Axis Bank’s credit card offerings have always been a bit behind the curve in the market. For Axis, there has never been any unique selling factor compared to the leader HDFC Bank. The tide seems to be turning now with new launches. One such new launch is the Axis Ace credit card which has become one of the best entry-level credit cards. Here is my hands-on review of the Axis Bank Ace credit card.
Fees and Charges
Axis Ace credit card comes with a joining/annual fee of Rs 499 plus GST. This is good and quite low for its segment. The annual fee is waived on annual spending of more than Rs 2 Lakhs. So, as long as you can spend 2L on this card, there are no charges. This should not be difficult considering the cashback it offers.
| Joining/Annual Fee | Rs 499 plus taxes |
| Joining Fee Waiver | Spend Rs 10000 within 45 days |
| Annual Fee | Rs 499 plus taxes |
| Annual Fee Waiver | Spend Rs 2 Lakhs in a membership year |
Cashback
| TYPE OF SPEND | CASHBACK |
|---|---|
| Bill Payments on Google Pay – Electricity, Internet. Gas, DTH, and Mobile Recharges | 5% |
| Swiggy, Zomato, and Ola spends | 4% |
| All other spends | 2% |
There are no upper caps on the cashback in any of the categories. The unique selling point of this card is the 2% unlimited cash back on everyday spending. 2% cashback without any limits is rarely offered for entry-level credit cards.
The second notable fact is the 5% unlimited cash back on Google Pay bill payments. This is a great way to save on recurring monthly bills. But, payment of bills by credit card is only available in the Google Pay Android version for now. 🙁 Not sure, when Google is planning to bring the same feature into iOS. iOS users of Google Pay lose out on the 5% cash back feature for now.
There is no cashback for:
× Fuel Spends
× Rental Payments
× Insurance Premium Payments
× EMI transactions or purchases converted to EMI
× Wallet loading transactions
× Gold/Jewelry Purchases
Rewards Redemption
The good thing about Axis Ace is there is no action required for rewards redemption. Cashback earned during a billing cycle is credited 3 days before the next statement generation date. 2% monthly cashback credit is always better than accumulating rewards for bulk redemption.
Axis Ace statement shows the merchant category and cashback for each transaction. This is something I like and hope every card issuer starts doing the same. It saves so much effort in the manual calculation.
Complimentary Airport Lounge Access
We get four complimentary airport domestic lounge access per year with an Ace credit card. Refer to this Axis Bank list for eligible lounges.
Final Thoughts
Any credit card that offers benefits worth more than the fee it charges is always a good addition to the wallet. Axis Ace credit card ticks several of the boxes with low fees, good cashback rewards, and an easy fee waiver. This is what makes this the best entry-level credit card.
The 2% and 5% cashback beat even the super-premium cards if comparing the cashback rates. My wishlist for this card has more to do with Google Pay. It is high time, Google Pay adds support for credit cards to its iOS app.
