Card Updates & News16 min read
Last updated 12 November 2026. Checked against American Express India’s updates page and its Membership Rewards terms.
Update log: 12 November 2026, first version. We’ll add a line here each time Amex confirms something new.
What a week to hold an Amex card in India. On 9 November, a lot of people opened the app and found points missing. A few found a minus sign in front of their balance. Then, a day or so later, Amex backed down and began putting the points back.
That was the noisy part. The change that will matter longer comes on 15 November, when the biggest of this year’s Amex Membership Rewards changes kicks in and your points stop pooling across cards.
Here’s the whole story in one place: what happened, what’s coming, how each card is affected and what we’d do this week if we were you.
Quick Answer
What’s changing with Amex Membership Rewards?
Amex pulled points linked to cancelled cards on 9 November, faced a wave of complaints, and is now putting balances back to where they stood on 8 November. The bigger shift is on 15 November 2026: every Amex card gets its own points balance, and moving points between cards stops. Your points still don’t expire. Points on a card you cancel, though, need to be used within 30 days.
Key takeaways
The clawback is off. You’ll get your 8 November balance back without filing anything.
15 November splits your points by card. No more moving them from your Gold to your Platinum, and Amex says it won’t come back.
Points still don’t expire. Close a card, though, and you’ve got 30 days to use what’s on it.
MRCC holders lose the ₹90,000 half-fee waiver. The full waiver at ₹1.5 lakh is still there.
A late bill now freezes that card’s points until you pay it off.
What happened to Amex points on 9 November?
What Amex did, and why
The email arrived on 9 November. Amex called it an “important update” to your Membership Rewards balance, which is a polite way of saying points had been removed. For some people it was a few thousand. For others it ran into lakhs, and one cardholder reported losing 2.4 million points. On TechnoFino, several members said their balance had gone negative.
Who got hit? People who’d closed one Amex card and kept another. The Membership Rewards program used to show everything as a single combined balance, so the points earned on the closed card never went anywhere. They just sat in the pot with everything else.
In its email, Amex said a technical issue had kept those points visible, as Live From A Lounge reported. And to be fair, the rule was always in the terms and conditions. Sections IV.3 and VII.2 of the Membership Rewards terms say that when a card is cancelled, its points must be redeemed within 30 days or they’re forfeited. Almost nobody knew that. With one pooled balance, you couldn’t have told which points came from which card even if you’d tried.
The U-turn: balances restored to 8 November
The complaints came fast, and Amex reversed course. Going by NewsBytes, the TapNow community and the emails cardholders have been getting, the fix looks like this:
- Your balance goes back to its 8 November 2026 figure, adjusted for whatever you’ve earned or redeemed since.
- The points land on one of your active Amex cards.
- Reports say it should happen within about 48 to 72 hours of Amex’s email. No claim needed.
- The 30-day rule will apply to cards cancelled on or after 15 November.
Amex India’s CEO, Sanjay Khanna, is reported to have told cardholders their points would come back. One caveat: as of 12 November, Amex’s official updates page still doesn’t mention the reversal. Watch your inbox.
What we don’t know yet
- Whether Amex will confirm the reversal on its own website.
- Whether every restored balance has landed. Reports so far are mixed, and some say the credit may follow the 15 November switch.
- Exactly which of your cards the restored points will land on.
We’ll update this page as each of these becomes clear.
If your balance still looks wrong
Look for the Amex email first, and check your spam folder too. Then put today’s balance next to your 8 November one. If the numbers don’t match, reply to the email or start a chat in the Amex app and ask for a card-wise breakdown of your points. Take a screenshot of your balance either way. It costs nothing and helps if you escalate later.
Every Amex India change in 2026, in one table
It’s been a busy year. Here are all the Amex Membership Rewards changes in date order.
| When | What changed | Which cards | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July | Etihad Guest removed as a transfer partner | All Membership Rewards cards | Pick another airline partner |
| 18 August | Virgin Atlantic improved to 5:4, Hilton to 2:3 | All Membership Rewards cards | Good news: your points go further |
| 10 September | ₹1.9 lakh milestone removed; ₹7 lakh now gets a ₹20,000 Taj e-gift card | Platinum Travel | Re-check whether the card still suits you |
| 30 September | Reward Multiplier closed (ShopWise stays) | All Membership Rewards cards | Use ShopWise for bonus points |
| 1 October | Lounge visits now need quarterly spend | Platinum Travel | Spend ₹1 lakh a quarter to unlock 2 visits |
| 20 October | Ace by Times Prime membership ends | Platinum, Centurion | Nothing, it runs to the end of its term |
| 27 October | New supplementary cards paused, Account Cards discontinued | Most cards | Existing cards keep working |
| 9 to 10 November | Cancelled-card points taken back, then restored | Anyone who closed a card | Check your balance |
| 15 November | Points kept separately on each card | Anyone with 2+ basic cards | Earn on the card you redeem from |
| 15 November | MRCC 50% fee waiver withdrawn | Membership Rewards Credit Card | Aim for ₹1.5 lakh for the full waiver |
| 15 November | Late fees and overdue rules change | Credit cards (fees); all cards (points) | Set up autopay |
What changes on 15 November 2026
Amex India moves to a new tech platform on 15 November. Most of that is plumbing you’ll never notice. Five of these Amex Membership Rewards changes, though, you will.
Points are kept separately for each card
This is the change that matters most. Got two or more basic Amex cards? Each will now carry its own balance, and you’ll earn and redeem on each one under its own rules. Moving points between them is, in Amex’s words, being “permanently discontinued”.
Only one Amex card in your wallet? Then nothing changes. But say you have a Gold Card and a Platinum. After the 15th you’ll see two balances, and the Gold points can’t be sent across to top up a Platinum redemption.
Overdue payments pause your points
Miss a payment and still owe it when the next statement is generated, and that card stops earning and redeeming. Clear the dues and it switches back on. The points you already have stay put.
Milestones are counted by posting date
On the Gold Card, MRCC, Platinum Travel, Platinum Reserve and SmartEarn, milestone spends now count from the day a transaction posts, not the day you tap the card. Any bonus points or vouchers get added at the end of the calendar month you hit the milestone. A purchase on the 30th that posts on the 2nd counts for next month, so don’t cut it close.
Late payment fees on credit cards
Late fees on Amex credit cards will be worked out on your total amount due rather than the minimum. They range from ₹500 to ₹1,250. Charge cards such as the Gold and Platinum are left out of this one.
Services paused from 11 to 18 November
A few things are switched off during the move. You can’t enrol for hotel status or monthly milestone offers until 18 November, and you can’t change your contact details or PIN until 16 November. Planning to close a card online? That’s paused from 12 to 15 November too, according to Amex’s updates page. Swiping, tapping and earning all carry on as usual.
Do Amex points expire in India?
No. As long as your card account is active and in good standing, your American Express Membership Rewards points don’t expire.
The exception is the same rule that caused the 9 November mess. Cancel a card and you have 30 days to redeem its points, after which they’re forfeited. With every card now holding its own balance, those points won’t be hiding in a shared pot anymore. You’ll see exactly what’s at stake when you close a card.
What happens to your points when you cancel an Amex card?
You get 30 days from the date of cancellation to use that card’s points, and the card can’t have anything outstanding. Miss the window and the points are gone.
Before you cancel, then:
- Check that card’s own balance (from 15 November, each card shows its own).
- Redeem the points, or move them to one of Amex’s airline or hotel transfer partners.
- Clear any outstanding amount.
- Cancel, and use up whatever’s left within 30 days.
Thinking of closing a card because of the annual fee, or because of these Amex Membership Rewards changes? Look at your options first. Some cards waive the fee once you hit a spend level. Others hand you a renewal gift that can be worth more than the fee itself.
Changes card by card
Amex Gold Card
Of all the Amex Membership Rewards changes, the Gold Card gets off lightly. It keeps its 1,000 bonus points for six spends of ₹1,000 in a month. What changes is the counting: from 15 November it goes by posting date, and the bonus lands at month end. If you also hold a Platinum, your Gold points now stay on the Gold. Trying to decide between the two? Our Amex Gold vs Platinum guide works out which one pays off at your spend.
Amex MRCC (Membership Rewards Credit Card)
Among this year’s Amex Membership Rewards changes, the MRCC takes the biggest hit on fees. Until now, spending ₹90,000 in a year got you half the annual fee back. That stops on 15 November. The full waiver at ₹1.5 lakh stays. Here’s what that means in rupees. Say you spend ₹1.2 lakh a year. Before, you’d have paid half of the ₹4,500 fee, so ₹2,250 plus GST. From 15 November you pay the full ₹4,500 plus GST, which is ₹5,310. It’s also the card plenty of people used to feed points into a Platinum or Gold balance, and the split puts an end to that too.
Platinum Travel
Platinum Travel holders have had a rough year. Since 10 September the ₹1.9 lakh milestone is gone, and the ₹7 lakh milestone pays out a ₹20,000 Taj Experiences e-gift card in place of bonus points. The ₹4 lakh milestone still gives you 10,000 points. Lounges got harder too. From 1 October, the 2 domestic visits a quarter depend on what you spent the quarter before: ₹70,000 for July to September, and ₹1 lakh a quarter after that.
Platinum Reserve and SmartEarn
The Amex Membership Rewards changes hit both cards the same way. Both switch to posting-date milestones from 15 November, and both will keep their points apart from your other Amex cards.
Platinum Card
The renewal benefit hasn’t changed. Spend ₹20 lakh in a membership year and you get vouchers worth up to ₹35,000. Ace by Times Prime ended on 20 October. If you’re wondering whether the fee still makes sense, read whether the Amex Platinum is still worth it in 2026.
Not sure what your Amex points are actually worth?
Try out our free Reward Points Calculator and see what your Membership Rewards points are really worth before you redeem them.
What to do now
- Screenshot your balance today. If you have your 8 November figure, keep it handy too.
- Check each card after 15 November. Together, the separate balances should match what you had.
- Earn on the card you’ll redeem from. Points won’t move between cards anymore.
- Turn on autopay. One overdue bill now freezes that card’s points.
- Redeem before you close a card. Thirty days, then they’re gone.
Where your value quietly leaks
- Points left on a card you’re closing. Thirty days goes by fast. Redeem or transfer first.
- A bill that slips past the due date. Earning and redeeming stop until it’s paid.
- Low-value redemptions. Not all redemption options are equal. Vouchers and statement credit can work out to ₹0.25 a point. Sent to an airline, the same point can be worth ₹1 or more. Our guide to redeeming credit card points shows the maths.
- A milestone missed by a day. Posting date is what counts now. Leave yourself a few days.
- MRCC spend between ₹90,000 and ₹1.5 lakh. That range no longer gets you half the fee back.
Let PointsFly do the tracking
Separate balances, posting dates, fee waivers, which card holds what. The Amex Membership Rewards changes add a lot to keep track of, and nobody wants a spreadsheet for this. Most people just pay the bill and hope for the best.
PointsFly does the tracking. Before you pay, it tells you which card earns most on that purchase. When you’re ready to redeem, it finds the flight transfer or hotel stay that gets the most out of your points.
Ready to see what your Amex points are worth?
Start your free PointsFly trial and see what your Membership Rewards points can really do.
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Cite this data
Covering the Amex Membership Rewards changes? Feel free to use our timeline.
We took the 15 November changes from American Express India’s updates page and the 30-day rule from its Membership Rewards terms. The 9 to 10 November clawback and reversal aren’t on Amex’s site yet, so for those we’ve gone by NewsBytes, the TapNow community, Live From A Lounge and the emails cardholders got. We’ll update this as Amex says more.
Something like this works: “PointsFly’s timeline shows that from 15 November 2026, Amex India keeps Membership Rewards points separately for each card, and points on a cancelled card must be used within 30 days.”
All we ask is a link back.
PointsFly is an independent rewards app. We’re not affiliated with American Express, and Amex didn’t review or pay for this article.
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About the author
Vibhav Singh is the Founder & CEO of PointsFly and a credit card rewards strategist with 39K+ Instagram followers (@pointsflywithvibhav). He has personally booked 200+ flights on points and previously built XTEN-AV, an AI-powered SaaS platform now used in 130+ countries.