Axisbank Vistara Credit Cards are among India’s most rewarding travel cards for domestic award flights. The Vistara Infinite Credit Card stands out as one of the top airline credit cards in the country, offering an exceptional reward rate that has delivered memorable business class flight experiences.
Axis and Vistara have introduced a new spend-based milestone benefit for these cards. Cardholders can now earn an additional award ticket once they reach specified cumulative spend thresholds. Below are the essential details and an assessment of whether the new benefits make sense for different card variants.
New Benefits on Vistara cards
For full details, Vistara’s updated page outlines the changes. The milestone vouchers are tied to cumulative spends of 6 lakh, 9 lakh and 12 lakh rupees respectively. Effectively, the incremental spend required to earn the extra award ticket works out to roughly 3.5 lakh on the Platinum variant and 4.5 lakh on both the Signature and Infinite variants.
Are they worth it?
Platinum & Signature – For most cardholders these two variants will not be compelling purely for the milestone reward. For example, instead of directing an extra 4.5 lakh spend to the Vistara Signature, you might earn more flexible value by using that spend on another premium card such as Diners Black, which can provide rewards that translate into comparable or better redemptions (for instance, enough for two Premium Economy tickets when redeemed optimally). That said, if you frequently find Vistara premium economy fares above the equivalent redemption value (for example over ~14,000 CV points or the cash cost you’d equate to), the milestone ticket could still be attractive. The same logic applies to the Platinum tier.
Infinite – The Infinite variant is likely worth pursuing. The additional milestone ticket effectively yields a strong return on the extra 4.5 lakh spend, with an incremental return exceeding 4% on that portion. Be aware, however, that adding this milestone may slightly reduce the card’s overall effective reward rate across all spend, even though the milestone itself is lucrative.
When will this go LIVE?
- Eligibility applies to card anniversaries beginning on or after 1st Nov’19.
At the time of checking, Axis Bank customer support was not fully informed and responses varied, suggesting internal communication may take time. The Axis website, however, has been updated to reflect the new milestone benefits.
Vistara confirmed the rollout and clarified: “Eligibility for the milestone benefit is considered only for card anniversaries beginning on or after 1st Nov’19 for all three card variants. The subsequent milestone based on spends will be credited automatically to the Club Vistara account.”
Bottomline
The milestone addition makes the Infinite card notably more valuable and is a meaningful enhancement for frequent flyers who use Vistara. For the Signature and Platinum variants, the benefit may be useful only if you can comfortably allocate the extra spend or if you primarily want Vistara rewards rather than more flexible redemptions from alternate premium cards. Overall, this update signals Axis Bank’s willingness to refresh existing products, a positive trend similar to recent upgrades on other premium cards.
If you want these improvements to arrive across a wider range of cards, the best way is to send feedback to your bank—demand helps drive product upgrades.
What’s your take on the new milestone benefit addition to Axis Vistara cards? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Thanks to Nipun for sharing the information on the new benefits.