Axis Bank's August 28 sweep: DCC charges up, Priority Pass loses domestic lounges, gift cards stop counting
From 28 August 2026, Axis more than doubles the DCC rate on mid-tier cards, invalidates Priority Pass at domestic lounges, and stops gift card spends from counting toward milestones and fee waivers.
Axis Bank has published revised terms across most of its card portfolio, and the bulk of the changes land on 28 August 2026. None of them make any card better.
DCC rates go up
Dynamic currency conversion (DCC) is the charge applied when you choose to settle an international transaction in rupees instead of the local currency. From 28 August:
| Cards | Old DCC rate | New DCC rate |
|---|---|---|
| MyZone, Select, Privilege, Neo (and several others) | 1.5% | 3.5% |
| Magnus, Magnus for Burgundy | 1.5% | 2% |
| Olympus | 1.5% | 1.8% |
The practical defense is unchanged: always pay in the local currency abroad. DCC only applies when you accept the rupee-conversion option at the terminal, so declining it sidesteps the charge entirely.
Priority Pass stops working at domestic lounges
From 28 August, a Priority Pass issued against an eligible Axis card is no longer valid at domestic airport lounges in India. Domestic access continues through the credit card itself (present the card plus a boarding pass, subject to your card's own lounge terms). International Priority Pass access is unchanged.
Gift cards leave the rewards pool
Gift card purchases move out of the Wallet category into a dedicated Gift Card category that earns no rewards. They also stop counting toward spend-based milestone benefits and annual-fee-waiver calculations. The classic move of topping up milestones with Amazon vouchers is closed.
The smaller print
- Toll, bridge and road-fee spends join the reward exclusion list from 28 August.
- Late payment charges rise to ₹1,300 for statement balances of ₹50,000 or more, also from 28 August.
- From 1 October, the Select card's milestone calculation excludes insurance, rent, fuel, education, utility, telecom, wallet, gold and government-services spends.
- From 1 November, the District buy-one-get-one movie offer on MyZone, Select and Privilege (BookMyShow on Neo) requires ₹25,000 of spend in the previous three months. New cardholders are exempt for the issuance month plus the next three.
- From 15 November, complimentary memberships on Olympus and Select renew only with the cardholder's explicit consent; Live From A Lounge reports the same consent model extending to other premium cards.
Who's hit
Mid-tier cardholders who transact internationally take the sharpest cut: 3.5% DCC is a steep price for the convenience of seeing rupees at checkout. Premium holders who leaned on Priority Pass for domestic lounges need to switch to swiping the card itself. And anyone who used gift card purchases to reach milestones or fee waivers loses that route entirely.
What to do
Decline DCC abroad, always. If international spend is a big part of your profile, compare what your card actually costs overseas on the forex calculator, and if the August changes tip the math against your Axis card, Polo Match will show what beats it for your spend pattern.
Sources
Every claim on this page is backed by a primary or reputable source.
Cards affected
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