American Express SmartEarn™ Credit Card: rewards, caps and exclusions
The American Express SmartEarn™ Credit Card pays about 5% on 10X: Flipkart, Uber, BookMyShow, Ajio, Nykaa, PVR, BlinkIt, Myntra, 10X: Zomato and EaseMyTrip, on the first ₹2,500 of spend a month, and 0.5% on everything else. Below is every rate, cap and exclusion in American Express's published terms, as we last checked them on 9 October 2026.
What it earns
≈ marks a rate paid in points, valued at ₹0.25 a point. That is Zenidhi's conservative valuation, the same one the audit uses: the cheap end of what the points can be redeemed for, never the best transfer. Redeemed well, they can be worth more.
What earns nothing
Spend in these categories earns no rewards on this card, however it is paid for:
- Fuel
- Insurance premiums
- Utility bills
- Cash withdrawals and fees
- EMI conversions (since 1 February 2020)
Milestones
In American Express's own words:
- Spend Rs 1.20 Lacs in a Cardmembership year and get a voucher worth Rs 500. → ₹500 voucher
- Spend Rs 1.80 Lacs in a Cardmembership year and get an additional voucher worth Rs 500. → ₹500 voucher
- Spend Rs 2.40 Lacs in a Cardmembership year and get an additional voucher worth Rs 500. → ₹500 voucher
Fees
- Annual fee: ₹495, plus 18% GST
- Joining fee: ₹495
- Annual fee waived on ₹40,000 of spend in a card year
Welcome benefit: Rs. 500 cashback as statement credit on paying the joining fee and spending ₹10,000 within 90 days.
Where this comes from
Transcribed from American Express's own documents and checked against them on 9 October 2026:
- product page, americanexpress.com
- americanexpress.com (PDF)
- SmartEarn voucher-milestone T&C, americanexpress.com (PDF)
- MR Programme T&C, americanexpress.com (PDF)
- Schedule of Fees updated 31 Aug 2025, americanexpress.com (PDF)
Banks change these terms, sometimes with a month's notice. If a figure here disagrees with American Express's current document, the bank's document is right. Tell us at support@zenidhi.com and we'll fix the rule, here and in the app.
Hold this card?
We know this card's rules, but we don't read American Express's mail yet, so the audit can't check your swipes on it. Which banks we read