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Axis Bank IndiGo vs SBI Card PULSE Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex

Side-by-side comparison of the Axis Bank IndiGo and the SBI Card PULSE. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

IndiGo
PULSE

The short answer

Verdict

No decisive winner on the core dimensions — the head-to-head below shows where the small differences are.

Head-to-head

Three core metrics
  • Annual fee
    IndiGo ₹799 Annual-fee waiver not offered
    PULSE ₹1,499 Waivable at ₹2,00,000 spend
    IndiGo saves ₹700/yr
  • Forex markup
    IndiGo 3.5%
    PULSE 3.5%
  • Domestic lounge
    IndiGo 4/year (1 per quarter) Conditional · Domestic: 1/quarter · requires ₹50,000 spend in the previous 3 calendar months
    PULSE 4/year (1 per quarter)

Reward earning explained

Per card
IndiGo

1 pt / ₹100 · Up to 3 pts / ₹100 on Indigo

Strong data
PULSE

2 pts / ₹100 · 10 points/₹100 on eligible dining, movies, and health Pharmacy Sports Dining Movies

Strong data

Pick based on what matters

3 dimensions

Start with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (Axis Bank IndiGo: ₹799 vs SBI Card PULSE: ₹1,499), forex markup (3.5% vs 3.5%), or lounge access (4/year (1 per quarter) 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 1 per quarter.

  • Rewards Insufficient data

    Insufficient data to compare rewards

    Available evidence is incomplete: Axis Bank IndiGo is not safely INR-comparable (no usable point value). SBI Card PULSE conservative base value ~0.5% per ₹100.

    IndiGo: Strong data PULSE: Strong data

All fields

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

  • SBI PULSE: ~₹250/month at base rate
  • IndiGo Axis Bank: Base earn not clearly specified

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

Field IndiGo Axis Bank PULSE SBI Card
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits
spend-gated on some cards — see caveats
4/year (1 per quarter) 4/year (1 per quarter)
International lounge visits
Only available for SBI PULSE
Not specified No international lounge access
Forex / International Use
Forex markup 3.5% 3.5%
Fees
Recurring annual fee
₹799 vs ₹1,499
₹799 ₹1,499
Annual-fee waiver
Not offered vs ₹2,00,000
Not offered ₹2,00,000
Monthly interest rate 3.75% / month 3.75% / month
Fuel benefit
Only available for IndiGo Axis Bank
1% surcharge waiver · ₹400–₹4,000 transactions · ₹400/month waiver cap Not specified
Rewards
Points per ₹100
1 pt / ₹100 vs 2 pts / ₹100
1 pt / ₹100 2 pts / ₹100
Conservative base value
Not safely INR-comparable vs ~0.5%
Not safely INR-comparable ~0.5%
Earn ceiling
750 points per statement cycle; at 2 pts / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹37,500 of eligible spend vs 7,500 points per calendar month; at 10 pts / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹75,000 of eligible spend
750 points per statement cycle; at 2 pts / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹37,500 of eligible spend 7,500 points per calendar month; at 10 pts / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ₹75,000 of eligible spend
Point value (headline channel)
Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid.
Only available for SBI PULSE
Not specified ₹0.25

Notes

  • IndiGo Axis Bank 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.