Axis Bank ACE Credit Card

Axis Bank ACE Credit Card

Axis has closed the ACE to new applicants, so this review is for the readers who already hold one, and for them it is still one of the best cashback cards in India: 5% back on Google Pay utility bills, 4% on Swiggy, Zomato and Ola, and an uncapped 1.5% on everything else, for a ₹499 annual fee that waives at ₹2 lakh of spend. It came through 2026's Axis devaluations untouched. Two catches for holders: the 5% and 4% share a ₹500 monthly cap, and you need an Android phone to unlock the 5%.

LIC Axis Bank Signature Credit Card

A lifetime-free co-brand between Axis Bank and LIC Cards that earns better than its reputation — about 2% on LIC premiums and international spends and about 1% elsewhere, once the points are priced at what LIC's own catalogue pays for them. Two haircuts to know: points lapse after 12 months and every redemption costs ₹30 plus GST.

Best Cashback Credit Cards in India 2026: Top Picks for Straightforward Returns

The best cashback credit cards in India deliver 2–5% back on everyday categories without requiring you to manage points or transfer programmes. SBI Cashback leads for online spend; the Axis ACE — now closed to new applicants — remains the bills-and-recharges benchmark for those who hold it; HDFC Millennia bridges the gap.

Axis Bank Neo Credit Card

Built for someone at the very start of their credit journey — a fresh graduate or first-time earner wanting a cheap card with a few genuinely useful everyday perks, from a bank that publishes no income criterion for it. It won't scale with your income, and isn't supposed to: its job is to be a good first card and hand you off to something bigger in a year or two. On that narrow brief, one of the better options around.

Axis Bank Airtel Credit Card

Once a near-no-brainer for Airtel households — 25% on Airtel bills, 10% on Swiggy and groceries, lounge access, and a ₹500 fee that the ₹2 lakh waiver usually cancelled. The April 2026 devaluation removed the lounge access, tied the bill cashback to your retail spend (so bills-only users now earn almost nothing), and swapped the Swiggy perk for capped Zomato/Blinkit value-back. Still worth holding for an active Airtel household; the brilliance has been clipped.

Axis Bank MyZone Credit Card

An entry-level lifestyle card whose value is its perks, not its earn rate (a flat ~0.4%): a complimentary SonyLIV Premium membership worth ₹1,499 that alone outvalues the ₹500 fee, plus movie buy-one-get-one and dining/shopping offers. For pure everyday cashback the Axis ACE out-earns it for a rupee less — ₹499 against MyZone's ₹500, except the ACE's fee waives at ₹2 lakh of annual spend and MyZone's waives at nothing (the ACE is now closed to new applicants; if you're applying fresh, the still-open Axis SUPERMONEY is the closest everyday earner) — so the MyZone is a lifestyle pick, best for someone who'll actually use the OTT membership and entertainment offers.

Axis Bank Select Credit Card

A competent bridge card — lounge access, a 2X retail accelerator and BigBasket/Swiggy offers at a ₹3,000 fee that an active user covers in year one (a 10,000-point welcome plus the monthly grocery and food savings). A reasonable, low-risk way to audition Axis's premium tier. The catch is renewal: without genuine lounge and offer use, a low-fee everyday card gives you most of the same value (the ₹499 Axis ACE was the obvious one, but it's now closed to new applicants), so re-check the math before the second-year fee.

Axis Bank Aura Credit Card

A wellness-first card that sold health services rather than rewards — complimentary doctor consultations, video fitness sessions, discounted health check-ups and a Decathlon welcome voucher, for a ₹749 fee. The reward rate was always thin at ~0.4%, and Axis has since closed it to new applicants; existing holders who use the health perks can keep it.

Samsung Axis Bank Infinite Credit Card

The premium tier of Axis Bank's Samsung co-brand: 10% cashback on Samsung purchases capped at ₹20,000/year, 3% on five partners, a large 30,000-point welcome benefit and full domestic-plus-international lounge access — for a ₹5,000 fee that waives at ₹7 lakh. Strong the year you buy heavily into Samsung; overkill if you don't.

Axis Bank Cashback Credit Card

A ₹1,000 online-cashback card with a tiered accelerated rate — up to 5% on most online spends and 7% on the top tier, capped at a generous ₹4,000 a month. But offline earns just 0.75%, there's no fuel surcharge waiver and no lounge access, so hold it as an online specialist rather than an all-rounder.

Google Pay Flex Axis Bank Credit Card

A lifetime-free RuPay/UPI co-brand between Axis Bank and Google Pay: earn 'stars' worth ₹1 each, redeemable straight into UPI payments in Google Pay. Axis's contractual rate is 0.2%, doubling to 0.4% once you've spent ₹100 in the prior cycle, hard-capped at 1,500 stars a cycle. The 4X and 8X rates the card is marketed on are a Google Pay promotion on current-period spend that Axis explicitly disclaims. A convenient free secondary card for Google Pay natives, not a rewards engine.

Axis Bank Freecharge Credit Card

An entry-level, invite-only EDGE Reward Points card built around Axis Bank's own Freecharge app for recharges and bill payments, with spend-based monthly bonus points. A light ₹250 digital card for Freecharge regulars — not a cashback earner, and outshone by its own Plus sibling if cashback is what you want.

Samsung Axis Bank Signature Credit Card

The entry tier of Axis Bank's Samsung co-brand: 10% cashback on Samsung purchases (capped ₹2,500/month, ₹10,000/year) plus EDGE Reward Points on everyday spend, for a ₹500 fee that waives at ₹2 lakh. A device-buyer's card that earns its keep the year you buy a Samsung, and an ordinary 1% points card the rest of the time.

Axis Bank Rewards Credit Card

A ₹1,000 EDGE Reward Points card whose one real edge is 10X points at apparel and departmental stores, capped at roughly ₹7,000 of that spend a month. The base rate is a thin ~0.3% in value, so the card only makes sense if you'll consistently fill the 10X category cap; otherwise a stronger everyday earner is the smarter buy.

SpiceJet Axis Bank Voyage Black Credit Card

The premium SpiceJet co-brand — up to 28 SpiceClub points per ₹200 on SpiceJet bookings (~7% value), a ₹4,000 welcome voucher, SpiceClub Gold and 8 lounge visits. The richest way to earn on SpiceJet spend, but a ₹2,000 fee raises the stakes on the same single-airline bet: every point is locked to a carrier whose reliability has been persistently troubled.

Axis Bank Freecharge Plus Credit Card

The cashback sibling of the Freecharge card: 5% on Freecharge recharges and bill payments, 2% on local commute and 1% everywhere else, for a low ₹350 fee that waives at ₹50,000. A tidy bill-pay-and-commute card that Axis is no longer offering to new applicants — sharp inside its lanes, plain 1% outside them, with a long exclusion list to respect.

IndianOil Axis Bank Premium Credit Card

The premium tier of the IndianOil Axis fuel card — the same effective ~4% on IOCL fuel as the base card, but with a ₹30,000 fee waiver (versus a steep ₹3.5 lakh), grocery rewards, up to 8 domestic lounge visits and a Zomato discount. A ₹1,000 card that, at roughly two tanks a month, effectively never charges its fee.

IndianOil Axis Bank Credit Card

Does the standard IOCL fuel-card job — 4% on petrol at India's largest pump network — but with a twist: you earn flexible EDGE points, not fuel-locked ones, so the rewards can feed Axis's wider ecosystem. Useful if you already bank with Axis. On raw fuel value, HDFC's IndianOil card earns more on the same pumps, so pick by which matters to you.

Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card

Built as the Citi PremierMiles successor, the Horizon now justifies its ₹3,000 fee mainly through lounge access — 32 domestic and 8 international visits a year with no spend gate, a genuine outlier in 2026's gated market. The April 2026 devaluation stripped out Accor and Marriott and worsened conversion ratios, leaving the miles ordinary; Accor's return in September, at 2:1, doesn't change that. Buy it for the lounges, not the miles.

SBI Cashback Credit Card

A flat 5% on online shopping, no merchant list to memorise — still the best single online card for most people, and the ₹999 fee waives at ₹2 lakh. An April 2026 devaluation cut the cap to ₹4,000 (5% online capped at ₹2,000) and excluded gaming, toll and government payments. Moderate spenders won't notice; heavy spenders should now compare the Axis Cashback — now closed to new applicants, so an option for existing holders rather than one you can newly apply for.

Axis Bank SUPERMONEY RuPay Credit Card

A lifetime-free RuPay/UPI card built with the super.money app that pays 3% cashback on QR scan-and-pay through the app and 1% on everything else. A January 2026 revamp removed the flat ₹500-per-statement-cycle cap — the 1% base is now uncapped — but the 3% is now capped at the cashback you earn from your other spends, so it stays a strong secondary UPI card rather than a primary one.

Fibe Axis Bank Credit Card

A lifetime-free RuPay 'numberless' card that pays 3% cashback on food delivery, entertainment and local commute (combined ₹1,500/cycle cap) and 1% on everything else. It is sold as a UPI card, but credit-card-on-UPI under ₹2,000 and UPI to small merchants earn nothing — so read that before you plan around it. Lounge visits and a fuel-surcharge waiver at zero cost still make it a tidy secondary card, as long as you can get it, because it's gated to Fibe app customers.

IKEA Family Axis Bank Credit Card

Withdrawn: Axis has removed the IKEA Family card from its line-up — the product page is gone and there is no way to apply, so this is now a guide for existing holders. It was a lifetime-free IKEA co-brand earning Axis EDGE Reward Points — 3 per ₹100 at IKEA, 2 per ₹100 on dining, 1 per ₹100 elsewhere — plus IKEA Family perks and low-cost EMI. The earn was always modest (EDGE points are worth ₹0.20), but with no fee it was all upside for a regular IKEA shopper.

Axis Bank Shoppers Stop Credit Card

A single-store loyalty card built on the Shoppers Stop First Citizen programme — 20 First Citizen points per ₹200 on Exclusive brands (5% at Axis's published ₹0.50/point), 12 per ₹200 on every other brand in store, 2 per ₹200 elsewhere, plus a ₹2,250 welcome voucher stack. The points redeem only at Shoppers Stop, so it's a companion card for genuine regulars, not a daily driver.

SpiceJet Axis Bank Voyage Credit Card

A low-fee SpiceJet co-brand earning SpiceClub points — up to 18 per ₹200 on SpiceJet bookings (~4.5% value) — with a ₹1,500 welcome flight voucher and four spend-gated lounge visits. The earn is fine; the catch is that every point is locked to SpiceJet, an airline whose reliability has been persistently troubled. A card for committed SpiceJet regulars, not a general travel card.

Axis Bank Flipkart Credit Card

Still one of India's best low-fee shopping cards for Flipkart-and-Myntra loyalists — now with a welcome 7.5% on Myntra — but the June 2025 devaluation ended the uncapped 5%, adding ₹4,000-per-quarter caps and removing lounge access. For the normal shopper who stays within the caps, it's excellent value for its ₹500 fee (waived at ₹3.5 lakh spend); for the heavy spender who loved the unlimited era, it's a real step down.

Flipkart Axis Bank Super Elite Credit Card

The Super Elite is the SuperCoins sibling of the Flipkart Axis card — 12 SuperCoins per ₹100 on Flipkart for Plus members (6 for non-Plus), 2 per ₹100 elsewhere, and welcome SuperCoins plus Lenskart/Gaana/YouTube trials. But the rewards are store credit, not cashback, there is no lounge access, and the top rate needs a paid Flipkart Plus membership.

Best Lifetime Free Credit Cards in India 2026: No Annual Fee, Real Benefits

Lifetime-free credit cards in India have matured beyond basic options. IDFC FIRST Classic, IDFC WOW, and Scapia offer genuine rewards at zero annual cost — no fee waiver condition, no hidden charges. Plus Axis ACE — now closed to new applicants — a near-free fee-waiver card that still rewards active spenders who already hold it.

Best Credit Cards for First-Time Applicants in India 2026

Getting your first credit card in India is simpler than most people think — if you know which cards to target. This guide covers eligibility basics, the best first cards (secured and unsecured), how to build a CIBIL score from zero, and the mistakes to avoid.

Axis Bank Privilege Credit Card

A ₹1,500 mid-tier card that pairs a flat 1% EDGE earn with a big 10,000-point milestone at ₹2.5 lakh of annual spend and 2 domestic lounge visits a quarter. Clear the spends and it's a solid all-rounder; fall short and you're paying ₹1,500 for a plain 1% card with a steep ₹5 lakh fee-waiver bar.

HDFC PIXEL Play Credit Card

HDFC's app-native cashback card with a good central idea — pick two of five cashback packs to earn 5% on, reshuffled quarterly, plus separately capped 5% on SmartBuy and 3% on one nominated platform. That is 1,500 CashPoints a month of accelerated earning across three caps, more than most summaries credit it with. The ₹500 fee waives at ₹1 lakh. The trade-off is familiar: it rewards the attentive and shortchanges the forgetful.

CheQ AU Credit Card

India's first LED card — a CheQ × AU Small Finance Bank co-brand that glows on every NFC tap and quotes a headline 12% on utilities paid in the CheQ app and at partner brands. The catch is the point value: 2 points = ₹1 on travel/vouchers but only 4 points = ₹1 against bills paid through CheQ, so the real return is roughly half the marketing (≈6% on app utilities, ≈2.5% on the 5% categories). Lifetime free; the optional LED (Visa) variant carries a one-time ₹999 + GST.

AU Bank Xcite Credit Card

An entry-level card that quietly out-earns its tier — 15 reward points per ₹100 (≈3.75%) on dining, movies, departmental stores and groceries, plus 3 per ₹100 on other retail, all for a token ₹249 fee. The catch isn't the earn rate; it's AU's ₹0.25-per-point currency and thinner redemption catalogue, the fuel/wallet exclusions, railway-only lounges and the fact that it isn't lifetime-free. Strong everyday earner for someone who'll spend in its bonus categories.

IndusInd Bank Platinum Credit Card

The definition of a "fine" card — genuinely lifetime free, with a fuel surcharge waiver and a reward rate so low (~0.40%) it barely registers. What it does not have, despite what most write-ups say, is airport lounge access: IndusInd's own MITC lists the Platinum among the cards where Priority Pass is not available. Because it costs nothing to hold, it's a sensible secondary card for an existing IndusInd customer; as a card to actually spend on, almost every other free card out-earns it.

HDFC PIXEL Go Credit Card

HDFC's entry-most digital card, sitting one rung below the Pixel Play: a flat 1% unlimited cashback (as CashPoints, ₹1 each), 5% on SmartBuy capped at 500 CashPoints a month, and 1% on UPI on the RuPay variant — all at a low ₹250 fee. What you give up for that half-price fee is the Play's customisable 5% packs and its 3% on a chosen e-commerce platform. Neither card carries lounge access. It's the right pick only if you value simplicity and the lowest fee over earning power.

Best Credit Cards for Grocery Shopping in India 2026

Grocery is one of the largest spend categories for Indian households — yet most cards earn only 1%. The best grocery cards earn 5–10%: HSBC Live+ (10% on quick-commerce), RBL ShopRite (5% at offline supermarkets) and SBI Cashback (5% on all online grocery). This guide ranks the 2026 picks by where you actually shop.