Do you often book flights on domestic routes that Vistara operates on? Then, Vistara co-branded credit cards can be a quicker way to earn miles and free tickets. Axis and Vistara have three credit cards that offer complimentary tickets and CV points. The Axis Bank Vistara Signature credit card is the middle variant with a joining and annual fee of Rs 3000. We get a premium economy ticket in lieu of both the joining and annual fee. We also get four economy tickets as milestone benefits on meeting the target spends along with Club Vistara Silver membership for as long as you hold the card.
Fees
| Joining Fee | Rs 3000+GST |
| Welcome Benefit | 1 Complimentary Premium Economy Ticket |
| Activation Benefit | 3000 CV points for Rs 75,000 spend in the first 90 days |
| Annual Fee | Rs 3000+GST |
| Annual Fee Waiver | None |
| Renewal Benefit | 1 Complimentary Premium Economy Ticket |
| Club Vistara Status | Silver |
The complimentary premium economy ticket is worth more than the joining fee. We are valuing the complimentary premium economy ticket for at least Rs 5500. It can of course be even higher depending on the route and time of booking.
Considering the welcome and renewal benefit, the Axis Bank Vistara Signature credit card pays us to hold it even if we do not make any spends with it. So, we get a benefit that is more than the fee we pay.
Rewards
| Spend Type | Rewards |
|---|---|
| Retail Spends | 4 CV points/Rs 200 ~1.6% Return |
| Fuel, Wallet, Rental, Insurance, Gold/Jewellery, Govt. Services, Utilities | No CV points |
| Vistara Spends (Silver Status Benefit) | 9 CV points/Rs 100 |
We have valued each CV point at 80 paise. The actual value may be more or less than that depending on the availability of award tickets and corresponding revenue prices. The list of spends where the Axis Vistara Signature credit card does not get CV points keeps growing with utilities and government payments being the latest exclusions.
Milestone Rewards
The main feature of all Vistara co-branded cards is the milestone benefit. We get 4 premium economy tickets for spending Rs 9 Lakhs in a year. The value of these premium economy tickets increases when we are booking closer to the travel date.
| Milestone | Target Spend | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rs 1.5 Lakh | 1 Premium Economy Ticket |
| 2 | Rs 3 Lakh | 1 Premium Economy Ticket |
| 3 | Rs 4.5 Lakh | 1 Premium Economy Ticket |
| 4 | Rs 9 Lakh | 1 Premium Economy Ticket |
Spends Excluded from Milestone Benefits for Axis Bank Vistara Signature Credit Card
The Axis Bank Vistara Signature credit card does not count wallet, rental, government services, utilities, gold/jewellery and insurance as eligible spends for milestone benefits.
Axis Vistara Signature offers a 4% return on spends
- Approximate value of one premium economy ticket: Rs 5500 as we need to pay approximately Rs 1000 as redemption charges towards fuel and surcharges.
- Total value of 4 premium economy tickets: Rs 22000
- CV Points on Rs 8 Lakhs spend: 18000 (excluding Vistara spends)
- Total Return: 18000 CV points ~Rs 14400 + Rs 22000 as Economy Tickets = Rs 36400 ~4% Return on Rs 9 Lakh spending
The 18000 CV points alone can get you a Bengaluru to New Delhi Premium Economy ticket. Check the Vistara award chart for many other options. The challenge here will be booking the award ticket as Vistara cards are a bit too popular.
Complimentary Airport Lounge Access
- Airport Lounge Access in India: 8 visits/year
- Airport Lounge Access outside India: Not Available
Axis Bank Vistara Signature credit card offers 8 complimentary airport lounge visits in India per calendar year. So, if you are an occasional domestic traveller this card can help you with lounge access. The list of participating lounges is limited to a few cities – Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune. The details are available over here.
We also have a minimum spends requirement to get complimentary airport lounge access. We now need spends of Rs 50,000 over a rolling period of last 3 calendar months to get complimentary airport lounge access. For example, if you need to access the airport lounge on 10th of March, then you should have spent Rs 50,000 in the period from 1st of December to 28th of February.
Club Vistara Silver Privileges and Benefits
The Axis Bank Vistara Signature credit card offers Silver status for as long as we hold the card. This status comes with its own set of benefits that we can use when flying on Vistara.
- Earn 9 Club Vistara Points for every Rs 100 spent on Vistara flights base fare
- Extra 5 Kg baggage allowance
- 1 class upgrade voucher on Tier Renewal
Axis Bank Dining Delights EazyDiner Offer
The Axis Bank Vistara Signature credit card also gets access to the Dining Delights offers with EazyDiner.
- Get 25% off up to Rs 800 at EazyDiner partner restaurants
- Valid once per card per month
Other Benefits & Charges
- Fuel Surcharge Waiver: None
- Foreign Currency Markup: 3.5%+GST ~4.13%
- Interest Charges: 3.6% per month or 52.86% annually
- Golf Benefits: 3 complimentary rounds per year
Final Thoughts
Vistara flies very limited routes in India. So, the Vistara co-branded cards make sense only if you reside in one of those cities. If you reside in one of the hub cities like Delhi, this card can offer good value with all those milestone benefits. The 4.3% return that we calculated on this card will also increase depending on how effectively you can book the award tickets to get maximum value.
If you are interested in a Vistara credit card, have a look at the Club Vistara IDFC First credit card. It does not have any exclusions on the milestone benefits and that makes it easy to get the milestone benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Axis Bank Vistara Signature Credit Card
