Scapia Axis Bank Credit Card Review
At a Glance
Key features
- No joining fee and no annual fee
- Zero forex markup on international transactions across 180+ countries
- One application issues both a Mastercard and a RuPay card, and the RuPay card works on UPI
- 20% Scapia Coins (4% value back) on flight, hotel and bus bookings on the Scapia app, with no earning cap
- 10% Scapia Coins (2% value back) on eligible Mastercard spends of ₹20 or more
- Scapia Coins redeem only on the Scapia app, at 5 Coins = ₹1, with no redemption cap
- Unlimited domestic lounge access at 100+ airports after ₹20,000 of net spend in a billing cycle
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions up to ₹5,000, capped at ₹500 per billing cycle
Rewards
| Category | Rate | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| scapia app travel | 20× | 20 Scapia Coins per ₹100 (20% rewards, 4% value back) on flight, hotel and bus bookings made on the Scapia app, with no maximum cap. At 5 Coins = ₹1, a ₹50,000 flight booked in the app earns 10,000 Coins worth ₹2,000. |
| rupay variant spends | 5× | The companion RuPay card earns 5 Scapia Coins per ₹100 (5% rewards, 1% value back) on eligible UPI, online and offline spends of ₹500 or more. RuPay transactions below ₹500 earn nothing. |
| Default earn rate | 10× | All other eligible retail spends |
Fees
| Joining fee | ₹0 |
| Annual fee | ₹0 |
Lounge access
Eligibility
Editor's Review
Who this card is for
A traveller who books flights and hotels a few times a year and already dislikes paying a markup on every foreign swipe is the obvious fit. There is no joining or annual fee, and Axis Bank asks only that the primary cardholder be between 18 and 70 and resident in India, with no published income floor. Heavier spenders gain the most, since domestic lounge visits and airport privileges switch on only after ₹20,000 of net spend in a billing cycle. People who want cash back, statement credit or airline miles should look elsewhere, because every Coin has to be spent inside the Scapia app. Anyone turned down for the Federal Bank Scapia card in the past now has a larger issuer to try.
What you earn
Scapia describes its rates in Coins, and the rupee value is a fifth of the headline. Five Coins buy ₹1 of travel on the Scapia app, so 20% rewards on in-app flight, hotel and bus bookings is a 4% return, 10% on everyday Mastercard spends is 2%, and 5% on the companion RuPay card is 1%. A ₹50,000 international flight booked through the app earns 10,000 Coins, worth ₹2,000 against the next trip. Axis puts no cap on travel earnings, and Scapia puts no cap on how much of a booking Coins can cover.
The two cards have different floors. Mastercard spends earn from ₹20 upward, while the RuPay card ignores anything below ₹500, which rules out most small UPI payments at a tea stall or a pharmacy counter. For a monthly bill of ₹30,000 put through the Mastercard, the card returns about 6,000 Coins, or ₹1,200 of travel credit a month.
Exclusions are wide. Wallet loads, fuel, rent, education fees, government payments, insurance, utilities, EMIs, gift cards, tolls and business services earn no Coins at all. What stays eligible is ordinary retail: groceries, cabs, dining, shopping and travel. Refunds come off the Coin balance in the cycle they post, and an account that falls behind on payments earns nothing until it is back in good standing.
Airport privileges add a second layer. Once net spend crosses ₹20,000 in the billing cycle, meals, shopping or spa bills at participating airport outlets come back as reward points at up to 100% of the bill, capped at ₹500 or ₹1,000 per transaction and ₹2,500 or ₹5,000 per cycle depending on the city. Base Coins still accrue on the same spend. For someone flying once a month, that refund alone can outweigh a month of everyday earnings.
What it costs
Axis Bank charges no joining fee and no annual fee on this card, and its own fee table lists both as zero with no spend condition attached. No waiver needs to be earned, and no renewal charge appears in the second year. The RuPay card is issued on the same application and the same account, so holding both costs nothing.
Foreign currency transactions carry no markup, and Axis also lists no dynamic currency conversion markup for this card. Network charges and taxes may still apply, but the bank adds nothing of its own on top of the exchange rate.
The costs sit in transaction fees. Rent payments attract a 1% fee with no cap. Wallet loads attract 1% once they total ₹10,000 in a statement period, utilities from ₹25,000 and fuel from ₹50,000, while education payments made through third-party apps carry 1% as well. None of those categories earn Coins, so paying rent or large utility bills on this card costs money and returns nothing.
Fuel gets a 1% surcharge waiver on transactions up to ₹5,000, capped at ₹500 per billing cycle. Revolving a balance is expensive at 3.75% a month, as on most Axis cards, which wipes out any reward value within days.
The honest balance sheet
What works
- No joining fee and no annual fee, with no spend condition attached
- Zero forex markup on international spends, and no dynamic currency conversion markup
- 4% value back in Scapia Coins on flight, hotel and bus bookings in the Scapia app, with no earning cap
- Coins can pay for 100% of a Scapia booking, at a fixed 5 Coins to ₹1
- Unlimited domestic lounge access at 100+ airports once billing-cycle spend reaches ₹20,000
- A RuPay card comes with the same application, so UPI payments of ₹500 or more earn Coins
What it costs you
- Coins only redeem on the Scapia app, with no cash, statement credit or airline transfer option
- Lounge access and airport privileges depend on ₹20,000 of net spend every billing cycle, and there is no international lounge access
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does the Scapia Axis Bank Credit Card have an annual fee?
No. The Scapia Axis Bank Credit Card has no joining fee and no annual fee, and Axis Bank attaches no spend condition to either. Transaction fees still apply to some categories, including a 1% fee on rent payments and on wallet loads once they total ₹10,000 in a statement period.
What are Scapia Coins worth on the Axis Bank card?
Five Scapia Coins are worth ₹1 when redeemed for bookings on the Scapia app. That makes the 20% travel rate a 4% return, the 10% Mastercard rate 2%, and the 5% RuPay rate 1%. Coins cannot be converted to cash or statement credit, though they can cover a whole booking.
How does lounge access work on the Scapia Axis Bank Credit Card?
Domestic lounge access is unlimited at 100+ airports once net spend reaches ₹20,000 in a billing cycle, counted across the Mastercard and RuPay cards together. Access opens 3 to 5 working days after the billing date, through a QR code in the Scapia app. The card offers no international lounge access.
Is there a forex markup on the Scapia Axis Bank Credit Card?
No. Axis Bank charges zero forex markup on international transactions made abroad or on foreign websites with this card, and it also lists no dynamic currency conversion markup. Card network charges and government taxes can still apply, so the final amount may differ slightly from the exchange rate shown.
Final word
For a traveller who wants one card that costs nothing to hold and nothing to use abroad, this is the card we would pick. Zero fees, zero forex markup and 4% back on travel booked through the Scapia app make a package that paid travel cards rarely beat for someone taking a handful of trips a year.
The limits come from the Coins. A 2% effective return on everyday Mastercard spends is respectable for a free card, yet that value exists only as future bookings on one app. Someone who compares fares across sites and books wherever the price is lowest will sometimes find the Scapia price higher, and the 4% does not close every gap. The RuPay card's ₹500 floor also makes it a weak choice for small UPI payments, where a plain cashback card does better.
Lounge access needs attention too. The ₹20,000 threshold resets every billing cycle, so a quiet month before a trip means paying at the lounge door. Planning spends around the statement date solves most of that. A sensible setup keeps rent, utilities and wallet loads on another card, runs foreign spends and Scapia bookings through this one, and moves everyday retail here in the month before a trip so the threshold is met before the statement closes.
Holders of the Federal Bank Scapia card gain little by switching, because the rates, Coin value and lounge rules match. The Axis version matters most to applicants who could not get the Federal Bank card approved, and to anyone who prefers a larger issuer's service network.
We rate it 4.5 out of 5. It is among the strongest free travel companion cards we track, held back only by a reward currency that works in a single app.
The Scapia Axis Bank Credit Card is lifetime free, charges zero forex markup, and returns 4% in Scapia Coins on Scapia app travel bookings.
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