Amex MRCC Loses Its 50% Fee Waiver From 11 October 2026 And Points Stop Pooling Across Cards
American Express is changing the terms of its entry-level Membership Rewards Credit Card from 11 October 2026.
As reported Live From A Lounge from Amex’s cardholder emails, the 50% renewal-fee waiver is being withdrawn and Membership Rewards points will no longer pool across two Amex cards. The ₹4,500 + GST renewal fee does not change.
What Changes on 11 October
| Item | Earlier | From 11 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Fee waiver at ₹90,000–₹1,49,999 spends | 50% of the renewal fee waived | Removed |
| Fee waiver at ₹1.5 lakh spends | 100% waived | Unchanged |
| Points across two Amex cards | Pooled into one balance | Held separately per card |
What This Means for You
Spend about ₹1 lakh a year and your fee goes from ₹2,250 + GST to the full ₹4,500 + GST — so ₹1.5 lakh is now the only threshold that matters.
Holders of two Amex cards lose the trick of earning on a cheap card and pooling points into a bigger redemption. New supplementary card applications are also reported to pause from 22 September 2026. Amex has not published this on its product page, so confirm your card’s terms with Amex.
Fees and waiver slabs as shown on the Amex India page on 12 September 2026; the 11 October changes are from cardholder emails reported by CardInsider and Live From A Lounge.
