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How I Successfully Upgraded My Airtel Axis Bank Credit Card from Mastercard to RuPay Variant

Deepak_9155

TF Premier
Hey guys,

Just got my Airtel Axis Mastercard swapped for the Rupay variant, and thought I'd share the process and a little trick I figured out.

So, I called up Axis Bank today and asked them to switch my card from Mastercard to Rupay. The rep on the line said it was possible, but a joining fee would be charged.

I told her I had already paid the joining fee when I first got the card in September 2023, so they should waive it. She put me on hold for a couple of minutes but came back and said the fee is compulsory for a new card issuance, and a waiver is not possible.

This is where I had a thought. My annual fee for the old Mastercard was due next month (September 2025) anyway. I would have had to shell out ₹500 + GST for it regardless.

So I thought, what the heck. I might as well pay this "joining fee" now. The bright side is that my annual fee cycle for this new card will start from today, meaning the next renewal fee will only be in August 2026.

I agreed and told her to proceed. The rep then explained the card's benefits and sent me an SMS where I had to provide my consent by verifying it with an OTP. This was successfully done.

1754032974727.webp

Basically, I paid the fee I was going to pay next month anyway, got the Rupay card I wanted, and pushed my next payment out by an extra year. It seemed like a fair deal to me.

The process was very fast! The new Airtel Axis RuPay card is already showing up in my Axis mobile app. The strange part, however, is that my old Airtel Mastercard has already disappeared from the app and the net banking website.

1754033025664.webp

Now, it only shows my other cards (like my Privilege card) and the new Airtel RuPay card.

The rep confirmed that the physical card will arrive within 10-14 working days. She also clarified their official policy on the old card: my existing Airtel Axis Mastercard will be deactivated precisely on the 45th day from the new card's setup date.

Just a heads-up for anyone else in the same boat whose renewal is coming up. This might be a decent trade-off.


EDIT - customer care representative told me that no welcome benefits will be provided(as it was already provided during 1st time ). In the CIBIL report, a new account will be created and the previous account will be closed.

So, basically, they are issuing a new credit card instead of just changing the network.
 
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Thinking of buying the iQOO Neo 10. I've posted deal and questions in this thread and would appreciate your expert opinion:

 
I called to customer care to upgrade, first they said it's possible and repeated all benefits and said i will receive one link. Then after sometime they said that upgrade is not showing for them. I think recently i applied for the atlas card that's why i am not eligible.
 
Many people had a problem with Swiggy and zomato restaurant mcc when used to pay for 10 percent CB
Now with UPI is it easy to receive the cashback or the problem still persists.

Any airtel axis rupay select holders please comment on this
I don't think UPI transaction is eligible for cashback on select merchants.

@Anupama_Jha already confirmed that there is no issue with 10% cashback on Select merchants.
 
1. I took the Airtel Axis Mastercard last October where I was charged joining fee. I have crossed the fee waiver spends of Rs. 2L. Card is due for renewal in Oct 2025.
Shall I be charged joining fee again if I convert to Rupay variant?


2. Whats the minimum transaction amount for 1% cashback on Upi for Airtel Axis rupay cc? Is it 100 rs?
 
Shall I be charged joining fee
Yes
I took the Airtel Axis Mastercard last October where I was charged joining fee. I have crossed the fee waiver spends of Rs. 2L. Card is due for renewal in Oct 2025
If you take the card you will need to fulfill annual waiver criteria again as per OP @Deepak_9155
Whats the minimum transaction amount for 1% cashback on Upi for Airtel Axis rupay cc? Is it 100 rs?
Yes it's minimum ₹100
 
1. I took the Airtel Axis Mastercard last October where I was charged joining fee. I have crossed the fee waiver spends of Rs. 2L. Card is due for renewal in Oct 2025.
Shall I be charged joining fee again if I convert to Rupay variant?
Yes. Joining fee will be charged and your annual spends already crossed 2L will be restarted as fresh one
2. Whats the minimum transaction amount for 1% cashback on Upi for Airtel Axis rupay cc? Is it 100 rs?
Yes.
 
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