The news desk
Updates, decoded.
What changed and whether it matters — grounded in the numbers, not the press release. Subscribe via RSS →
249 of 249 tracker events have stories — the desk publishes hourly. Too fast? Pulse is the monthly rollup →
Axis closes the Atlas to new applicants
It's confirmed: Axis Bank has stopped issuing the Atlas, its flagship mid-tier travel card, to new applicants. No press release, no exact date — the card simply left the application pipeline in early 2026. Existing cardholders keep the card, their EDGE Miles, and lounge access.
HDFC adds an ₹18L/year retention rule to keep the Infinia
From 1 April 2026, retaining an HDFC Infinia requires ₹18 lakh in annual spend (EMI excluded) or a ₹50 lakh HDFC relationship — separate from, and steeper than, the ₹10L fee waiver.
Maharaja Club gets cheaper awards and faster crediting
Air India drops domestic awards to 1,500 points, cabin upgrades to 4,000, credits Star Alliance miles within two hours, and eases Platinum to 60 flights.
BOBCARD clips big tickets — 1% fee
BOBCARD introduces a 1% fee on railway bookings over ₹30,000, toll and bus charges over ₹5,000, and education payments via apps, while telecom spends now earn core points. This change affects most BOBCARD holders, except One, Uni, and Scapia co-brand cardholders, starting April 1, 2026.
KrisFlyer quietly cuts its own dynamic 'Access' award rates
Five months after launching dynamic 'Access' pricing, KrisFlyer devalues it too: up to 10.9% worse in economy and premium economy, 3.9% in business and first, with zero warning.
Amex Platinum Travel pushes its Taj voucher milestone to ₹7L
The 22,500 MR + ₹10,000 Taj voucher milestone on Amex Platinum Travel now needs ₹7L annual spend, up from ₹4L — a 75% higher bar for the card's best-known perk.
Scapia devalues lounges — a 100% hike
Scapia doubles the lounge threshold to ₹20,000/month and removes insurance and utility payments from earning coins, making it harder for cardholders to access unlimited domestic lounges. This change increases the required spend by 100%.
Amex retires Gyftr, moves Reward Multiplier to ShopWise
The 5X–10X voucher engine behind Indian Amex MR value switches platforms from Gyftr to ShopWise. Same 200+ brands, same mechanics, new bookmark.
ICICI gates its BookMyShow movie perk behind quarterly spend
From 1 February 2026, ICICI's complimentary BookMyShow ticket offer requires ₹25,000 spend in the preceding quarter; Instant Platinum loses the benefit entirely.
ICICI caps transport rewards and excludes rent, tax, fuel spends
From 15 January 2026, ICICI Emeralde, Emeralde Private, Sapphiro and Rubyx earn on only the first ₹20,000 of monthly transport spend, and rent, tax, fuel, government services and wallet loads earn nothing. DCC rises to 2%.
SBI Card splits domestic lounges into tiers, adds entry fees
From 10 January 2026, SBI Card sorts domestic lounge access into Set A and Set B tiers by card, and adds a non-refundable ₹2 authorization charge plus a ₹25 validation hold per visit.
IDFC FIRST launches zero-forex Diamond Reserve card
IDFC FIRST launches Diamond Reserve at ₹3,000+GST: 0% forex markup, 60 RP per ₹150 on app hotel bookings, 40 RP per ₹150 on flights, and 4 lounge visits per quarter.
BOBCARD picks up Etihad Guest — 2 miles/₹100
BOBCARD launches two Etihad Guest co-brands with 2 miles/₹100 earn rate and 0% forex, replacing SBI co-brands that will close on 31 Mar 2026. The BOBCARD Etihad Guest Premium earns 6 miles/₹100 on etihad.com and has a milestone ladder to 40,000 miles a year.
IDFC FIRST unveils Gaj, an invite-only ₹12,500 metal flagship
Gaj: caps the Ashva-Mayura-Gaj trilogy — invite-only for Private Banking clients at ₹12,500+GST, offset by 12,500 Reward Points (1RP=₹1) on in-app travel, with 0% forex and 1:1 earn.
KrisFlyer devalues: the Indian points geek's favourite target gets pricier
Business and First saver awards rise 5%, Advantage awards 15%, and Star Alliance redemptions 5–12%. Every HDFC, Axis, Amex and HSBC transfer just bought less.
SBI adds 1% on third-party education and wallet loads
SBI Card now charges 1% on education payments routed through third-party apps and on wallet loads. Pay the college directly and you're fine.
Taj InnerCircle–NeuPass expands to Shangri-La, oneworld and more
IHCL's loyalty programme adds reciprocal perks with Shangri-La Circle, MyMillennium and a oneworld partnership, with Copper and Silver tiers earning 4–5 NeuCoins per ₹100.
SBI Card pulls free air accident insurance from its top cards
SBI Card Elite, Miles Elite, Miles Prime, Prime and Pulse lose their complimentary air accident insurance — cover that ran up to ₹1 crore — with no replacement offered.
HDFC slaps 1% fees on rent, wallet loads and gaming spend
From 1 July 2025, HDFC charges 1% (capped at ₹4,999 per transaction) on rent payments and wallet loads above ₹10,000/month, and bans rewards entirely on skill-gaming spends over ₹10,000.
HDFC swaps daily insurance-reward caps for tighter monthly ones
HDFC replaces daily reward caps on insurance-category spend with flat monthly ceilings: 10,000 points on Infinia, 5,000 on Diners Black and its metal, H.O.G. and BizBlack siblings.