Going to take my first travel card - Axis Atlas, need some inputs.

[cardio_guycardio_guy is verified member.]

So after a lot of time spent on cashback cards and exploring a lot about travel cards, I finally decided to take the plunge and get into the world of travel card.
I had been avoiding Axis for some reasons all this while, but finally decided to take the Axis Atlas card.

Most importantly these days my bookings have changed, I usually book from direct airlines website or app, and hotels can be booked from traveledge.
So this gives me a chance to try my luck with Axis Atlas.

My travel and hotel stay is mostly domestic. My current cards do not give any good value on flight or hotel booking.
But Indigo flights are the one where I am stuck without any returns. (or may be 1.5% base returns)

I was shortlisting some of the other cards in this league:
- Amex Plat Travel: Amex not issuing cards now and low offline acceptance held me back
- HSBC Travel One: The advantage over Atlas is that OTAs are included but with Traveledge, I decided to go with Axis.
- HDFC Regalia Gold - I will be get this card sometime this year. When I get it, I will relook at my strategy.

Another thing that I considered is validity of edge miles and accor points.
I understand that Edge miles are valid for 3 years, but Accor points validity keeps extending as and when we transfer in points.

Use case of the Edge miles is stay in Accor hotels and nothing else.
In the next 1-2 years, I want to take my family to good places, and stay in good hotels, and I believe this will be a good choice.


I want to know the following things -
1. I don't have an Axis bank account. Will they give this card for people who doesnt have an account?
2. How is traveledge portal for booking hotels? (not accor or mariott kind of, but local ones)
3. I haven't considered anything about vouchers yet. Is it possible to play the voucher game with this card? If yes, how?
3. Did I mss anything else?

 

[Pissant]

1. I don't have an Axis bank account. Will they give this card for people who doesnt have an account?
Of Course.
2. How is traveledge portal for booking hotels? (not accor or mariott kind of, but local ones)
Keep it as the last choice and only use it iif you don't have any other portal to go through.
3. I haven't considered anything about vouchers yet. Is it possible to play the voucher game with this card? If yes, how?
Kinda. You can buy Amazon Pay Vouchers using Amazon and the various other voucher platforms and you'll get the base reward miles (2x)
3. Did I mss anything else?
Not really. It is a simple card with an amazing reward rate. There are also renewal and milestone benefits at 3lk, 7.5lk, 15lk.

 

[S U D O]

So after a lot of time spent on cashback cards and exploring a lot about travel cards, I finally decided to take the plunge and get into the world of travel card.
I had been avoiding Axis for some reasons all this while, but finally decided to take the Axis Atlas card.

Most importantly these days my bookings have changed, I usually book from direct airlines website or app, and hotels can be booked from traveledge.
So this gives me a chance to try my luck with Axis Atlas.

My travel and hotel stay is mostly domestic. My current cards do not give any good value on flight or hotel booking.
But Indigo flights are the one where I am stuck without any returns. (or may be 1.5% base returns)

I was shortlisting some of the other cards in this league:
- Amex Plat Travel: Amex not issuing cards now and low offline acceptance held me back
- HSBC Travel One: The advantage over Atlas is that OTAs are included but with Traveledge, I decided to go with Axis.
- HDFC Regalia Gold - I will be get this card sometime this year. When I get it, I will relook at my strategy.

Another thing that I considered is validity of edge miles and accor points.
I understand that Edge miles are valid for 3 years, but Accor points validity keeps extending as and when we transfer in points.

Use case of the Edge miles is stay in Accor hotels and nothing else.
In the next 1-2 years, I want to take my family to good places, and stay in good hotels, and I believe this will be a good choice.


I want to know the following things -
1. I don't have an Axis bank account. Will they give this card for people who doesnt have an account?
2. How is traveledge portal for booking hotels? (not accor or mariott kind of, but local ones)
3. I haven't considered anything about vouchers yet. Is it possible to play the voucher game with this card? If yes, how?
3. Did I mss anything else?

Following + +
(in the same boat as you)

 

[cardio_guycardio_guy is verified member.]

One more follow up qn on hotel.
If travel edge is not so good for hotel booking, where else can I book hotels and get 5EM/100?
Direct hotel website is one option, but cost may be little higher. Any other choice?


Another question on flight.
Is it needed that the flight bookings must be in my name itself to get 5EM? If I book for my wife, will I still get 5EM?

Apart from this one thing - (hotel booking), I am pretty.much sorted. In the worst case, I am ok even if I get 2EM/100 on OTAs.

If I use this card for travel spends alone, then my overall spend may be just around 1L per year.
I am aware of the exclusions, that should also be OK I think.

 

[S U D O]

If I use this card for travel spends alone, then my overall spend may be just around 1L per year

would you be able to complete 7.5L on this card within 1 year?
I am still doubtful because i am not sure if i can reach 7.5L alone on this card

 

[cardio_guycardio_guy is verified member.]

would you be able to complete 7.5L on this card within 1 year?
I am still doubtful because i am not sure if i can reach 7.5L alone on this card

Maynot be.
I read somewhere if we pay renewal fees, we will still get it back in the form of some 2500 EM or so (need to confirm).

I am yet to go through axis banks website for this card. Will find out and update here.

 

[6ix9ine]

If I were you, I would not go for axis.

I would milk HDFC cards and go for the top tier, axis these days are so strong, even RBI is blind.

People are showing legit invoices, still they are adamant. Rest is up to you, I am no one to influence your decision.

 

[S U D O]

I read somewhere if we pay renewal fees, we will still get it back in the form of some 2500 EM or so (need to confirm).

If i am not wrong, you stay in silver tier when your spends are less than 7.5L. And for silver, you get 0 EM.

 

[S U D O]

If you reach 3L then you get milestone benefit of 2500 EM (you might be referring to this?)

 

[cardio_guycardio_guy is verified member.]

If i am not wrong, you stay in silver tier when your spends are less than 7.5L. And for silver, you get 0 EM.

What I understood was - if you enter gold tier (7.5L+), annual fees is waived off + you get additional 2500 EM as milestone reward.

If you stay in silver tier, annual fees is not waived off, you don't get additional 2500 EM milestone reward. But you pay annual fees and for that you get 2500 EM. (I may be wrong here).

 

[Maverick3]

The Axis Atlas Card does not qualify for an annual fee waiver based on spending.

 

[subham23]

Hope this helps to clear all queries.

 

[cardio_guycardio_guy is verified member.]

Hope this helps to clear all queries.

Thanks. Will upload this to chatgpt and ask my questions.

 

[jk51]

So after a lot of time spent on cashback cards and exploring a lot about travel cards, I finally decided to take the plunge and get into the world of travel card.
I had been avoiding Axis for some reasons all this while, but finally decided to take the Axis Atlas card.

Most importantly these days my bookings have changed, I usually book from direct airlines website or app, and hotels can be booked from traveledge.
So this gives me a chance to try my luck with Axis Atlas.

My travel and hotel stay is mostly domestic. My current cards do not give any good value on flight or hotel booking.
But Indigo flights are the one where I am stuck without any returns. (or may be 1.5% base returns)

I was shortlisting some of the other cards in this league:
- Amex Plat Travel: Amex not issuing cards now and low offline acceptance held me back
- HSBC Travel One: The advantage over Atlas is that OTAs are included but with Traveledge, I decided to go with Axis.
- HDFC Regalia Gold - I will be get this card sometime this year. When I get it, I will relook at my strategy.

Another thing that I considered is validity of edge miles and accor points.
I understand that Edge miles are valid for 3 years, but Accor points validity keeps extending as and when we transfer in points.

Use case of the Edge miles is stay in Accor hotels and nothing else.
In the next 1-2 years, I want to take my family to good places, and stay in good hotels, and I believe this will be a good choice.


I want to know the following things -
1. I don't have an Axis bank account. Will they give this card for people who doesnt have an account?
2. How is traveledge portal for booking hotels? (not accor or mariott kind of, but local ones)
3. I haven't considered anything about vouchers yet. Is it possible to play the voucher game with this card? If yes, how?
3. Did I mss anything else?

I took up this card a few months back so shall try to answer from my experience till now.

1. I dint had an account per se but got migrated from Citi IOCL to Axis IOCL Premium. Since the migrated card was not making much sense tried for an upgrade through app. Initially atlas was showing but post checking a couple of times it dint show up again. Called up customer care and asked for upgrade got approved for it instantly and received card within 2 days.

2. I haven’t booked through travel edge yet since prices have been on a higher side (for hotel, can’t comment for flight part) whenever there was any plan for travel.

3. I am using this card for three use cases mainly

A. As a primary card for offline swipes

Axis Atlas>Amex Plat Travel>RBL Play>SC Ultimate>Kotak PVR Inox

B. As a secondary card for online transactions

Amex Plat Travel>Axis Atlas>SC Ultimate>Kotak PVR Inox

C. As an additional source for voucher purchase (including Apay which I use significantly) after exhausting Amex, HDFC, Park Plus since most of my shopping online/fuel/grocery is based on it.

From what I have understood through experience of other memebers in forum and fellow peers for this card is till the time one is using it judiciously (meaning less on 5x categories, loophole MCC’s) then they are relatively safe from the back dated invoice demands, rescinded points, etc. still nothing is guaranteed and one needs to be prepared for any future demand of such kind. I have made a target of only going till 3 lacs on this card (out of which travel might comprise till 1 lac) which I find as a safe level spend initially in case of such demands from axis.

 

[Half Human]

So after a lot of time spent on cashback cards and exploring a lot about travel cards, I finally decided to take the plunge and get into the world of travel card.
I had been avoiding Axis for some reasons all this while, but finally decided to take the Axis Atlas card.

Most importantly these days my bookings have changed, I usually book from direct airlines website or app, and hotels can be booked from traveledge.
So this gives me a chance to try my luck with Axis Atlas.

My travel and hotel stay is mostly domestic. My current cards do not give any good value on flight or hotel booking.
But Indigo flights are the one where I am stuck without any returns. (or may be 1.5% base returns)

I was shortlisting some of the other cards in this league:
- Amex Plat Travel: Amex not issuing cards now and low offline acceptance held me back
- HSBC Travel One: The advantage over Atlas is that OTAs are included but with Traveledge, I decided to go with Axis.
- HDFC Regalia Gold - I will be get this card sometime this year. When I get it, I will relook at my strategy.

Another thing that I considered is validity of edge miles and accor points.
I understand that Edge miles are valid for 3 years, but Accor points validity keeps extending as and when we transfer in points.

Use case of the Edge miles is stay in Accor hotels and nothing else.
In the next 1-2 years, I want to take my family to good places, and stay in good hotels, and I believe this will be a good choice.


I want to know the following things -
1. I don't have an Axis bank account. Will they give this card for people who doesnt have an account?
2. How is traveledge portal for booking hotels? (not accor or mariott kind of, but local ones)
3. I haven't considered anything about vouchers yet. Is it possible to play the voucher game with this card? If yes, how?
3. Did I mss anything else?

1) Yes
2) Not the best
3) Yes

 

[Half Human]

What I understood was - if you enter gold tier (7.5L+), annual fees is waived off + you get additional 2500 EM as milestone reward.

If you stay in silver tier, annual fees is not waived off, you don't get additional 2500 EM milestone reward. But you pay annual fees and for that you get 2500 EM. (I may be wrong here).

Annual Fees will not be waived off.

But once you get to 7.5\+ , you would have eventually got a cumulative milestone of 7500 miles which is equivalent 30000 worth of accor hotels. So yeah, that is the gold spot in every way

 

[tachniki]

I have been thinking to get this card for sometime. Have been trying my luck for LTF but no luck. My expected expense on premium card is 12 lakh which is mostly on Infinia now. If I take this card, I am not sure if I will reach 10L in infinia. Definitely not.

Direct hotel website is one option, but cost may be little higher

This is not true anymore. In last 3 to 4 years, I have been booking more directly on hotels website. Their prices are mostly better, especially if there are long stay packages ( 4 to 7 days). Even 10 years back I have booked (couple of times) Holiday Inn over email.

Another problem is I am not Accor inclined. And would like to keep trying different hotels like ITC, Marriott or anything that is fun in the location.

So, altogether, I can't make up my mind.

 

[Avatar Aang]

You can swipe Atlas at Hotel POS and you'll get 5EM. Usually Hotels might offer you good rates for offline bookings