Which card has a lower forex fee: American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card or Axis Bank SELECT Credit Card?

Both cards have the same forex markup (3.5%).

Which card has a lower annual fee: American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card or Axis Bank SELECT Credit Card?

Axis Bank SELECT Credit Card has a lower annual fee (₹3,000 vs ₹4,500).

Which card offers better lounge access?

American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card: No complimentary lounge access. Axis Bank SELECT Credit Card: 2 per quarter domestic lounge.

Which card has a higher base reward rate?

Axis Bank SELECT Credit Card has higher base reward value (~1% vs ~0.67%).

Pairwise comparison Compare 3+ cards →

American Express Membership Rewards vs Axis Bank SELECT Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex

Side-by-side comparison of the American Express Membership Rewards and the Axis Bank SELECT. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

Lounge Axis Bank SELECT

Quick comparison

Three core metrics

Membership Rewards American Express

Annual fee ₹4,500 Waivable at ₹1,50,000 spend
Forex markup 3.5%
Domestic lounge No complimentary lounge access

SELECT Axis Bank

Annual fee ₹3,000 Waivable at ₹8,00,000 spend
Forex markup 3.5%
Domestic lounge 2/quarter Conditional · Domestic: 2/quarter · requires ₹50,000 spend in the previous 3 calendar months

Reward earning explained

Per card

Membership Rewards

2 pts / ₹100 on General spend (Earn 1 Membership Rewards Point per ₹50 except f…

Limited data

SELECT

5 pts / ₹100 on General spend

Pick based on what matters

3 dimensions

Start with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (American Express Membership Rewards: ₹4,500 vs Axis Bank SELECT: ₹3,000), forex markup (3.5% vs 3.5%), or lounge access (No complimentary lounge access vs 2/quarter).

Forex markup Tie

Both cards are similar for forex

Forex markup is 3.5%.
Lounge access Axis Bank SELECT wins

Axis Bank SELECT is better for lounge access

Axis Bank SELECT is stronger here. Domestic lounge access is 2 per quarter.
Rewards Insufficient data

Insufficient data to compare rewards

Only Axis Bank SELECT has comparable evidence here. Estimated base reward value is ~1% on base spend.

Membership Rewards: Limited data

Verify with issuer

All fields

Standard view

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

SELECT: ~₹500/month at base rate
American Express Membership Rewards: ~₹330/month at base rate

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

Swipe for all fields

Field	Membership Rewards American Express	SELECT Axis Bank
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits No complimentary lounge access vs 2/quarter	No complimentary lounge access	2/quarter
International lounge visits Only available for SELECT	Not specified	6/year
Forex / International Use
Forex markup	3.5%	3.5%
Fees
Annual fee ₹4,500 vs ₹3,000	₹4,500	₹3,000
Joining fee ₹1,000 vs ₹3,000	₹1,000	₹3,000
Fee waiver spend ₹1,50,000 vs ₹8,00,000	₹1,50,000	₹8,00,000
Interest-free period Up to 48 days vs Up to 50 days	Up to 48 days	Up to 50 days
Rewards
Points per ₹100 2 pts vs 5 pts	2 pts	5 pts
Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid. ₹0.333 vs ₹0.2	₹0.333	₹0.2

Notes

Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.