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Vistara Co-Branded Cards Devaluation

Shubham Aggarwal

4 Apr 2025

3 minutes read

Devaluation of Vistara Co-Branded Cards: What Cardholders Need to Know

With the post-merger between Vistara and Air India, significant changes are coming to all Vistara co-branded credit cards. If you hold a Vistara credit card from SBI, IDFC FIRST, or Axis Bank, you need to be aware of these upcoming devaluations that will impact your card benefits in 2025.

Club Vistara SBI Card Changes

Starting April 1, 2025, SBI's standard Vistara co-branded card will see important changes:

Renewal benefit discontinued: The Economy Ticket Voucher previously awarded on card renewal will no longer be available for cards renewing after April 1, 2025.
Annual fee waived: As compensation, SBI will not charge the annual fee on cards affected by this change.

If your card renewal date is before April 1, 2025, you'll still receive the renewal benefits when eligible, but will be charged the standard annual fee.

Club Vistara SBI Prime Card Changes

Starting April 1, 2025, SBI's popular Vistara co-branded card will lose some of its most valuable benefits:

Renewal benefit discontinued: No more complimentary Premium Economy ticket on renewal.
Milestone benefits eliminated: The Premium Economy tickets previously awarded at annual spends of ₹1.5L, ₹3L, ₹4.5L, and ₹8L will no longer be available.

As compensation, SBI is waiving the ₹2,999 renewal fee for affected cardholders. If you're an existing cardholder and renew before April 1, 2025, you can still receive these benefits for one more year.

Benefits that remain unchanged:

4 Maharaja Points per ₹200 spent
₹10,000 hotel voucher on ₹8L annual spends
8 domestic and 4 international lounge visits per year

Club Vistara IDFC FIRST Credit Card Updates

IDFC FIRST Bank's Vistara card is facing even more drastic changes:

Complete elimination of milestone ticket vouchers after March 31, 2025.
Card closure scheduled after March 31, 2026.
Maharaja Points earning will continue until the card closure date.
No annual fee for cardholders with anniversary dates on or after April 22, 2025, but also no milestone or annual benefits.

This represents the most severe devaluation among the Vistara co-branded cards, with the card being phased out entirely by early 2026.

Axis Bank Vistara Credit Cards Devaluation

For renewals starting April 18, 2025, Axis Bank's Vistara cards will see significant changes:

Annual fee waived for all renewals from April 18, 2025.
Discontinued benefits include:
- Complimentary Maharaja Club tier memberships
- Renewal benefit of complimentary ticket vouchers
- Milestone benefit of complimentary tickets/vouchers

Benefits that remain:

Maharaja Points earning on eligible spends
Lounge access benefits
Golf privileges
Dining offers
Domestic and international transaction capabilities

Important note on points earning: Maharaja Points will no longer be earned on several categories including rent payments, wallet loads, utility bills, government services, insurance premiums, and purchases of jewelry, precious stones, and metals.

What This Means for Cardholders

These devaluations significantly reduce the value proposition of Vistara co-branded cards. The elimination of complimentary ticket vouchers, one of the most attractive features of these cards, makes them substantially less appealing despite the annual fee waivers.

Current cardholders should:

Consider whether these cards still provide sufficient value after these changes.
Look at renewal dates carefully to maximize any remaining benefits.
Explore alternative travel credit cards if the revised benefits no longer meet your needs, such as Amex Platinum Travel (currently, fresh applications are not accepted) and Axis Atlas.

The Vistara-Air India merger is clearly causing major shifts in the co-branded credit card landscape, with these changes likely representing just the beginning of the transition to a new unified loyalty program structure.