Debit cards have become more than just a way for customers to withdraw cash or make payments. Over the years, banks have added several benefits to their debit cards, such as reward points, complimentary airport lounge access, movie offers, discounts, and other lifestyle privileges. Axis Bank offers a range of debit cards designed for different types of customers, from basic savings account holders to those with premium banking relationships. The benefits offered with these cards have often been an important reason for customers to choose one card over another.
However, customers using several Axis Bank debit cards are now seeing changes to some of these benefits. The bank has revised the terms and conditions for a number of cards, with certain benefits being changed, restricted, or linked to minimum spending requirements. In simple terms, customers may now have to meet specific spending criteria to continue receiving benefits that were previously available with their cards. Some types of transactions may also no longer count towards these spending requirements. These changes mean that customers will need to understand the revised rules to know which benefits they are still eligible for and what they need to do to access them.
Lounge Access will Now Require Minimum Spends
For the Priority, Prestige, Liberty, Delight, Business Supreme and Business Platinum Debit Cards, complimentary airport lounge access will be linked to debit card spending. Cardholders must spend at least ₹10,000 in the previous three calendar months to qualify for complimentary lounge access.
Newly issued cards will receive a temporary waiver, during which the minimum-spend requirement is waived for the month in which the card is issued and the following three calendar months. After this period, the ₹10,000 spending requirement will apply.
From October 1, 2026, certain transactions will not count towards this ₹10,000 requirement. These include UPI transactions, wallet reloads, credit card bill payments, and cash withdrawals. Eligible billed transactions from the previous three calendar months can be checked through Axis Bank’s Net Banking and Mobile Banking platforms.
Affected cards include Priority, Prestige, Liberty, Delight, Business Supreme, and Business Platinum. The RuPay Platinum Debit Card is treated differently. Its airport lounge access benefit will be discontinued completely from September 1, 2026, rather than being moved to a spending-based model. Cardholders can use the lounge benefit until August 31, 2026.
3.5% DCC Fee on Some International Transactions
Axis Bank is introducing a 3.5% Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) markup fee, plus applicable GST, on transactions where the customer pays in Indian rupees at an international location. The charge will also apply when a customer in India makes an INR transaction with a merchant located in India but registered in a foreign country. The rule covers both online transactions and transactions made through point-of-sale/swipe machines.
In simple terms, if a customer is abroad and chooses to pay in INR instead of the local currency, a 3.5% DCC markup plus GST can be charged. The same markup can apply to an INR payment in India when the merchant is registered overseas.
Cards that are affected are Priority, Prestige, Liberty, Delight, Value+, E-Debit, Business Classic, Business Supreme and Business Platinum.
EDGE REWARDS to Be Discontinued on Select Debit Cards
Axis Bank is discontinuing the EDGE REWARDS program for the Priority, Prestige, Liberty, Value+, Business Supreme and Business Platinum Debit Cards. Customers will no longer earn EDGE REWARD points on eligible debit card transactions from the applicable effective date. Existing points already accumulated can still be redeemed according to the applicable redemption timelines and program terms.
For the Priority Debit Card, the 1,000 EDGE REWARD points activation offer for the first transaction will also be discontinued. Axis Bank has also stated that the existing MCC-based exclusions and reward-earning criteria will cease to apply after the program is discontinued.
BookMyShow Benefits will Become Spend-Based
For the Priority and Delight Debit Cards, access to BookMyShow movie and non-movie benefits will require ₹10,000 of debit card spends over the previous three calendar months.
The Value+ and E-Debit Cards will also have the same ₹10,000 spending requirement for BookMyShow benefits.
For newly issued cards, the minimum-spend condition is waived for the month of issuance and the following three calendar months. From October 1, 2026, UPI transactions, wallet reloads, credit card bill payments, and cash withdrawals will not be counted towards the spending requirement.
The cards that are affected are Priority, Delight, Value+, and E-Debit.
Insurance Eligibility Becomes Stricter
The eligibility requirement for complimentary debit card insurance is being tightened for the Priority, Prestige, Liberty, Delight, Value+, Business Classic, Business Supreme, and Business Platinum Debit Cards.
Earlier, a cardholder needed to make at least one eligible debit card transaction within 90 days before the date of the insurance event. Under the revised rule, the transaction must have been made within 30 days before the insurance event. In other words, simply using the card sometime in the previous three months will no longer be sufficient; the card must have been used within the preceding 30 days to maintain eligibility.
Axis Bank states that the other terms and features of the insurance benefits remain unchanged.
For the Prestige Debit Card, the new 30-day insurance eligibility requirement starts on August 1, 2026. This is different from the other Prestige changes, which will begin on September 1, 2026.
Higher Joining and Annual Fees for Select Debit Cards
For the Prestige Debit Card, a ₹500 joining fee will apply to cards issued from September 1, 2026. However, there is no change in the joining fee for existing Prestige debit cardholders.
For the Value+ Debit Card, both the joining fee and annual fee will increase from ₹650 to ₹750 from September 1, 2026. Axis Bank has stated that there will be no change in the joining fee for existing customers.
Bottom Line
These revisions could make some Axis Bank debit cards less rewarding for customers who mainly use them for complimentary benefits. Benefits such as lounge access and BookMyShow offers will now depend more heavily on spending, while EDGE REWARDS will be discontinued on select cards. The stricter insurance eligibility and additional DCC charges could also increase the cost of using some cards. For frequent spenders, some benefits may still remain useful, but customers who do not meet the new spending requirements may find that their cards offer less value than before. It may therefore be worth comparing the revised benefits, fees and spending requirements before deciding whether to continue using the same debit card.