 "Axis Vistara Infinite Credit Card will not offer free Gold Status after first year")
Eight years after its launch, India's most rewarding travel credit card, the Axis Vistara Infinite Credit Card, may have lost its mojo. In a message, Axis Bank has notified their cardmembers of changes to the policy for the Axis Bank Vistara co-branded Infinite Credit Card. The Gold Status will only be awarded for the first year of holding the card. From the second year onwards, Club Vistara will require cardmembers to make revenue for Vistara to be granted the Gold status.
From the second year onwards, cardmembers must maintain a requirement of 15,000 Club Vistara points and four Vistara Revenue flights to retain their Gold status.
What is the Gold status?
Gold members are guaranteed an Economy-class seat. For this, CV Gold members should submit a request within 48 hours of departure time. This benefit is available only if the eligible CV member is unable to acquire a seat in Business Class or Premium Economy. So a Gold status implies certain privileges like guaranteed reservation in Economy Class for up to 48 hours prior, complimentary Wi-Fi, rescheduling fee waiver, and priority airport check-in. CV Gold and Platinum members can visit the Delhi-T3 Vistara lounge and other partner lounges, irrespective of cabin class on the departure date. For waitlist clearance, CV members will get priority based on the availability of seats and their tier level. If two people are on the same level, the one who reserved the ticket first will get the priority. CV Platinum and Gold members are allowed to invite a companion to the Vistara Lounge at Delhi's T3 airport terminal.
Benefits of the credit card since launch
When it was launched in 2016, the Axis Bank Vistara Infinite Card offered complimentary Business Class tickets to its top tier cardholders and an opportunity to earn up to 6 Club Vistara (CV) points per Rs 200. The card came with a highly rewarding milestone program under which cardholders could avail up to four business class tickets in a year. In addition to the rewards, Axis Vistara Infinite also gave complimentary Vistara Gold Membership and domestic lounge visits.
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Earlier the benefits included were this:
Welcome and Renewal Benefit
Complimentary Business Class Ticket Voucher on payment of joining fee
This benefit can be availed every year on payment of renewal fee
Club Vistara Membership
Complimentary Club Vistara Gold Membership with privileges like priority check-in, additional baggage allowance, priority boarding, etc.
Reward/Club Vistara Points
6 CV Points per Rs. 200 spent across all categories
CV points can be used for ticket upgrade and award flights
Milestone Benefits
Spend Rs. 1 Lakh within 90 days of card issuance and get 10,000 bonus CV points
Get 1 business class ticket each on reaching spending milestones of Rs 2.5 Lakh, Rs 5 Lakh, Rs 7.5 Lakh and Rs 12 Lakh
Lounge Access
Complimentary visits to select domestic airport lounges
Other Benefits
6 complimentary rounds of golf at select golf courses
40% off up to Rs. 1,000 at select restaurants partnered with Eazy Diner
Access to curated experiences from Axis Bank’s extraordinary weekend program
Purchase protection cover of up to Rs. 1 Lakh along with other insurance benefits
However, from March 1, 2024, card users will require four flights and 15,000 tier points to retain the Vistara Gold Status from the second year, which is currently being issued as complimentary as long as we hold the Axis Vistara Infinite Credit Card. So gold Tier cardmembers need to spend Rs 1,50,000, ex-taxes (on their own flights), to renew their status.
Now, Tier Points are not the same as CV Points. Tier Points are earned only on flying with Vistara. While CV Points can be used for redeeming an Award Flight or an Upgrade Award, Tier Points are used only for tier evaluation. Tier Points help determine your tier status and move you to the Elite Tiers. These various tiers offer higher earnings and access to exclusive privileges and benefits like priority services and lounge access. Tier Points are non-redeemable and are valid only for a 12-month period.
Tier points assist in upgrading a user's Club Vistara Tier. Base, Silver, Gold, and Platinum are the four types of tiers and they come with a validity of 1 year. With a higher tier, you get extra privileges like faster reward point accrual, access to lounges, extra check-in luggage allowance, etc. The points you earn will be reflected in your account within two days.
Tier Points Per Rs 100 Spent
CV Base 8
CV Silver 9
CV Gold 10
CV Platinum 11
Terms and conditions of the new changes effective 1 March, 2024
- 1. Gold Tier will be issued in year 1 after fee payment, valid for 12 months from the date of upgrade. Gold tier will be credited within 10 working days of fee payment.
- Year 2 onwards, the customer needs to achieve 4 Vistara flights and 15,000 Tier Points criteria in the last 12 months to retain the gold tier. If the customer is unable to accumulate the requisite Tier Points and take the minimum number of flights to retain their gold tier status by the end of the 12-month rolling period, they will automatically revise to perpetual Silver Tier until the set criteria is achieved within the next tier evaluation cycle. All Club Vistara Terms and Conditions apply.
- Gold tier will be awarded only after completing one evaluation cycle and achieving the above criteria. Upgrade to the gold tier will not be considered if the customer has achieved the criteria before the completion of the cycle.
As long as your Gold tier renews before 1 March 2024 along with the annual fee on the card, you should get the Gold tier for an additional year. If your card is renewing post-1 March 2024, you may always choose to close the card and re-open it after six months to get access to the Gold status.
As per Paisabazaar, this card is still worth it as the most rewarding feature of this credit card is that the cardholders can get up to 5 free business class tickets in a year- 4 in the form of milestone benefits and 1 as welcome/renewal benefit.
"The main benefits on Axis Vistara Infinite Card come in the form of welcome offers, milestone benefits and reward points. Thus, it is best suited for those who frequently put high-ticket purchases on their credit cards as it will allow them to reach the spend milestones and avail of the respective benefits. For someone who is a frequent traveller and a high-spender, this card can be very beneficial. However, it has some drawbacks too. It lacks on two points- It does not offer international lounge access and the foreign exchange markup fee is high (3.5%)," said Rohit Chhibbar, Head of Credit Cards, Business, Paisabazaar.