Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card vs Axis Bank ACE
Axis Bank ACE by ₹3,700 a year at ₹75,000 a month
The food-delivery card against the phone-bill card. The original Swiggy HDFC card is closed and its holders move to Swiggy Ornge or BLCK, so this is the fight now: Swiggy BLCK pays 10% on Swiggy and 5% at a named list of online merchants, each under its own ₹1,500 cap a billing cycle, over a 1% base capped at ₹1,000; Airtel Axis pays 25% on Airtel bills and 10% on other utility bills in the Airtel Thanks app, each capped at a multiple of a 1% base that has no cap of its own. On the page's everyday mix Airtel Axis out-earns Swiggy BLCK at every spend level the page tests, by more once BLCK's 1% cap binds, so the BLCK case is Swiggy and online-shopping spend that mix does not weigh. ₹1,000 against ₹500, both waived at ₹2,00,000 of spend; both charge 3.5% abroad and neither opens a lounge.
At every spend from ₹25,000 to ₹5 lakh a month, Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card beats Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card, and its lead widens from ₹200 to ₹48,000 a year as spend climbs. At ₹75,000 a month the gap is mostly what each card earns on your spend: Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card returns ₹9,000 a year in rewards to Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card's ₹8,500. On the rows below, Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card has no clear edge over Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card.
Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card's ongoing earn stops at ₹1,00,000 of spend a month, where Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card's doesn't.
Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card review Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card review
| Fact | Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Can you get it | Open to apply | Open to apply |
| Fee (joining · annual, + GST) | ₹1,000/yr | ₹500/yr✓ Better |
| Fee waiver | Spend ₹2,00,000 a year | Spend ₹2,00,000 a year |
| Reward rate on everyday spend | 1.0% | 1.0% |
| Points | Statement cashback (₹) | Axis Bank Cashback |
| Our value per point | ₹1.00 † | ₹1.00 † |
| Transfer partners | None | None |
| Lounges it gets you into | 0 of 792 | 0 of 792 |
| Forex markup | 3.5% + GST | 3.50% |
| Welcome benefit | Complimentary Swiggy BLCK membership for 3 months, released on card activation (activate within 37 days of issuance and claim it in the Swiggy app); an existing Swiggy One membership is cancelled and refunded so the BLCK one can be claimed | Amazon eVoucher worth ₹250 on your first transaction within 30 days of card issuance — not available on cards issued without a joining fee |
✓ Better marks the side that wins a row; rows that compare unlike things are not scored. Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card is ahead on 7 of the 8 rows we can call.
| Fact | Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Our rank | #228✓ Better | #297 |
| Our verdict | Keep | Keep |
| Lounge visits in India | None — not among the variants the MITC's "Lounge Access" section names | None since 12 Apr 2026 — "Effective 12th April 2026, the Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card is no longer offering complimentary lounge access" |
| Lounge visits abroad | None — the MITC names other variants in its international lounge clause | None — Axis publishes no international lounge entitlement for this card |
| Forex, in the bank’s words | 3.5% + GST | 3.50% of the transaction value, plus a 3.5% + taxes dynamic-currency-conversion markup — raised from 1.5% on 28 August 2026. |
| Interest (APR) | 3.75%/mo (45%/yr) | 3.75%/mo (55.55%/yr) |
| Income needed (salaried) | ₹1,00,000+/month net | not published |
† Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card: The unit is the rupee. HDFC's own FAQ: "CashBack is automatically credited to your card account as statement credit after it is earned", and the T&C auto-redeems it against the outstanding balance — no points, no catalogue, and no redemption request for HDFC's ₹50 cashback-redemption fee to attach to. The numbers that govern this card are the three billing-cycle ceilings: ₹1,500 on the 10% Swiggy leg, a SEPARATE ₹1,500 on the 5% online leg, and ₹1,000 on the 1% leg.
† Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card: Statement cashback at par, credited to the card account on a 60-day cycle. Axis's own cashback T&C defines it as "money awarded in the customer's credit card account under the cashback scheme". The Zomato, Blinkit and District Movies value back is NOT this — it is credited to each partner's own wallet, carries no expiry, and Axis states plainly that "Axis Bank cashback shall not be applicable for this category".
Our value per point is what we think a point is worth when you use it well; every currency's figure and its reasoning is on points values.
| Monthly spend | Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
| At ₹30,000 a month | ₹3,400 | ₹3,600✓ Better |
| At ₹75,000 a month | ₹8,500 | ₹9,000✓ Better |
| At ₹1.5 lakh a month | ₹12,000 | ₹18,000✓ Better |
| At ₹3 lakh a month | ₹12,000 | ₹36,000✓ Better |
| At ₹5 lakh a month | ₹12,000 | ₹60,000✓ Better |
| Pays for itself from | ₹9,000 a month | ₹5,000 a month✓ Better |
On an everyday mix of spending (groceries, bills, travel, fuel and the rest), using each card's own rules for each kind of spend. The same figures as each card's own page.
| Monthly spend | Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹25,000 | ₹2,800 | ₹3,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹200 |
| ₹50,000 | ₹5,600 | ₹6,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹400 |
| ₹75,000 | ₹8,500 | ₹9,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹500 |
| ₹1 lakh | ₹11,300 | ₹12,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹700 |
| ₹1.25 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹15,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹3,000 |
| ₹1.5 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹18,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹6,000 |
| ₹1.75 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹21,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹9,000 |
| ₹2 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹24,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹12,000 |
| ₹2.25 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹27,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹15,000 |
| ₹2.5 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹30,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹18,000 |
| ₹2.75 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹33,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹21,000 |
| ₹3 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹36,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹24,000 |
| ₹3.25 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹39,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹27,000 |
| ₹3.5 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹42,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹30,000 |
| ₹3.75 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹45,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹33,000 |
| ₹4 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹48,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹36,000 |
| ₹4.25 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹51,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹39,000 |
| ₹4.5 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹54,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹42,000 |
| ₹4.75 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹57,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹45,000 |
| ₹5 lakh | ₹12,000 | ₹60,000✓ Better | Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card by ₹48,000 |
We put each card through the same everyday mix of spending, apply that card's own rules for each kind of spend (some earn nothing on fuel or bills), add its milestone and renewal bonuses at our value per point, and take off the fee unless that spend waives it. Bonus categories that need you to shop a certain way are not counted. Your own mix will differ: try your numbers in the calculator, or read how we value cards.
Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card's Statement cashback (₹) cannot be moved to any airline or hotel; Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card's Axis Bank Cashback cannot be moved to any.
Every partner and ratio is on each card's page; the best value for your points is on the transfer optimizer.
At every spend from ₹25,000 to ₹5 lakh a month, Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card beats Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card, and its lead widens from ₹200 to ₹48,000 a year as spend climbs. At ₹75,000 a month the gap is mostly what each card earns on your spend: Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card returns ₹9,000 a year in rewards to Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card's ₹8,500. On the rows below, Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card has no clear edge over Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card.
Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card beats Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card by ₹24,000 a year at ₹3 lakh a month. Both figures are a year's rewards and bonuses on an everyday spending mix, after the fee.
Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card: ₹500/yr against ₹1,000/yr. Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card waives its fee if you spend ₹2,00,000 a year; Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card waives its fee if you spend ₹2,00,000 a year.
Both get you into 0 of the 792 lounges we track.
Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card was last checked against its bank's own documents on 24 Oct 2026, Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card on 29 Aug 2026. Every figure here is worked out again from those records each time the site is built, so a change to either card shows up the day we log it.
Swiggy BLCK HDFC Bank Credit Card was last checked against its bank's own documents on 24 Oct 2026, Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card on 29 Aug 2026. Every fact above comes from these 9 documents; the banks' own are marked official. A fact a bank does not publish shows as "not published", never as zero.