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American Express Platinum Card vs SBI Card AURUM
On net annual value, SBI Card AURUM beats American Express Platinum in all four spend profiles we model, by ₹27,964 to ₹54,865 a year. Neither takes open applications: American Express Platinum isn't taking new applications and SBI Card AURUM is issued by invitation only. SBI Card AURUM costs ₹9,999 a year against ₹66,000 and offers unlimited international lounge access. Figures as of .
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Who comes out ahead — by how you spend
Estimated net annual value for four typical spend profiles: the rewards each card earns on that spend (a merchant or portal bonus only on the share of spend it plausibly reaches), plus the perks and milestone bonuses that spender would use, less any annual fee the spend does not waive (with GST) and the forex markup on spending abroad. Lounge access carries no rupee value here.
| Spender | American Express Platinum Card | SBI Card AURUM |
|---|---|---|
Everyday spender ≈ ₹40k/mo across groceries, bills, dining and fuel | −₹51,564/yr | ₹3,301/yr✓ +₹54,865/yr |
Online shopper ≈ ₹60k/mo, mostly e-commerce and subscriptions | −₹44,904/yr | ₹7,900/yr✓ +₹52,804/yr |
Frequent traveller ≈ ₹1.2L/mo with heavy travel and forex spend | ₹3,924/yr | ₹32,922/yr✓ +₹28,998/yr |
High spender ≈ ₹2.5L/mo across every category | ₹45,784/yr | ₹73,748/yr✓ +₹27,964/yr |
Not in these numbers: both include airport lounge access — real perks that can outweigh a small gap.
Illustrative profiles, not a personalised result — your categories decide the real winner. Run these two on my spending →
What your points are actually worth
A point's headline value means little without the earn rate behind it. Here's the real math — the value of a point by how you redeem it, the resulting return by category, and the net rupees for your own spend.
| Value of one point, by route | American Express Platinum CardAmex Membership Rewards | SBI Card AURUMSBI Reward Points |
|---|---|---|
| Cash / statement credit | ₹0.25 | ₹0.25BEST |
| Gift vouchers | ₹0.50 | ₹0.25BEST |
| Airline / hotel transfer | ₹0.805:4BEST | ₹0.205:1 |
Return by categoryearn rate × point value
Headline reward rate per category, before monthly caps. Switch the redemption strategy above to see how the picture shifts.
Your spend, head to head
Enter your monthly spend — net value is the annual rewards after the card fee, at each card's best realistic redemption (our recommender's model, caps and fee-waivers included).
Total ₹60,000/mo · ₹7,20,000/yr
Want the money-first pick across your whole wallet? Run the recommender →
| American Express Platinum Card | SBI Card AURUM | |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | ||
| Joining fee | ₹66,000 | ₹9,999 |
| Annual fee | ₹66,000/yr | ₹9,999/yr ✓ |
| Annual fee — all-in (incl. 18% GST) | ₹77,880 | ₹11,799 ✓ |
| Fee waiver at | — | ₹12,00,000/yr spend |
| Welcome benefit | ~₹30,000 | ~₹10,000 |
| Rewards | ||
| Best everyday reward | 4.5% on International ✓ | 1% on everyday spends |
| Fuel | 3% | — |
| International | 4.5% ✓ | 1% |
| Online Shopping | 1.5% ✓ | 1% |
| Base rate — other spends | 1.5% ✓ | 1% |
| Charges | ||
| Forex markup | 3.5% | 1.99% ✓ |
| Finance charge | — | 3.75% p.m. |
| Cash advance | — | — |
| Add-on card | — | — |
| Perks | ||
| cobranded ott | — | ~₹2,500/yr · Complimentary 1-year digital subscriptions to The Wall Street Journal and Mint |
| concierge | ✓ · 24x7 Platinum Concierge for travel, dining and lifestyle, with global assistance | ✓ · 24x7 dedicated concierge for travel, dining and lifestyle requests |
| fuel waiver | — | ~₹3,000/yr · 1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions of ₹500–₹4,000, capped at ₹250 per statement cycle per card account |
| golf | — | ~₹12,000/yr · 16 complimentary golf rounds a year (4 per quarter) plus 12 complimentary golf lessons |
| hotel membership | ~₹60,000/yr · Elite hotel status without qualifying stays — Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite, Hilton Honors Gold, Taj Reimagined Epicure, Radisson Rewards Premium, Accor Plus Traveller, Postcard Sunshine Club Platinum and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards; plus Fine Hotels & Resorts benefits (~₹44,300/booking) | ~₹10,000/yr · Complimentary 1-year Club Marriott membership (member rates and dining discounts across participating Marriott properties). Our estimate discounts the ~₹14,000 list price for typical use |
| insurance | ✓ · ₹5 crore air-accident cover when the ticket is bought on the card, complimentary overseas medical insurance of US$50,000 for the first 7 days of a trip (up to 5 trips a year, via ICICI Lombard), and 90-day purchase protection | ~₹2,000/yr · Air accident cover ₹3.5 crore, travel insurance ₹1 lakh, lost-card and fraud protection ₹10 lakh, and two flight-cancellation refunds a year |
| lounge access | ~₹24,000/yr · American Express Global Lounge Collection — 1,550+ lounges, including overseas Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass and Delta Sky Club. India's only Centurion Lounge (Mumbai T2) closed 1 Jul 2026; domestic Mumbai access now runs through the Global Lounge Collection's other partner lounges | ~₹20,000/yr · 16 domestic lounge visits a year (4 per quarter, add-on cardholders included) + unlimited international access via a complimentary DreamFolks membership, plus one guest visit per quarter. The ₹ figure is our internal estimate — SBI publishes the counts, not a value |
| milestone bonus | ~₹35,000/yr · Renewal benefit — a travel/hotel voucher worth up to ₹35,000 (Taj, Postcard and others) when you spend ₹20 lakh in the membership year, offsetting much of the renewal fee | ~₹5,000/yr · ₹5,000 Tata CLiQ Luxury voucher on ₹5 lakh annual spend |
| movie ticket | — | ~₹12,000/yr · Movie tickets worth ₹1,000 every month on BookMyShow — 2 free tickets per booking, max ₹500 discount per booking (₹250 a ticket), minimum 24 hours between bookings |
| Eligibility | ||
| Min income | ₹2,08,333/mo | — |
| Min age | 18+ yrs | — |
| UPI linked | — | — |
| Expert rating | 4.5 / 5 ✓ | 3.9 / 5 |
Reward rates above are the realistic value you keep — points earned × what a point is worth at each card's own best redemption, before monthly caps — so cards with different point values compare fairly. Bank-portal accelerators (earned only by booking through the issuer's own portal, on a slice of spend) are bounded upside, listed separately here rather than blended into the everyday rates.
Bonus via the bank's own portal
- 5X Membership Rewards on e-vouchers bought via ShopWise (~7.5%); bonus points capped at 25,000 a month per the ShopWise T&C (Aug 2026). Up to 20X on luxury brands through Rewards Xcelerator. Reward Multiplier's brand links close 30 Sep 2026
Which should you pick?
Choose the American Express Platinum Card if you want strong rewards on international. Consider the SBI Card AURUM if you spend more on everyday spends and prefer a lower fee. Your actual best card depends on how you spend — run your numbers below.
American Express Platinum Card vs SBI Card AURUM — FAQs
Which has a lower annual fee, American Express Platinum Card or SBI Card AURUM?
As of 24 Oct 2026, SBI Card AURUM has the lower annual fee: ₹9,999 (₹11,799 with 18% GST), against ₹66,000 (₹77,880 with 18% GST) on American Express Platinum. SBI Card AURUM waives its fee after ₹12,00,000 of spend in a card year; American Express Platinum has no spend-based waiver.
Do American Express Platinum Card and SBI Card AURUM offer airport lounge access?
As of 24 Oct 2026, American Express Platinum and SBI Card AURUM both include airport lounge access, on different terms. American Express Platinum lists domestic and international airport lounge access, with no visit count stated. SBI Card AURUM lists 16 domestic visits a year (4 a quarter) and unlimited international access at airport lounges. For spending abroad, SBI Card AURUM adds 1.99% in forex markup against 3.5% on American Express Platinum.
Which card has lower forex markup, American Express Platinum Card or SBI Card AURUM?
As of 24 Oct 2026, SBI Card AURUM has the lower forex markup: 1.99%, against 3.5% on American Express Platinum. With 18% GST on the markup, ₹1,00,000 spent abroad costs about ₹2,348 extra on SBI Card AURUM and ₹4,130 on American Express Platinum, a ₹1,782 difference.
For a frequent traveller, is the American Express Platinum Card or SBI Card AURUM better value?
On figures as of 24 Oct 2026, SBI Card AURUM comes out ahead for a frequent traveller (about ₹1.2 lakh a month with heavy travel and forex spend), with a net annual value (rewards, perks and milestones, less the annual fee and forex markup) of ₹32,922 against ₹3,924 on American Express Platinum, a ₹28,998 gap. That figure includes the forex markup on this traveller's spend abroad, where SBI Card AURUM charges 1.99% against 3.5% on American Express Platinum.
For everyday spending, which returns more: American Express Platinum Card or SBI Card AURUM?
On figures as of 24 Oct 2026, SBI Card AURUM comes out ahead for an everyday spender (about ₹40,000 a month across groceries, bills, dining and fuel), with a net annual value (rewards, perks and milestones, less the annual fee and forex markup) of ₹3,301 against −₹51,564 on American Express Platinum, a ₹54,865 gap. Best everyday rates: 4.5% on international spends for American Express Platinum, 1% on everyday spends for SBI Card AURUM.
Which is better, American Express Platinum Card or SBI Card AURUM?
As of 24 Oct 2026, American Express Platinum earns 4.5% on international spends outside merchant or portal bonuses, paid as Amex Membership Rewards, and SBI Card AURUM earns 1% on everyday spends at best, paid as SBI Reward Points. SBI Card AURUM comes out ahead on net annual value in all four spend profiles we model. You can't apply for either today, as American Express Platinum isn't taking new applications and SBI Card AURUM is issued by invitation only.