Airtel Axis Credit Card Devalued

Axis Bank has announced a number of changes to the Airtel Axis Credit Card, including the removal of airport lounge access and changes to the cashback structure . These have been notified to all cardholders through email and sms and will be effected from 12th April 2026.

The cashback benefit of the Airtel Axis Bank Credit card has been reduced, making it now more difficult for the cardholders to maximize the rewards without increasing the spending on the card. It means to maximize the cashback benefit, one has to spend more on the card. Here’s a deeper look at the changes and a comparison of the new and old structures.

Airtel Axis Credit Card, Devalued, Axis Bank — Airtel Axis Credit Card Devalued- Starting from April 2026, Cashback structure has been changed, lounge access will no longer be available.

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Current Advantages of the Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card

Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card is the best credit card for users within the Airtel ecosystem, with an annual fee of Rs. 500 plus GST. Prior to this change, let’s see what benefits the card provides.

25% cashback (up to INR 250 every month) on Airtel Mobile, Broadband, and DTH payments made through the Airtel Thanks app.
10% cashback (up to INR 250 each month) on utility payments made through the Airtel Thanks app.
10% cashback (up to INR 500 each month) on BigBasket, Zomato, and Swiggy.
1% cashback on other purchases.
Four complimentary visits to domestic lounges annually.

Considering the above benefits, this card is considered one of the best card one can have today.

Also Read: Devaluation of Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card: No longer the Preferred Card?

What will change from April 12, 2026?

Three significant modifications are being implemented by Axis Bank.

Cashback Caps Now Associated with Base Spending: The monthly caps will now be based on the amount of base cashback (1% category) received within the same statement cycle, even though the cashback percentages stay the same. In the new structure, the maximum amount of 25% Airtel cashback will be double the amount of base cashback received.

The maximum amount of 10% utility cashback will be one time the amount of basic cashback.

In the current structure, both categories have a simple capping is of Rs. 250.

Swiggy, Zomato, and BigBasket Cashback Removed: One of the card’s most best cashback segment has been removed. Presently, spends on BigBasket, Zomato, and Swiggy offered 10% cashback with a monthly capping of Rs. 500. Under the new structure a 10% value back will be provided on spends on Zomato, Blinkit, and District Movies. This value back will be credited to partner wallet and not in the form of cashback which was earlier credited to the card statement. Also you must have a minimum order value of INR 499 for Zomato and Blinkit, excluding wallet loading and gift cards. The maximum value back is INR 200 per partner every month.

Removal of Domestic Lounge Access: Axis Bank has also stated that it will stop providing the four free domestic lounge visits that were previously included with the card.

Is the card really worth now?

Axis Bank has made major changes to the card. The card was really beneficial for those who uses Airtel services as it gives flat 25% cashback up to Rs.250 per month, which is directly credited to the card statement. Additionally, for those who love to order from Zomato, Swiggy and Bigbasket as it gives 10% cashback upto Rs. 500. So basically, the existing cardholders just used the card wisely to spend on the selected categories to maximize the benefits up to the cashback limits, which the bank didn’t liked. So Bank has now introduced a new structure and forced the cardholders to spend on other categories too, to get the existing benefits.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Finostry. The information provided in this review is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice.

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Loves to write about personal finance, credit cards rewards, banking, mutual funds, fixed deposits, savings strategies, investment planning, tax-saving options, digital banking and wealth building techniques. With over 12 years of experience he aims to provide practical financial knowledge that is easy to understand for both beginners and experienced readers.