Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card: Is it the best option for utility bill payments?

Utility bills like mobile recharge, DTH recharge, electricity bill, etc, are something that most of us have to pay every month. What if you could get up to 25% cashback on these payments? Yes, the Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card provides up to 25% cashback on utility bill payments and a lot more. So, what is this credit card, and its features and benefits? Let us understand.

Features and benefits

The Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card is a co-branded credit card between Axis Bank, one of India’s largest private sector banks, and Airtel, one of India’s largest telecom services providers. The card comes with a welcome benefit of Rs. 500 Amazon E-voucher.

The credit card provides one of the best cashbacks for Airtel services and others as follows.

Cashback on Airtel services

25% cashback on Airtel services such as prepaid and postpaid mobile, broadband, and DTH bill payments made through the Airtel Thanks App. The maximum cashback will be capped at Rs. 250 per month billing cycle.

Cashback on utility bills

10% cashback on utility bill payments, such as electricity, gas, etc., through the Airtel Thanks App. The maximum cashback will be capped at Rs. 250 per month billing cycle.

Cashback on preferred merchants

10% cashback on Swiggy, Zomato, and BigBasket orders placed through the respective merchant’s App. The maximum cashback will be capped at Rs. 500 per month billing cycle combined for all three merchants. For BigBasket App transactions, the cashback is eligible for spends made on BigBasket and BBnow. Spends on The Beauty Store and Fresho Meats do not qualify for cashback.

For Swiggy App transactions, the cashback is eligible for spends made on food delivery and Dineout. Spends on Instamart and Genie do not qualify for cashback. For Zomato App transactions, the cashback is eligible for spends made on food delivery and dining. Spends on Zomaland, Money, and Blinkit do not qualify for cashback.

Cashback on other transactions

1% cashback on all other spends. There is no capping on the 1% cashback on all other spends.

The cashback is directly credited to your credit card statement. The cashback earned for the purchases during a billing cycle will be credited in the next billing cycle, 3 days prior to the statement generation date. For example, if the statement date is 12th March, the cashback earned in the February month cycle (13th January to 12th February) will be credited on 9th March.

Exclusions

The following spends or transactions will not earn any cashback.

1. Fuel spends
2. Wallet loading
3. EMI transactions
4. Purchases later converted into EMIs
5. Jewellery purchases
6. Rental payments
7. Government services
8. Insurance premium payments
9. Education-related payments
10. Utility spends not done on the Airtel Thanks App

Airport lounge access

The card provides four complimentary domestic airport lounge access in a calendar year. The cardholder has to spend a minimum of Rs. 50,000 in the previous three calendar months to unlock the lounge access in the subsequent months. For the list of participating lounges, visit the Axis Bank website.

Fuel surcharge waiver

The card provides a 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations across India. The waiver is valid for transactions between Rs. 400 to Rs. 4,000. The maximum waiver that can be availed in a monthly statement cycle is Rs. 500.

Discounts at partner restaurants

The cardholder can enjoy 15% discounts up to Rs. 500 at participating restaurants through the Eazydiner App.

Joining and annual fee

The joining fee is Rs. 500 + Taxes. The cardholder gets an Amazon e-voucher on the payment of the joining fee. To claim the voucher, the customer must do the first transaction within the first 30 days of card issuance.

The annual fee is Rs. 500. The annual fee is waived on annual spends of Rupees two lakhs or more. The spends made towards wallet loads and rental transactions will not be eligible for calculating spends towards annual fee waiver.

Should you apply for the card?

The Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card is a good card that provides you cashback of up to 25% on Airtel and other utility bill payments. For Airtel services like prepaid/postpaid mobile, DTH, broadband, etc., the card can provide you good value in the form of 25% cashback. 

Apart from Airtel services, the card can provide you good value in the form of 10% cashback on utility bill payments like electricity and gas bills. It also provides 10% cashback on preferred merchants and 1% cashback on other spends, subject to exclusions.

You can maximise the benefits of the Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card in the following manner:

1. For Airtel services, the card can give you a maximum cashback of Rs. 3,000 (Rs. 250/month X 12 months) in a year.
2. For other utility bill payments through the Airtel Thanks App, you can get a maximum cashback of Rs. 3,000 (Rs. 250/month X 12).
3. For orders placed on preferred merchant apps, you can get a maximum cashback of Rs. 6,000 (Rs. 500/month X 12 months).

Thus, for a nominal annual fee of Rs. 500 + Taxes, the card can give you yearly benefits of more than Rs. 12,000. Also, if you spend more than Rs. 2 lakhs in a year, the annual fee will be waived.

It is one of the few entry-level credit cards that provides complimentary domestic airport lounge access, subject to fulfilling the spend-based eligibility criteria. Thus, the Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card is a good card that provides value for money for utility bill payments and other purchases from specified merchants. If you are availing multiple services from Airtel, like mobile, DTH, broadband, etc., you may consider opting for the Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card.

Gopal Gidwani is a freelance personal finance content writer with 15+ years of experience. He can be reached at LinkedIn.