2 Membership Rewards Points / ₹100 · 20 Membership Rewards Points/₹100 on eligible blinkit, bookMyShow, easeMyTrip, flipkart, myntra, nykaa, select 10X partners, uber, and zomato
Strong data Pairwise comparison
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AMEX SmartEarn vs AXIS ACE
Side-by-side comparison of the American Express SmartEarn and the Axis Bank ACE. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.
The short answer
Head-to-head
- Annual fee Annual fee outcome: SmartEarn wins. SmartEarn saves ₹4/yrSmartEarn ₹495 Waivable at ₹40,000 spendACE ₹499 Waivable at ₹2,00,000 spend
- Forex markup Forex markup outcome: tie. SmartEarn 3.5%ACE 3.5%
- Domestic lounge Domestic lounge outcome: insufficient data to compare. SmartEarn No complimentary lounge accessACE 4/year Conditional · Domestic: 4/year · requires ₹50,000 spend in the previous 3 calendar months
- Rewards Rewards outcome: ACE wins. conservative base valueSmartEarn ~0.5%ACE ~1.5%
Reward earning explained
1.5% · Up to 5% on Google Pay
Strong dataExample usage at this monthly spend
At ₹50k/month spend:
- ACE: ~₹750/month at base rate
- American Express SmartEarn: ~₹250/month at base rate
Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.
All fields
| Field | SmartEarn American Express | ACE Axis Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Lounge Access | ||
| Domestic lounge visits spend-gated on some cards — see caveats No complimentary lounge access vs 4/year | No complimentary lounge access | 4/year |
| International lounge visits Only available for ACE | Not specified | No international lounge access |
| Forex / International Use | ||
| Forex markup | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Fees | ||
| Recurring annual fee ₹495 vs ₹499 | ₹495 | ₹499 |
| Annual-fee waiver ₹40,000 vs ₹2,00,000 | ₹40,000 | ₹2,00,000 |
| Interest-free period Only available for ACE | Not specified | Up to 50 days |
| Monthly interest rate 3.5% / month vs 3.75% / month | 3.5% / month | 3.75% / month |
| Fuel benefit 1% surcharge waiver · ₹5,000+ transactions · Fuel rewards excluded vs 1% surcharge waiver · ₹400–₹4,000 transactions · ₹500/month waiver cap | 1% surcharge waiver · ₹5,000+ transactions · Fuel rewards excluded | 1% surcharge waiver · ₹400–₹4,000 transactions · ₹500/month waiver cap |
| Rewards | ||
| Base earn 2 Membership Rewards Points / ₹100 vs 1.5% | 2 Membership Rewards Points / ₹100 | 1.5% |
| Conservative base value ~0.5% vs ~1.5% | ~0.5% | ~1.5% |
| Earn ceiling 500 Membership Rewards Points per month; at 20 Membership Rewards Points / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹2,500 of eligible spend vs ₹500 per statement cycle — shared across Google Pay (domestic), Ola (domestic), Swiggy (domestic) & Zomato (domestic) | 500 Membership Rewards Points per month at 20 Membership Rewards Points / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹2,500 of eligible spend | ₹500 per statement cycle — shared across Google Pay (domestic), Ola (domestic), Swiggy (domestic) & Zomato (domestic) |
| Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid. ₹0.25 vs ₹1 | ₹0.25 | ₹1 |
Notes
- Axis Bank ACE Credit Card: Condition: ₹50,000 spend in the previous 3 calendar months
- Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.
American Express SmartEarn
Verify with issuer , opens external siteAxis Bank ACE
Verify with issuer , opens external site