In-depth review
Kotak Air Credit Card
Kotak's entry travel card at ₹999, and the rare one whose currency is worth a real ₹1 — an Air Mile redeems at face value for flights and hotels on Kotak Unbox. 1,000 welcome plus 1,000 renewal miles each cover about 85% of the ₹1,179 all-in fee. The catches: a flat 1% base, a 3x accelerator locked to Unbox and capped at 5,000 miles a cycle, lounge access gated on ₹60,000 of prior-quarter spend, and ten spend categories that earn nothing.
Read the full review →Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
Welcome Benefit
~₹1,000 in vouchers, points or cashback in year one — usually conditional on a first spend within 30–90 days
3 miles/₹100 on Travel (~3% value)
3 Air Miles per ₹100 on flights and hotels booked via Kotak Unbox (capped 5,000 miles/statement cycle)
1% on Other
1 Air Mile per ₹100 on all other eligible spends; 1 Air Mile = ₹1 for flight/hotel bookings on Kotak Unbox
Airport Lounge Access
Up to 4 complimentary domestic lounge visits a year (max 2 per quarter), subject to ₹60,000 of spend in the previous quarter
Annual Fee Waiver
Fee of ₹999 + 18% GST (₹1,179 all-in)/yr fully waived when you spend ₹2,50,000/year
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% waiver on fuel transactions, capped at ₹3,500/month
✈️ TRAVEL BENEFITS
Lounge access, miles, forex rates and travel perks at a glance.
AIRPORT LOUNGE ACCESS
✓
Domestic lounges
₹2,000
Estimated annual value
3.5%
Forex markup
3.0%
Travel reward rate
AIRLINE / TRAVEL PARTNERS
- Domestic airport lounge access (worth ~₹2,000/yr)
- Miles on: Kotak Unbox — flights & hotels
- 3.0% effective return on travel bookings
For an occasional traveller who books flights or hotels through Kotak Unbox and wants a low-fee card whose miles are actually worth ₹1 rather than a token point. The 1% everyday base keeps it usable off travel, and the spend-gated lounge visits suit a few trips a year.
Full reward structure
What you earn on every rupee, per spend category — as of 15 Oct 2026. Rates assume 1 pt = ₹1.00. How we value points →
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travelonly at Kotak Unbox — flights & hotels | airline miles | 3%3 pts/₹100 × ₹1.00 | ₹5,000 |
| Other | airline miles | 1%1 pts/₹100 × ₹1.00 | — |
Travel: 3 Air Miles per ₹100 on flights and hotels booked via Kotak Unbox (capped 5,000 miles/statement cycle) · Kotak Unbox — flights & hotels
Other: 1 Air Mile per ₹100 on all other eligible spends; 1 Air Mile = ₹1 for flight/hotel bookings on Kotak Unbox
Earns nothing on: Fuel · Rent · Wallet Loads · Government & Tax · Utility Bills · Telecom · Insurance · Education · EMI Conversions · Online Gaming · Cash Advances · Fund transfers
These spends earn no rewards at all — not a reduced rate, and not the base rate. They are also normally left out of any milestone or fee-waiver calculation.
Fees & charges
The numbers that matter beyond rewards — verify on the issuer site before applying. Fees below are shown inclusive of 18% GST, as of 15 Oct 2026.
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹1,179 |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹1,179 |
| Renewal benefitCredited each year the annual fee is charged; none in a year it is waived on ₹2,50,000 of spend. | ≈ ₹1,000 |
| Finance charge (APR) | 3.75% p.m. |
| Forex markup | 3.5% |
| Fuel surcharge waiver | 1%, cap ₹3,500 |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹2,000/yr in total.
Up to 4 complimentary domestic lounge visits a year (max 2 per quarter), subject to ₹60,000 of spend in the previous quarter
1% fuel-surcharge waiver on transactions of ₹500–₹5,000 (max ₹3,500 a year)
Should you get it?
- Best for: Occasional travellers who book through Kotak Unbox, First-time travel-card holders wanting a low fee, People who want a mile actually worth ₹1
- Mid tier — a solid all-rounder for steady monthly spend.
- Strongest value if you spend heavily on everyday spends (1% back; 3% only at Kotak Unbox — flights & hotels).
- Frequent travellers benefit from the included airport lounge access.
Pros & cons
✓ Pros
- Air Miles worth a real ₹1 each on Unbox flight/hotel redemptions
- 1,000 welcome + 1,000 renewal Air Miles cover most of the ₹1,179 all-in fee when spent on travel
- Up to 4 complimentary domestic lounge visits a year
- 3 Air Miles per ₹100 on flights and hotels booked via Kotak Unbox
✕ Cons
- Base earn is a flat 1 Air Mile per ₹100 (~1%)
- Accelerated 3x earn caps at 5,000 miles a statement cycle and is locked to Kotak Unbox
- Lounge access requires ₹60,000 of spend in the previous quarter
- Air Miles are worth only ₹0.50 as instant vouchers, and expire in 3 years
- Ten spend categories earn no miles, and Kotak charges 1% on rent and on wallet, fuel, gaming, utility and app-paid education spends above its monthly thresholds
Eligibility & documents
Documents required
- 📄PAN card
- 📄Aadhaar / valid address proof
- 📄Latest 3 months bank statement
- 📄Income proof — salary slips (salaried) or ITR (self-employed)
- 📄Recent passport-size photograph
How to redeem rewards
Ways to convert what you earn into real value.
- 🎁Kotak Unbox: redeem Air Miles for flights and hotels at 1 Air Mile = ₹1 (up to 80% of booking value)
- 🎁Instant vouchers: 1 Air Mile = ₹0.50
- 🎁Partner transfers: Air India 3:1, Marriott Bonvoy 3:1, Accor/Qatar/BA/Cathay/United/Flying Blue 2:1 (min 1,000 Air Miles, capped 1,00,000/calendar year)
What your Kotak Air Miles are worth
Realistic value per point by redemption route — the difference is what most people leave on the table.
1 Air Mile = ₹1 against flights & hotels on Kotak Unbox, up to 80% of the booking value
Half the Unbox rate — a floor, not a route worth using
Air India is the ONLY partner whose ratio moves by card, and it moves a lot: Solitaire 1:1, Air+ Prime 2:1, Kotak Air 3:1 — Solitaire is three times better than Kotak Air into the same programme. Everything else is flat across the family: Accor, Qatar, BA, Cathay, United and Flying Blue 2:1, Marriott 3:1. Etihad is Solitaire and Air+ Prime only; Aeroplan is Air+ Prime only. Because an Air Mile is already worth a fixed ₹1 on Kotak Unbox, transferring at 1:1 only wins if the partner award beats ₹1/mile — which in practice means premium-cabin redemptions, not economy.
✈ Transfer partners
Direct transfers from this card only, ranked by what a point is worth in the destination programme. Full calculator, every currency →
The best value is locked to Kotak's Unbox portal (1 Air Mile = ₹1 there, ₹0.50 as vouchers), the 3x accelerated earn caps at 5,000 miles a cycle, and lounge access is gated on ₹60,000 of prior-quarter spend.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Kotak Air card earn?
What is a Kotak Air Mile worth?
What is the welcome benefit?
Which spends earn no Air Miles?
Does it have lounge access?
How is the Kotak Air different from the Air+ Prime?
How has the Kotak Air Credit Card changed over time?
The bottom line
The Kotak Air is a sensible low-fee travel starter: the Air Mile holds a genuine ₹1 value on Unbox travel, 1,000 welcome plus 1,000 renewal miles cover most of the ₹1,179 all-in fee when spent on flights or hotels, and you get four spend-gated lounge visits. But the base earn is a flat 1%, the accelerated 3x is small (5,000-mile cap) and locked to Kotak Unbox, and lounge access needs ₹60,000 of prior-quarter spend — so it rewards people who will book travel through Kotak. Heavier travellers should look at the [Kotak Air+ Prime](/cards/kotak-air-plus-prime) for the 2% base and richer perks.
How this page was built
Counted from this card’s own record: 2 earn rules, 1 of them capped, 1 paid only at named merchants, the spends listed as earning nothing and 2 recorded perks. The renewal fee is conditional — it is waived on a published spend target, so the fee you pay depends on what you spend.
Last updated 15 Oct 2026.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the Kotak Air Credit Card are taken from Kotak Mahindra Bank's official Most Important Terms & Conditions (MITC) and fee schedule — see the card's official page. Last updated 15 Oct 2026. Reviewed by Devchandra Sah. Always confirm current details on the issuer's site before applying. How we research →
Independence. CardAdvisor is an independent editorial publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorised to act for Kotak Mahindra Bank. All issuer names, product names, and payment-network marks are the property of their respective owners and appear here for identification and comparison only. Card faces shown on this site are our own original illustrations — we do not display or host issuer card artwork or logos.
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Read more
Guides and reviews related to this card.
Kotak Air Credit Card
Kotak's entry travel card at ₹999, and the rare one whose currency is worth a real ₹1 — an Air Mile redeems at face value for flights and hotels on Kotak Unbox. 1,000 welcome plus 1,000 renewal miles each cover about 85% of the ₹1,179 all-in fee. The catches: a flat 1% base, a 3x accelerator locked to Unbox and capped at 5,000 miles a cycle, lounge access gated on ₹60,000 of prior-quarter spend, and ten spend categories that earn nothing.
IndiGo Kotak Credit Card
The base tier of the Kotak x IndiGo co-brand at ₹1,500 — a 2,500-BluChip welcome voucher, a matching 2,500 on every renewal, and milestone vouchers worth up to 7,500 BluChips a year. Read the 'up to 19 BluChips per ₹100' headline carefully: only 3 of those come from the card. And unlike the ₹3,000 IndiGo XL, this one has no lounge access at all.
Value timeline
Every real-world change to this card's rewards, fees and benefits we've tracked — newest first, each linked to its source.
Tracking since 2026 · last change Feb 2026
2026
- ◆ LaunchEffective Feb 2026
Kotak Air launched — entry rung of the Air Miles travel family
Kotak introduced the Kotak Air, the entry card in its new Air travel range (below Air+ and Air+ Prime), built on the Air Mile currency worth a genuine ₹1 each on the Kotak Unbox travel portal. It carries a ₹999 joining / ₹999 annual fee — introduced with a limited-time joining-fee waiver — with 3 Air Miles per ₹100 on Unbox flights and hotels (capped 5,000 miles a cycle), 1 Air Mile per ₹100 on everything else, 1,000 welcome plus 1,000 renewal Air Miles, and up to 4 spend-gated domestic lounge visits a year. As a card born after the June-2025 revision, the current earn caps, exclusions and fees are its baseline, not a later change. One caveat on the date — Kotak publishes no launch date for this card, so February 2026 is reconstructed from trade coverage alone. A counter-signal points earlier — the card's own detailed terms and Air Miles transfer-ratio PDFs are hosted in Kotak's 2025 mailer folder — so treat the month as approximate rather than established.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: Reconstructed
Each change links to the issuer's own document — bank T&C, MITC, notice, press release or product page — where one is public. Where the bank published nothing, it's marked CardAdvisor Research and verified against the card's current terms. Independent of the live terms shown above. This timeline is one card's slice of our market-wide change record across every tracked card.
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Source: <a href="https://cardadvisor.in/cards/kotak-air#value-timeline">Kotak Air Credit Card value timeline</a>, CardAdvisor (CC BY 4.0).
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