If saving money is one of the main reasons you use a credit card, a cashback credit card can be a smart choice. Unlike reward credit cards, where you collect points and redeem them later, cashback credit cards give you a part of your spending back as cashback. This means you save on your purchases without having to worry about converting reward points or meeting complicated redemption conditions. Among the popular cashback credit cards offered by Axis Bank, the Airtel Axis Credit Card and the Axis ACE Credit Card stand out for the value they offer on everyday spending.
While both cards help you save money, they reward different types of expenses. The Airtel Axis Credit Card is best suited for people who frequently use Airtel Mobile, Broadband, WiFi, and DTH. On the other hand, the Axis ACE Credit Card is a better fit for users who make payments through Google Pay and use popular merchants like Swiggy, Zomato, and Ola.
In this comparison, we’ll look at their cashback rates, annual fees, features, and overall benefits to help you understand which card can help you save more based on your spending habits.
Which Card Offers Better Value at Joining
The Airtel Axis Credit Card and the Axis ACE Credit Card have almost the same joining and annual fee. The Airtel Axis Credit Card charges ₹500 + GST, while the Axis ACE Credit Card comes with a fee of ₹499 + GST, making both cards affordable for users looking for a cashback credit card. Both cards also offer a renewal fee waiver if you spend ₹2 lakh or more in the previous year, allowing regular users to avoid the annual renewal fee.
The main difference lies in their welcome benefits. The Airtel Axis Credit Card offers an Amazon voucher worth ₹250 as a welcome benefit. On the other hand, the Axis ACE Credit Card does not offer any welcome benefit, even though it provides attractive cashback on regular spending.
If you want to get some value as soon as you receive your card, the Airtel Axis Credit Card is the better choice. Since it gives ₹500 cashback after your first transaction, you can almost recover the joining fee, making it a more rewarding option for first-time cardholders.
| Feature | Airtel Axis | Axis ACE |
| Joining Fee/Annual Fee | ₹500 + GST | ₹499 + GST |
| Annual Fee Waiver | On Annual Spends of ₹2 Lakh | On Annual Spends of ₹2 Lakh |
| Welcome Benefit | Amazon Voucher Worth ₹250 | N/A |
Airtel Axis vs Axis ACE Cashback Comparison
Cashback is the biggest reason people choose these two credit cards, but they reward very different types of spending. The Airtel Axis Credit Card is mainly for Airtel users, while the Axis ACE Credit Card is better suited for people who want cashback on a wider range of everyday expenses.
The Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card offers 25% cashback when you pay your Airtel Mobile, Broadband, Wi-Fi (Xstream Fiber), or DTH bills through the Airtel Thanks App. For example, if your Airtel bill is ₹1,000, you can earn ₹250 as cashback. However, the maximum Airtel cashback you can receive in a statement month is limited to twice the amount of 1% base cashback you earn from your regular card spending during that same statement month. For instance, if you earn ₹100 as 1% base cashback from your other eligible purchases, your Airtel cashback for that month cannot exceed ₹200, even if 25% of your Airtel bill works out to a higher amount.
The card also gives 10% cashback on utility bill payments, such as electricity, gas, water, and other eligible utility bills, provided the payment is made through the Airtel Thanks App. For example, paying a ₹2,000 electricity bill would normally earn ₹200 cashback. However, the maximum utility cashback you can receive in a statement month is equal to the amount of 1% base cashback you earn during the same statement month. So, if your regular spending earns you ₹150 in 1% base cashback, your utility cashback for that month will be capped at ₹150, even if your eligible utility cashback is higher.
For all other eligible purchases, the card offers 1% base cashback. In addition, the card provides 10% value back on purchases made through Zomato, Blinkit, and District Movies. The maximum benefit is ₹200 per partner per month, which means you can earn up to ₹200 each month separately on Zomato, Blinkit, and District Movies.
On the other hand, the Axis ACE Credit Card offers 5% cashback when you pay eligible utility bills, such as electricity, internet, gas, and other utility services, as well as DTH and mobile recharges, through Google Pay. This means that if you pay an eligible electricity bill of ₹2,000 using Google Pay with your Axis ACE Credit Card, you will earn ₹100 as cashback. 5% cashback is available only when these payments are made through Google Pay.
The card also provides 4% cashback on eligible transactions made with Swiggy, Zomato, and Ola. For example, if you spend ₹1,000 on a food order from Swiggy or Zomato, or on a ride booked through Ola, you will receive ₹40 as cashback.
For all other eligible spending, the Axis ACE Credit Card offers 1.5% cashback. This includes most everyday purchases, such as shopping, dining, travel, online transactions, and offline retail purchases that do not fall under the higher cashback categories. For example, if you spend ₹10,000 on eligible purchases, you will earn ₹150 as cashback.
Overall, the Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card delivers much higher cashback rates. However, its biggest cashback categories are linked to monthly caps that depend on the 1% base cashback you earn from your regular spending, which means you may not always receive the full cashback. In contrast, the Axis ACE Credit Card offers lower cashback percentages but is more straightforward, providing rewards across a broader range of everyday expenses such as utility bill payments via Google Pay, food delivery, ride-hailing, and general spending.
Cashback Exclusions
Cashback does not apply to the given categories of transactions:
| Airtel Axis Credit Card | Axis ACE Credit Card |
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Which Card Offers Better Dining Benefits
When it comes to dining benefits, both the Airtel Axis Credit Card and the Axis ACE Credit Card offer discounts through Axis Bank’s Dining Delights Program, but the Axis ACE Credit Card provides an extra benefit for people who frequently order food online.
With the Airtel Axis Credit Card, you can get up to a 15% discount, capped at ₹500, at over 4,000 participating restaurants across India under the Dining Delights Program. The offer is available on a minimum bill of ₹2,500, making it more useful for family meals or dining at premium restaurants.
The Axis ACE Credit Card also offers up to a 15% discount at over 4,000 restaurants under the same Dining Delights Program. In addition, it gives 4% cashback on Swiggy and Zomato, allowing you to save not only when you dine out but also when you order food online. This makes the card more rewarding for people who regularly use food delivery apps.
Overall, if you mostly enjoy dining at restaurants, both cards offer similar benefits through the Dining Delights Program. However, if you often order food from Swiggy or Zomato, the Axis ACE Credit Card is the better option because the extra 4% cashback helps you save more on every order.
Airport Lounge Perks Compared
When it comes to airport lounge benefits, the difference between the two cards is quite clear. The Axis Bank ACE Credit Card offers 4 complimentary airport lounge visits every year at selected domestic airports, which can be useful for frequent travelers who want a bit of comfort and convenience while waiting for flights.
On the other hand, the Airtel Axis Credit Card does not provide any complimentary airport lounge access, so users will not get this travel perk with the card. This makes the ACE card a better option for those who value basic travel benefits along with cashback.
Bottom Line
At the end of the day, both the Airtel Axis Credit Card and the Axis ACE Credit Card are solid cashback options, but they are made for different types of users. The Airtel Axis Credit Card is best if your monthly expenses revolve around Airtel services like mobile recharge, broadband, Wi-Fi, or DTH. It gives very high cashback in these areas and even offers a joining cashback, which makes it attractive for Airtel users.
But if you want a card that works well for almost everything you spend on in daily life, the Axis ACE Credit Card clearly stands out. Whether it is groceries, utility bills, food delivery apps like Swiggy and Zomato, or even cab rides, it gives steady cashback across all of it. Plus, the extra perks like airport lounge access and higher general cashback make it more useful for most people.
Airtel Axis is great if you are loyal to Airtel, but Axis ACE is better if you want a simple, all-round cashback card that helps you save on almost every type of spending.