Axis Bank and Bengaluru based travel fintech Scapia launched the Scapia Axis Bank Credit Card on 3 September 2026, with onboarding through the Scapia app. The lifetime free co-branded card is issued on Mastercard and RuPay networks and offers zero forex markup, rewards in Scapia Coins and domestic airport privileges. It is aimed at young, digitally active travellers who turn everyday spending and UPI payments into flights, stays and experiences.
What Is the Scapia Axis Bank Credit Card?
A co-branded credit card is a card issued jointly by a bank and a partner brand. Here the bank is Axis Bank and the partner is Scapia, a Bengaluru based travel fintech. The bank handles the credit, billing and approvals, while Scapia provides the app, travel booking platform and rewards system.
Scapia was founded in 2022 by Anil Goteti, a former senior executive at Flipkart. It started with a co-branded card issued with Federal Bank and later expanded to a card with BOBCARD, the card arm of Bank of Baroda. Its users have used the card in more than 175 countries, and the company positions the card as a tool that converts daily spending into travel.
Axis Bank is one of India’s large private banks. It was promoted in 1993 as UTI Bank, started operations in 1994 and was renamed Axis Bank in 2007. It is headquartered in Mumbai and is India’s third largest private sector bank by assets. Its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer is Amitabh Chaudhry.
The new card is managed fully through the Scapia app. Customers can track spending, pay bills, book flights, hotels, trains, buses and experiences, and redeem rewards in one place. Onboarding is fully digital, and the card is offered on two networks, Mastercard for regular and international card payments and RuPay for UPI linked payments, through a single application process.
How Rewards and Scapia Coins Work
Every eligible purchase earns rewards in the form of Scapia Coins. These coins are not cash back to the bank statement. They can be used only inside the Scapia platform for flights, hotel stays, visa services, experiences and shopping through the Scapia store.
The published earn rates differ by network and by where the booking is made. Travel bookings made through the Scapia app earn the highest rate. Everyday card spending earns a lower rate, and RuPay spending linked to UPI earns a fixed rate on transactions of ₹500 or more.
| Spend type | Published reward | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible travel bookings on Scapia app | Up to 20% in Scapia Coins | 20 coins per ₹100 spent |
| Eligible everyday spends on Mastercard | Up to 10% in Scapia Coins | 10 coins per ₹100 spent |
| Eligible RuPay online, offline and UPI spends of ₹500 or more | 5% in Scapia Coins | 5 coins per ₹100 spent, with no upper cap stated |
The value of a coin is fixed for travel redemption. Five Scapia Coins equal ₹1 when used on the Scapia platform. In simple terms, a 20 percent coin earn rate equals about 4 percent in travel value, a 10 percent earn rate equals about 2 percent in travel value, and a 5 percent earn rate equals about 1 percent in travel value.
Several common spending types do not earn rewards. These include rent, fuel, cash withdrawals, EMI conversions, forex transactions, education fees, gift cards, insurance premiums, utility and telecom payments above stated limits, wallet loading and crypto transactions. Customers need to check the live terms for the full exclusion list, because only eligible merchant categories count toward rewards.
Zero Forex Markup and Smart Forex for International Spending
Forex markup is the extra fee most banks add when a card is used in a foreign currency. In India this fee is usually between 2 percent and 3.5 percent of the transaction value. A zero forex card removes this extra charge and converts the payment at the network exchange rate.
The Scapia Axis Bank Credit Card carries zero forex markup on international transactions, and the foreign currency transaction fee is listed as nil. This makes it useful for shopping on foreign websites and for paying in local currency while travelling abroad. Forex transactions do not earn Scapia Coins, so the saving here comes from the waived fee, not from rewards.
The card also offers a Smart Forex feature. This tool shows overseas spending clearly inside the app and gives better control over international payments. It helps users see the exchange details and track foreign spending without waiting for the monthly statement. The card also carries a 1 percent fuel surcharge waiver for domestic use, which is separate from the forex benefit.
Airport Lounge Access and Travel Privileges
The card offers unlimited domestic airport lounge access, along with dining, shopping and spa privileges at select airports in India. Unlimited in this case means unlimited visits after qualifying, not automatic access from day one.
To unlock these privileges for the next billing period, the cardholder must spend ₹20,000 in the previous month. The spending can be on the Mastercard variant, the RuPay variant, or added together across both variants where the terms allow. Access is activated through a lounge QR code generated in the Scapia app, which is checked along with the boarding pass at participating lounges.
Airport shopping on the travel date can also earn rewards. Eligible airport retail transactions can earn up to ₹2,000 back in Scapia Coins, subject to billing cycle limits, city wise limits and participating outlets. The exact lounge list, dining partners and retail partners can change, so users should check the current list in the app before travel.
Fees, Eligibility and How to Apply
The card has no joining fee and no annual fee, which makes it a lifetime free card under the current schedule. Free here refers only to the card membership fee. Other transaction charges still apply, and the bank can revise fees in future.
| Fee or charge | Published term |
|---|---|
| Joining fee | ₹0 |
| Annual fee | ₹0 |
| Foreign currency markup | 0 percent |
| Cash withdrawal fee | 2.5 percent, minimum ₹500 |
| Finance charge on revolving credit | 3.75 percent per month |
| Rent transaction fee | 1 percent |
| Overlimit fee | 2.5 percent, minimum ₹500 |
The finance charge is important to understand. If the full bill is not paid by the due date, interest of 3.75 percent per month applies on the unpaid amount. This cost can quickly erase the value of rewards and forex savings. The card works best when the full statement balance is paid on time.
Indian residents between the ages of 18 and 70 can apply, subject to documents, credit checks and bank approval. Application and card management are done through the Scapia app with video KYC, which is a video based identity verification process. Applicants who were earlier unable to get the Scapia card from other partner banks can make a fresh application with Axis Bank, though approval is not assured.
Why the Axis Bank Partnership Matters
For Scapia, Axis Bank brings a much larger customer base and wider distribution than its earlier partners. This can improve serviceability across cities and give more first time applicants a chance to be approved. It also links Scapia’s travel store, which covers flights, hotels, visas and curated products, to Axis Bank’s strength in cards and payments.
For Axis Bank, the card fills a clear gap. The bank already has premium travel cards such as the Axis Atlas and Axis Horizon, which carry higher fees and target frequent flyers seeking airline miles and transfer partners. The Scapia card targets a different group, which is young and digitally native users who want a simple, app based card with no annual fee and no forex fee.
In the wider market, the card adds to India’s growing set of zero forex travel options. Its main difference is the closed loop model. Rewards are earned on daily spending, including UPI on RuPay, but they can be used mainly for travel inside Scapia. Travellers who already book through Scapia and can naturally reach the ₹20,000 monthly mark for lounge access will gain the most. Those who want cash back to the statement or transferable airline miles may find other travel cards more suitable.
Key Takeaways
- The Scapia Axis Bank Credit Card was launched on 3 September 2026 as a lifetime free co-branded travel card with no joining and no annual fee.
- The card is issued on Mastercard and RuPay networks, with RuPay enabling rewards on eligible UPI payments of ₹500 or more.
- It offers zero forex markup on international transactions along with a Smart Forex tracking feature in the Scapia app.
- Rewards are paid as Scapia Coins, with up to 20 percent on Scapia app travel bookings, up to 10 percent on Mastercard spends and 5 percent on RuPay spends.
- Five Scapia Coins equal ₹1, and unlimited domestic lounge access unlocks only after spending ₹20,000 in the previous month.
