The news desk · page 12 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 →
Emirates squeezes partner business awards: up to 25,000 more miles one-way
Emirates rolled out a new Skywards award chart on January 10, 2024 that raised partner business-class redemptions by up to 25,000 miles one-way — as much as 25% — while economy and first stayed untouched.
Axis Vistara cards zero out CV Points on government and utility spends
From January 3, 2024, Axis Bank's Vistara-branded cards stopped earning Club Vistara points on government services and utility bill payments, and those spends no longer count toward milestone benefits.
OneCard kills fuel rewards — 100% loss
OneCard stops earning points on fuel from 15 December 2023, with zero points earned per ₹50 spent, although the 1% surcharge waiver remains. This change results in a small rupee loss but adds to the excluded categories on the rewards program.
YES Marquee launched — 4.5% earn
The YES Bank Marquee card offers a 4.5% earn rate on online spends with 36 reward points per ₹200, but the burn value is limited to ₹0.25 per point for travel redemptions within the YES ecosystem. The card has a ₹9,999 joining fee and offers unlimited international lounge access and 1% forex markup.
HSBC Premier Credit Card returns as a metal card
HSBC relaunched its Premier Credit Card on November 28, 2023 as a metal card with a flat 3 points per ₹100 on every spend, no category exclusions, plus Taj Epicure membership and a ₹12,000 Taj voucher on activation.
HDFC ships the Diners Club Black Metal Edition
HDFC launched a metal edition of the Diners Club Black on October 19, 2023, keeping the ₹10,000 fee but adding up to 10,000 points per ₹4 lakh of quarterly spend, unlimited access across 1,300+ lounges and 24 golf games a year.
British Airways ties Avios earning to fare, not miles flown
From October 18, 2023, BA Executive Club stopped awarding Avios by distance flown and moved to revenue-based earning of 6 to 9 Avios per pound of base fare, depending on tier.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles jacks up premium award prices
Cathay Pacific raised Asia Miles award costs on October 1, 2023: premium-cabin redemptions rose 20-30% on average, with some distance zones up as much as 40% one-way. Economy awards stayed mostly untouched.
Axis launches Magnus for Burgundy, the gutted Magnus's escape hatch
One month after devaluing the regular Magnus, Axis launched Magnus for Burgundy — lifetime-free through November 30, 2023 (later extended to December 31) for Burgundy priority-banking clients, keeping the old 5:4 EDGE-to-miles transfer ratio.
Axis Magnus is gutted: the enthusiast era officially ends
The 25,000-point monthly milestone is gone, transfers halved from 5:4 to 5:2, and the fee is up. For miles chasers it's roughly a 90% haircut.
Axis Reserve loses half its miles-conversion value alongside Magnus
In the September 1, 2023 Axis purge, Reserve's ER-to-airmiles conversion on ₹1 lakh of spend was cut from 6,000 miles to 3,000, the EDGE transfer ratio dropped from 5:4 to 5:2, and annual conversions were capped at 5 lakh points.
India gets its first co-branded hotel credit card
HDFC and Marriott launched India's first co-branded hotel credit card on August 24, 2023: 8 Bonvoy points per ₹150 at Marriott properties, an annual free-night award worth up to 15,000 points, Silver Elite status and elite night credits.
IndusInd Avios Visa Infinite launches — 36,000 bonus Avios
IndusInd Bank launches the Avios card, earning up to 36,000 bonus Avios a year, with the option to choose between British Airways Executive Club or Qatar Privilege Club. This is the first Indian card to earn Avios directly, providing a new transfer partner option for cardholders.
IndusInd Tiger is lifetime free
IndusInd Bank launches the Tiger card with lifetime free membership, offering domestic and international lounge access, 1.5% forex, and tiered rewards up to 6X. This card redefines entry-level benefits with no annual fee.
IDFC First and Club Vistara team up on a travel credit card
IDFC FIRST Bank, Club Vistara and Mastercard announced a co-branded travel credit card on July 11, 2023, bundling CV Points earning with lounge access, golf benefits and trip-cancellation cover.
AU devalues Rewardz 20% — ₹0.05/point lost
AU Small Finance Bank's Rewardz program devalues by 20% with e-voucher rate dropping to ₹0.20/point and a ₹99 + taxes redemption fee, affecting cards like AU Zenith and AU Ananta. This change reduces the value of earned points and increases the cost of redemption.
SBI kills reward points on rent across its co-brand cards
Effective July 1, 2023, SBI Card stopped awarding Reward Points on rent payments across its co-branded lineup — Aditya Birla, Apollo, BPCL, the metro cards, Fabindia, IRCTC and Ola Money SBI Cards all lost the category at once. It closed one of the last easy manufactured-spend levers on SBI's ecosystem.
Scapia offers 0% forex — for free
Scapia launches a lifetime-free credit card with 0% forex markup and unlimited domestic lounge access, resetting the entry price for zero-forex travel cards to zero. This move offers significant value to cardholders with no joining or annual fees.
SBI SimplyClick guts its two best accelerated-earn categories
SBI SimplyClick took two hits in quick succession in 2023: the 10x Lenskart earn rate was halved to 5x on April 1, then the 5x rate on online rent payments was cut to a flat 1x on May 1. Together they stripped out the card's two easiest reward-padding categories.
Standard Chartered Ultimate cuts six categories — a 39% haircut
Standard Chartered Ultimate's rewards rate on six everyday categories drops from 3.33% to 2% and fuel earns no points, affecting cardholders who use the card for utilities, supermarkets, insurance, rent, schools, and government payments. This change reduces the card's overall value by 39% in these categories.