Which card has a lower forex fee: Axis Bank ACE Credit Card or IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus Credit Card?

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

Which card has a lower annual fee: Axis Bank ACE Credit Card or IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus Credit Card?

Both cards have the same annual fee (₹499 annual fee).

Which card offers better lounge access?

Axis Bank ACE Credit Card: 4 per year domestic lounge. IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus Credit Card: 1 per quarter domestic lounge.

Which card has a higher base reward rate?

Axis Bank ACE Credit Card has higher conservative base reward value (~1.5% vs ~1%).

Pairwise comparison Compare 3+ cards →

Axis Bank ACE vs IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex

Side-by-side comparison of the Axis Bank ACE and the IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

ACE

HPCL Power Plus

The short answer

Verdict

Pick ACE for rewards.

Head-to-head

Three core metrics

Annual fee

ACE ₹499 Waivable at ₹2,00,000 spend

HPCL Power Plus ₹499 Waivable at ₹1,50,000 spend
Forex markup

ACE 3.5%

HPCL Power Plus 3.5%
Domestic lounge

ACE 4/year Conditional · Domestic: 4/year · requires ₹50,000 spend in the previous 3 calendar months

HPCL Power Plus 4/year (1 per quarter) Conditional · Domestic: 1/quarter · requires ₹20,000 spend in the previous month (unlocks the following month)

Reward earning explained

Per card

ACE

1.5% · Up to 5% on Google Pay

Strong data

HPCL Power Plus

1% · Up to 30 pts / ₹150 on HPCL

Strong data

Pick based on what matters

3 dimensions

Start with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (Axis Bank ACE: ₹499 vs IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus: ₹499), forex markup (3.5% vs 3.5%), or lounge access (4/year vs 4/year (1 per quarter)).

Forex markup Tie

Both cards are similar for forex

Forex markup is 3.5%.
Lounge access Tie

Both cards are similar for lounge access

Domestic lounge access is 4 per year. Domestic lounge access is 1 per quarter.
Rewards Axis Bank ACE wins

Axis Bank ACE is better for rewards

Axis Bank ACE is stronger here. Axis Bank ACE conservative base value ~1.5% vs IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus's ~1%.

All fields

Standard view

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

ACE: ~₹750/month at base rate
IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus: ~₹500/month at base rate

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

Field	ACE Axis Bank	HPCL Power Plus IDFC FIRST Bank
Insurance — Personal accident cover Only available for IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus	Not specified	₹2 lakh
Insurance — Lost card liability cover Only available for IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus	Not specified	₹25,000
Insurance — Underwriter Only available for IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus	Not specified	Insured by New India Assurance
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits spend-gated on some cards — see caveats 4/year vs 4/year (1 per quarter)	4/year	4/year (1 per quarter)
International lounge visits Only available for ACE	No international lounge access	Not specified
Forex / International Use
Forex markup	3.5%	3.5%
Fees
Recurring annual fee	₹499	₹499
Annual-fee waiver ₹2,00,000 vs ₹1,50,000	₹2,00,000	₹1,50,000
Interest-free period Up to 50 days vs Up to 45 days	Up to 50 days	Up to 45 days
Monthly interest rate 3.75% / month vs 3.85% / month	3.75% / month	3.85% / month
Fuel benefit 1% surcharge waiver · ₹400–₹4,000 transactions · ₹500/month waiver cap vs No surcharge waiver	1% surcharge waiver · ₹400–₹4,000 transactions · ₹500/month waiver cap	No surcharge waiver
Rewards
Base cashback 1.5% vs 1%	1.5%	1%
Earn ceiling ₹500 per statement cycle — shared across Google Pay (domestic), Ola (domestic), Swiggy (domestic) & Zomato (domestic) vs 2,400 points per month; at 30 pts / ₹150, this lane reaches the cap at ₹12,000 of eligible spend	₹500 per statement cycle — shared across Google Pay (domestic), Ola (domestic), Swiggy (domestic) & Zomato (domestic)	2,400 points per month; at 30 pts / ₹150, this lane reaches the cap at ₹12,000 of eligible spend
Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid. Only available for ACE	₹1	Not specified
Point validity Only available for IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus	Not specified	2 years

Notes

Axis Bank ACE Credit Card: Condition: ₹50,000 spend in the previous 3 calendar months
IDFC FIRST HPCL Power Plus Credit Card: Condition: ₹20,000 spend in the previous month (unlocks the following month)
Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.

Axis Bank ACE

Verify with issuer

IDFC FIRST Bank HPCL Power Plus

Verify with issuer