Axis Bank ACE Credit Card
By WhichWise Editorial Team · Verified ·
A ₹499/year cashback card with 4+ partner merchants with 4 lounge visits. At 1.5% base return, the rewards hold up, but 8 excluded categories matter.
Axis Bank
By WhichWise Editorial Team · Verified ·
A ₹499/year cashback card with 4+ partner merchants with 4 lounge visits. At 1.5% base return, the rewards hold up, but 8 excluded categories matter.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver Details
Base cashback rate cut from 2% to 1.5% on all non-partner spends See Recent Changes for details.
You must spend ₹50,000/previous 3 calendar months to access lounges.
8 spending categories earn zero rewards (including fuel, emi).
The Axis Bank ACE Credit Card is Axis Bank's ₹499-a-year cashback credit card with about 1.5% base rewards on everyday spend. Best for google pay shoppers and occasional flyers.
Quick Decision
Reward earnings only, at the everyday spend mix: milestone vouchers and lounge value are tracked separately in the sections below. 8 categories (fuel, emi, wallet load, etc., see Excluded list) earn 0% and are NOT in this range.
Casual users hit the lower end; engaged users hit the upper end.
See full analysisPros & Cons
A balanced look at what this card does well and where it falls short.
- Fee waived on ₹2.0L annual spend
- 1.5% base reward rate on eligible spend (8 categories excluded)
- 5% on Google Pay
- 4 domestic lounge visits/year
- Welcome bonus worth ₹499
- Fuel transactions excluded from rewards
- Rent payments excluded from rewards
- 8 spending categories excluded
- High forex markup: 3.5%
- Lounge access gated: spend ₹50,000 per previous 3 calendar months to unlock
Our editorial take on this card
What works
The Axis ACE's 1.5% uncapped base cashback is the real star - it applies to everything outside the excluded categories with no monthly limit, making it one of the strongest base-rate cashback cards under ₹500 annual fee. The 5% on Google Pay bill payments (electricity, DTH, mobile recharge) and 4% on Swiggy, Zomato, and Ola add meaningful value if you're already using these platforms. The ₹499 annual fee is waived at ₹2,00,000 annual spend, which is achievable for most working professionals. Four complimentary domestic lounge visits per calendar year and a 1% fuel surcharge waiver (on transactions of ₹400-₹4,000, capped at ₹500/statement) round out a genuinely useful everyday card. Cashback is direct cash credited to your statement - no points, no redemption friction, no devaluation risk.
The combined ₹500/month cap on the 5% and 4% categories is the biggest limitation - even if you spend ₹20,000 on bills + food delivery in a month, you max out at ₹500 cashback on those tiers, well below the headline 5%. The 5% Google Pay bill payment feature only works on Android; iPhone users lose the card's headline benefit entirely. The ₹50,000 spend requirement over the previous 3 calendar months to unlock lounge access is steep for an entry-level card with only 4 domestic visits/year. The base rate was quietly cut from 2% to 1.5% in April 2024 with no notification to existing cardholders - a real trust concern. The 3.5% forex markup makes it expensive for international transactions. And cashback is excluded on 8 major spend categories - fuel, EMI conversions, wallet loads, rent, jewellery, insurance premiums, education fees, and government services - so a daily-driver user routing fuel and rent through this card earns zero on those.
Bottom line
The Axis ACE is a genuinely good everyday cashback card if you're on Android and pay bills through Google Pay. The 1.5% uncapped base rate alone justifies the ₹499 fee (which gets waived at ₹2L spend anyway). But the ₹500/month cap on accelerated categories and the iPhone exclusion on the headline feature are real limitations - if your monthly bill + food spend exceeds ₹12,500, you're leaving cashback on the table. For most Android users spending ₹15K-₹30K/month, this is a solid primary card.
Independent analysis from public card terms, no paid placements or ratings.
Welcome Bonus
VerifiedOne-time bonus for new cardholders
Joining fee of ₹499 reversed on spending ₹10,000 within 45 days of card setup
Note: this is a ₹499 fee reversal: net-zero in year one (you pay the fee, then it’s refunded on meeting the spend). Treat it as fee waiver, not incremental rewards.
So what does this card actually earn?
Tiered Rewards
Different reward rates by category
Cap: Monthly: ₹500
Cap: Monthly: ₹500
Partner Rewards
Earn bonus rates at these merchants
| Merchant | Reward | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Google Pay (Bill Payments) | 5% | Cashback |
| Swiggy | 4% | Cashback |
| Zomato | 4% | Cashback |
| Ola | 4% | Cashback |
Base cashback rate cut from 2% to 1.5% on all non-partner spends
- Base rate reduced from 2% to 1.5% on all non-partner categories
- No prior notification sent to existing cardholders
- 5% (Google Pay bills) and 4% (Swiggy/Zomato/Ola) rates remained unchanged
- ₹500/month combined cap on partner tiers also unchanged
WhichWise monitors changes to card terms so you're never caught off guard by a devaluation. See all tracked changes →
Excluded Categories
8 categories earn no rewards on this card
⚠ Do not use for Fuel / Petrol / Diesel / CNG, EMI Transactions, Wallet / Prepaid Instrument Loading and 5 more. You earn 0 rewards on these spends. Use a different card or pay direct.
This card works best for utility bills, swiggy, zomato, ola, and airport lounge usage. Spends in those categories still earn at the headline rate.
Lounge Access
Complimentary airport lounge visits
Domestic
4
visits/year
International
0
visits/year
Priority Pass
No
membership
The ceiling priced at walk-in rates is the theoretical max; the realistic range above assumes 40–70% of visits actually used (most users land in the lower half). How is this estimated?
- Guest policy
- not allowed
Rs.50,000 spend in the preceding 3 calendar months unlocks each lounge visit. Rolling window, not aligned to calendar quarters.
Lounge Spend Requirement
Minimum spend needed to unlock lounge access
You must spend ₹50,000 in the previous 3 calendar months to access lounges.
Who Is This Card For?
Android users spending ₹3,000-₹10,000/month on utility bills via Google Pay and regularly ordering from Swiggy/Zomato. Salaried professionals who want strong uncapped 1.5% base cashback plus accelerated rates on bills and food, without paying a high annual fee. Works well as a primary everyday card paired with a travel or rewards card for categories the ACE doesn't cover (fuel, rent, international).
iPhone users (you lose the 5% Google Pay benefit entirely - it becomes a flat 1.5% card and is not worth ₹499). Heavy international spenders (3.5% forex markup). Anyone whose monthly bills + food delivery exceed ₹12,500 - you'll hit the ₹500 cap and be better off with a card with higher caps. If you spend mostly on Amazon, the Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card's 5% (Prime) / 3% (non-Prime) on Amazon with no cap and zero annual fee is better. If you want flat uncapped cashback across all online spend, the SBI Cashback Credit Card's 5% on online (uncapped) is broader.
How It Compares
Side-by-side with similar cards in our database.
| Feature | This card | Airtel Axis Bank | Flipkart Axis Bank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | ₹499 | ₹500 | ₹500 |
| Reward ratecash-equivalent · accelerated | 1.50%up to 5.00% on partners | 1.00%no accelerator | 1.00%no accelerator |
| Network | Visa | Visa | Visa |
| Acceptance | Universal | Universal | Universal |
| Eligibility | Applicable | Applicable | Applicable |
Methodology: reward rates shown at cash-equivalent redemption (statement credit / direct cashback): the most conservative tier every cardholder can realize. Travel-transfer or partner-merchant routing can be materially higher; see each card's full review for upside scenarios.
Fees & Charges
Complete breakdown of all fees associated with this card.
Value Verdict
Eligible spend · no routingEstimated annual value at ₹50,000/month spend with base earn on eligible retail (after assumed 24% in excluded categories), plus lounge access at realistic utilization.
+ up to ₹6,000/yr fuel surcharge savings (regularly transact ₹400–₹4,000 per fill, not included above).This waives the 1% surcharge petrol pumps add. Fuel spend itself still earns 0% cashback on this card.
✓ Fee waived above ₹16,667/month, so all ₹8,600 is net value
Year 1 also carries a one-time ₹499 + 18% GST joining fee (~₹589), charged upfront on issuance and not waivable by spend. The net above reflects the renewal-year fee (which your spend waives); subtract the joining fee from year-1 value.
First year bonus: +₹499 welcome value (not included above)
↓ Accelerated rates (Utility bills via Google Pay at 5%, Swiggy, Zomato, Ola at 4%) not included: actual value may be higher
Reward earnings only: ~₹6,840/year on generic spend, or ₹8,436/year if you route ~₹3,800/month (~10% of eligible spend) through GOOGLE PAY (5% partner rate). Partner premium: +₹1,596/year.The 'With optimized routing' figure also routes ~15% of spend through the Swiggy, Zomato, Ola tier (4% vs 1.50% base): estimated +₹1,710/year additional.
The ₹8,600 top-line above also includes lounge access on top of these reward earnings.
Assumptions used in this estimate▸
- • Reward earnings shown at the conservative redemption tier.
- • Lounge value uses ~55% realistic utilization (most flyers don't fully clock the available visits). Per-visit anchors: ₹800 domestic, ₹1,500 international. Retail-equivalent (100% utilization) would be ₹3,200.
- • Lounge access is gated at ₹50,000/previous 3 calendar months preceding spend. At ₹50,000/month you clear the gate with ₹1,00,000 headroom, value counted at full utilization band.
- • Assumes 24% of your spend lands in 8 excluded categories (fuel, rent, etc.) that earn ₹0: eligible spend used in the math above is ₹38,000/month.
Eligibility
Requirements you need to meet to apply for this card.
Before You Apply: Lounge Access Requires Spend
You must spend ₹50,000 per previous 3 calendar months to unlock lounge visits. Without meeting this threshold, lounge access is not available even though the card advertises it.
Data verified against Axis Bank official website · Last verified: 2026-04-17 · Terms & Conditions (MITC)
WhichWise does not accept payment for card placement or ratings. Fees, rates, and benefits may change. Always confirm with the issuer before applying.
Verified from the source
Key facts below are quoted verbatim from Axis Bank's own pages and documents, not paraphrased.
- Joining fee
“Joining Fee ₹499”
Verified quote from axis.bank.in (issuer website) · fetched 2026-04-19 - Annual fee
“Annual Fee: ₹499 2nd year onward”
Verified quote from axis.bank.in (issuer website) · fetched 2026-04-19 - Annual fee waiver
“Annual fee waived off on annual spends greater than ₹2,00,000/-”
Verified quote from axis.bank.in (issuer website) · fetched 2026-04-19 - Reward type
“Cashback on all transactions*”
Verified quote from axis.bank.in (issuer website) · fetched 2026-04-19 - Base reward rate
“All transactions made using ACE Axis Bank Credit card, except the transactions made on GPay, Preferred Merchants and cashback excluded categories , will earn a base cashback of 1.5%.”
Verified quote from axis.bank.in (MITC document) · fetched 2026-04-19 - Welcome bonus
“INR 499 (Waived on spends of INR10000 within 45 days of Card set-up)”
Verified quote from axis.bank.in · fetched 2026-05-03 - Forex markup
“Foreign currency transaction fee 3.5% of the transaction value”
Verified quote from axis.bank.in (issuer website) · fetched 2026-04-19 - Lounge access
“Enjoy 4 complimentary lounge visits per calendar year at select domestic airports with your ACE credit card.”
Verified quote from axis.bank.in (MITC document) · fetched 2026-04-19
Interested in Axis Bank ACE?
Check the official page for the latest terms before applying.