Latest Updates

All IDFC FIRST credit cards offer 0% forex markup on international spends for existing and new cardholders. On ₹1,00,000 of foreign-currency purchases, you save about ₹4,130 versus a typical 3.5% forex card: ₹3,500 markup + ₹630 GST (18% on the markup). FIRST Wealth, FIRST Select and FIRST WOW! all have ₹0 joining fee and ₹0 annual fee (lifetime free). As checked on 19 September 2026, eligible international spends earn approximately 1.25% reward value on FIRST Wealth and FIRST Select, and 0.5% on FIRST WOW!, at ₹0.25 per Reward Point before redemption fees; exclusions and bank terms apply. Always pay in the local currency abroad: choosing INR can trigger Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) charges.

Amazon Pay vouchers had disappeared from HDFC SmartBuy Gyftr for around 2-3 months and have now returned under Gyftr's Insta Deals structure. They no longer earn 5X accelerated rewards; for HDFC Infinia and Diners Club Black, the route now gives a 1% upfront discount plus base rewards of about 3.3%, or about 4.3% effective value assuming Rs 1 per Reward Point.

Scapia is adding Axis Bank as another issuing partner alongside Federal Bank and BOBCARD. Benefits are expected to be broadly similar to existing Scapia cards: 0% forex markup, lifetime free pricing, 10% Scapia Coins on eligible regular spends, 20% on Scapia travel bookings, and unlimited domestic lounge access subject to spend requirements. With 5 Scapia Coins = ₹1, that is roughly 2% value on eligible regular spends and 4% on Scapia travel bookings.

Effective 28 August 2026, Axis Bank revised DCC markup fees (to 3.5% for most cards), excluded gift cards and toll/FASTag payments from earning rewards or counting towards spend milestones, and updated late payment fees across affected cards.

Effective 28 August 2026, Axis Bank revised DCC markup fees (to 2% for Magnus variants), excluded gift cards and toll/FASTag payments from earning rewards or counting towards spend milestones, and updated late payment fees across affected cards.

Existing Swiggy HDFC Bank Credit Card holders are being moved to Swiggy Ornge or Swiggy BLCK. No choice means Ornge by default; Ornge is lifetime free with 5% Swiggy cashback, while BLCK keeps 10% Swiggy cashback with a ₹1,000 annual fee. The old card stops after first new-card use or after 60 days/card expiry, whichever comes first, and the migration cannot be reversed.

American Express India has significantly improved Membership Rewards transfer ratios for Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Hilton Honors. Virgin Atlantic transfers have improved from 2:1 to 5:4 (60% uplift), while Hilton Honors transfers have increased from 1,000:900 to 1,000:1,500 (67% uplift), making Membership Rewards substantially more valuable for travellers.

From 15 August 2026 to 15 September 2026, eligible HSBC consumer credit-card foreign-currency POS and online transactions carry 0% forex markup. Add-on card transactions are considered and regular rewards continue, but ATM withdrawals, INR-charged transactions, corporate/commercial cards, disputed or reversed transactions, and transactions posted after the offer period are excluded. GST, network, regulatory, or other non-forex charges may still apply; verify final terms with HSBC.

American Express has significantly reduced the value of the Platinum Travel Card by removing Membership Rewards milestone bonuses at ₹1.9 lakh and ₹7 lakh spends. It has also introduced a quarterly spend requirement for complimentary domestic lounge access starting 1 October 2026.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club is again available on Travel EDGE for affected Axis cards at reduced card-specific transfer ratios. Accor and Marriott remain unavailable.