

• No fee for purchases less than ₹5,000: If you purchased less than ₹5,000 of fuel at HPCL, you will not have to pay any extra cost.

For example, if you are filling in ₹3,000 of fuel, then the amount you have to pay would be ₹3,000 without any additional charges.

• For purchases over ₹5,000, a 1% convenience fee is applicable: If your fuel purchase exceeds ₹5,000, a 1% convenience fee will apply to your invoice.

For example, if your fuel purchase amounts to ₹6,000, a 1% convenience fee of ₹60 will be levied, and the total amount will be ₹6,060.

What does this mean for you?

You save money on fuel because you don't have to pay that extra fee on smaller purchases. The fuel surcharge waiver will save you 1% to 3% on each transaction based on your spending. It is a great way to save on everyday fuel costs!

Difference between Fuel Surcharge Waiver and Fuel Convenience Fee Waiver

The fuel surcharge waiver and the fuel convenience fee waiver on the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card make you save even more on fuel. The most significant difference is that this fuel convenience fee waiver only applies to Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL) petrol pumps, while a fuel surcharge waiver works elsewhere. Both try to reduce unnecessary charges on a fuel purchase.

EMI Option with American Express SmartEarn Credit Card

Convert all your purchases into easy monthly installments, commonly known as EMIs. With the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card, you can pay for a big purchase in installments over time.

Facilities of the EMI option

• Convert purchases into EMIs: You can convert big purchases into easy monthly installments at the point of sale.

For example, suppose you buy a mobile for ₹15,000; you can pay the same amount in installments instead of paying the total at once.

• No pre-closure fee: You won't be charged an extra cost if you return the EMI amount before the due date.

For example, no charges will be added if you pay back your mobile loan amount for ₹15,000 before time.

• Low interest rate: The rate of interest at which purchase is allowed to be converted into EMI is as low as 14% per annum

For example, if the EMI amount happens to be ₹1,000 a month, the interest you would pay for a year would be much lower than other cards.

• Free EMIs: You can get no extra-cost EMIs at specific stores.

For example, many shop retailers offer free EMIs, which means you would be charged no extra price for dividing the payment.

How to avail EMI options?

On the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card, you can either opt for the EMI at the time of purchase or convert your bill into EMIs later.

Pre-purchase EMI

• In-store: During purchases, simply select the EMI option at the Point of Sale (POS).
• Online shopping: At the SafeKey OTP screen during checkout, choose the option for EMI

Post-purchase EMI

• You can convert your bill into EMIs after purchase through SMS, online, or email.

How to convert via SMS: You can type a message in the following format:

EMINOW <Amount> Transaction Date <DDMMYY> Merchant Name <XXXX> EMI Tenure <3/6/9/12/18/24> to 5616166.

For example, if you have spent ₹10,000 on a purchase on January 15th at XYZ Store and want to pay in 6 months, you will send “EMINOW 10000 150123 XYZ 6 to 5616166.”

This way, you can quickly turn your purchases into monthly payments!

Features of the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card

Here’s a table summarising the features of the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card:

American Express SmartEarn Credit Card Eligibility Criteria

You are eligible for the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card if you meet the following eligibility criteria:

• You are a resident Indian as defined under the Income Tax Act of India.
• It is available in cities like Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, and other select cities.
• The age should be 18 years and above
• A minimum personal annual income of ₹4.5 lakhs in case of salaried.
• If you are self-employed, you will require an annual income of ₹6 lakhs or more.
• A good credit history with no defaults is a must.

How to apply for the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card

1. Visit the official page of American express smartearn credit card page.
2. Click on ‘Apply Now.’
3. You’ll be redirected to the new page.
4. Fill in your details (title, first name, middle name, last name, mobile number, pin code, PAN card number, address, employment status, etc.)
5. Agree to the terms and conditions, and click ‘Agree and Continue.’
6. If you are working, enter your company details; if you are self-employed, enter your business details.
7. Enter your alternate mobile number and click on ‘Save and Continue.’
8. Select the name you want on your credit card.
9. Create your PIN.
10. Select your address, enter your family details, and click the ‘Submit’ option.
11. Start video KYC by clicking on ‘Start Video KYC’ to complete the process.
12. You’ll receive your application reference number, which you can use to track your credit card application.

Charges on American Express SmartEarn Credit Card

Here’s a table summarizing the charges for the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card

Card Services and 24/7 Support

• 24X7 Card Support: Need help? American Express offers round-the-clock customer support for all your card-related queries and issues.
  
  
• Dispute Resolution: In case of transaction discrepancies, the card offers a smooth dispute resolution process.
  
  
• Zero Lost Card Liability: If you lose or someone simply steals your card, you will not be liable for fraud if you notify them within 3 working days of the loss.
  
  
• Emergency Card Replacement: If your card goes missing or is damaged, American Express gives you emergency card replacement so you don't have to lose access to your credit.
  
  
• Contactless Payment: This card is equipped with contactless technology, which allows you to achieve fast and secure transactions.

Terms and conditions for the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card

• Interest-Free Period: The cardholder can get up to 48 days of interest-free credit.
• Interest Charges: Interest is charged on the last day of each billing cycle. American Express may change the interest rate at any time.
• EMI Transactions: Membership Reward points may not be earned on purchases converted into EMIs at the point of sale.
• Offer Eligibility: Cardmembers who opt out of marketing communications are not eligible to receive all the offers.
• Cancellation of an Offer: When a card member closes their account or cancels it before certain offers are activated, they might be ineligible.
• Date the transaction is initiated: The date spent, cash backs, and reversals take effect.
• Transaction fees: Certain transactions may have processing fees attached.
• Offers: The offers made under this offer are subject to modification or revocation at any time.

Customer Details

You can reach American Express customer care for the SmartEarn Credit Card by calling:

• Toll-free number: 1800 208 1226
• 24/7 helpline: +91 124 2801800

You can also email customer care at Manager- Customerservicesindia@aexp.com

Conclusion

With rewards such as 10X points at popular brands, cashback, and welcome bonuses, the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card ensures great value. As illustrated by Neha, earning gift vouchers is not difficult, nor are circumstances leading to waiving your annual fee by spending wisely. 

Plus, you get great perks like EMI options, fuel fee waivers, and 24/7 support. Whether you are a frequent shopper or just looking for easy rewards, this card helps you save money while enjoying premium benefits.

FAQs related to the American Express SmartEarn Credit Card

Q1: Are there any charges for additional cards?

Yes, the fee for each add-on card is ₹250.

Q2: Can I use an American Express card anywhere?

American Express is one of the four big payment networks operating in the U.S., other than Mastercard, Visa, and Discover. Most retailers and merchants in the United States accept American Express cards. However, outside the U.S., you are encouraged to bring a different kind of payment to supplement because not all merchants may take American Express cards.

Q3: What happens if I do not use my American Express card?

We may close your account for security reasons if your American Express card stays inactive for a long time. However, we will send you a written notice before taking any action, allowing you the opportunity to continue to keep your account open by using your card.

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