The news desk · page 10 of 20
Updates, decoded.
What changed and whether it matters — grounded in the numbers, not the press release. Subscribe via RSS →
372 of 376 tracker events have stories — the desk publishes hourly. Too fast? Pulse is the monthly rollup →
Lufthansa Miles & More goes dynamic — 50,000 miles for Europe-India economy
Lufthansa Miles & More has introduced dynamic pricing for awards on Lufthansa Group metal, with prices based on cash fares and no published table. Europe-India routes on partner metal still cost 50,000 miles in economy and 125,000 miles in business round-trip.
Kotak guts Privy League Signature — 20% reward cut
Kotak Mahindra Bank cuts the cash redemption value of Kotak Privy League Signature points by 20% to ₹0.20 and increases the interest rate to 3.5%/month. The card is no longer available for new applicants.
Kotak hikes fees — 1% on utility, fuel, wallet
Kotak Mahindra Bank introduces a 1% fee on utility, fuel, and wallet transactions above certain limits, and a 2% DCC fee on premium cards like White Reserve, affecting heavy spenders. This change is effective from June 1, 2025.
Axis Bank Vistara card loses tier membership and ticket vouchers — annual fee waived
Axis Bank waives the annual fee on the base Vistara card but withdraws the complimentary tier membership, renewal ticket voucher, and milestone ticket vouchers. The card is now free, but its value is significantly reduced for those who valued these benefits.
Axis Vistara Infinite: free, but loses tier and vouchers
Axis Bank waives the annual fee on Vistara Infinite, but withdraws complimentary tier membership and ticket vouchers. The card now offers lounge, golf, and dining benefits, but its core travel rewards are gone.
Axis Bank Vistara Signature: free but stripped of tier and vouchers
Axis Bank waives annual fee on Vistara cards but withdraws tier membership and ticket vouchers, significantly altering the card's value proposition. The Vistara Signature card is particularly affected, losing its key benefits despite the fee waiver.
IndiGo BluChip and Accor ALL enable 2-way points conversion
IndiGo BluChip and Accor ALL agree to two-way points conversion, expected to go live in July 2026, potentially resurrecting the Axis EDGE Miles to Accor corridor at up to 90% of its old value. The conversion ratio will decide the value of this partnership.
Amex Platinum Travel kills Flipkart redemption, devalues Taj by 20%
From 1 April 2025, Flipkart vanishes from the Platinum Travel Collection entirely, and Taj vouchers cost roughly 20% more — ₹5,000 now runs 12,500 MR points, ₹10,000 runs 25,000.
Club Vistara SBI drops ticket vouchers — renewal fee waived
SBI Card drops ticket vouchers on Club Vistara SBI Card, waives renewal fee. The card's benefits now include only the Yatra hotel e-voucher and the base card's ₹5,000-at-₹5L voucher.
SBI Card drops Club Vistara PRIME ticket ladder — fee waived
Club Vistara SBI PRIME card drops ticket ladder, waives ₹10,000 renewal fee for cards renewing after 31 Mar 2025. The ₹10,000-at-₹8L Yatra hotel e-voucher remains, but the card's value proposition takes a hit.
YES Bank zeros out gov/ad spends — 0% earn rate
Thirteen YES Bank cards, including Marquee and Reserv, now earn 0 points on government and advertising transactions, effective 1 April 2025. This change is part of the fourth exclusion round in eighteen months, indicating a clear direction of devaluation.
YES triples lounge gate to ₹1 lakh
YES Bank increased the quarterly spend required for domestic lounge access on Marquee and Reserv cards to ₹1 lakh, nearly tripling the previous amount of ₹35,000. This change effectively raises the annual spend to ₹4 lakh to maintain the benefit.
IndusInd hikes redemption fee 49% — ₹149
IndusInd Bank increases redemption fee to ₹149, capping cash-outs at 50% of points balance, affecting cards like Pinnacle and Legend. The new fee is ₹49 higher than before, and cash redemption is now limited.
IndusInd Legend loses lounge access — 100% cut
IndusInd Legend cardholders will no longer receive complimentary lounge access, a 100% cut from the previous 1 visit per quarter. This change takes effect from 7 March 2025, despite the card's ₹5,000 joining fee.
Kotak reprices premium cards — 4 months post ban lift
Kotak Mahindra Bank has repriced its entire premium card portfolio within four months of the RBI lifting its ten-month card-issuance ban. This move indicates a shift in the bank's strategy after regaining the ability to issue new credit cards.
ixigo AU earns Nil in 4 categories — 1 point/₹100 in 3
AU Small Finance Bank's ixigo co-brand credit card now earns Nil Reward Points in four categories and 1 Reward Point per ₹100 in three categories, with insurance capped at 100 points per transaction. This change took effect on 22nd December 2024.
Axis slaps redemption fees on EDGE points and miles
Redeeming EDGE points on the portal now costs ₹99 and transferring to airline miles costs ₹199 — Axis's second cut of 2024.
Hilton's Friday-night special: top hotels get 5,000–10,000 points pricier
Hilton Honors silently raised award prices at dozens of its best properties by 5,000–10,000 points a night, with the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal jumping from 120,000 to 140,000 points overnight.
HSBC TravelOne arrives — a 20-partner airmiles card
HSBC launches TravelOne at ₹4,999: 4X on travel and forex, and 1:1 transfers to ~20 airline and hotel partners including Avios and KrisFlyer.
YES Bank caps travel redemptions at 70% — a 30% haircut
YES Bank now caps travel redemptions at 70% of the invoice, forcing cardholders to pay the remaining 30% in cash, with monthly redemption caps and increased finance charges. This devaluation affects all YES Bank credit cards, including Marquee and Reserv.