The Axis Bank Magnus Burgundy Credit Card (or Magnus for Burgundy) was launched following a significant devaluation of the regular Magnus Credit Card. The Magnus Burgundy Credit Card is exclusively issued to the bank’s true Burgundy customers and is ideally suited for those with high spending pattern.
The Axis Magnus Burgundy Credit Card is not only the best credit card in India for HNI’s but also the best in the world because of it’s lucrative reward structure on ongoing spends. Let’s see how it stands in 2025,
Overview
| Type | HNI Credit Card |
| Reward Rate | 4.8% to 25% |
| Annual Fee | 30,000+GST |
| Best for | High Value Spends |
| USP | Airline/hotel transfer partners |
Due to the high joining fee, the Magnus Burgundy Credit Card is specifically designed for high-value spenders who are willing to invest some time to explore its airline and hotel transfer partners to maximize the point value.
Fees
| Joining Fee | 30,000 INR+GST |
| Welcome Benefit | 5,000 INR Yatra Voucher |
| Renewal Fee | 30,000 INR+GST |
| Renewal Benefit | Nil |
| Renewal Fee waiver | On spending >30 lakhs |
- Spend requirement for annual/renewal fee waiver will exclude spends done on: Insurance, Gold & Fuel
It’s funny when you get only 5K INR voucher while the joining fee is ~35K INR (with GST).
But if you know the value of airmiles or hotel loyalty points, you would close your eyes and go for it.
Design
The Axis Bank Magnus Burgundy Credit Card comes in a light-weight metal form factor and primarily operates on the Mastercard platform.
Interestingly, the bank has chosen not to include the word “Burgundy” anywhere on the card’s design.
As a result, it’s impossible to differentiate between the regular Magnus and the Magnus Burgundy solely based on appearance.
Rewards
| SPEND TYPE | REWARDS | REWARD RATE (EDGE REWARDS PORTAL) |
REWARD RATE (POINTS TRANSFER at 5:4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Spend | 12 RP / 200 INR | 1.2% | 4.8% |
| Axis Travel Edge Portal (5X) | 60 RP / 200 INR | 6% | 24% |
The earn rate of Edge Rewards on regular Magnus & Magnus for Burgundy are same, however, because of the difference in points transfer ratio (5:2 for Magnus / 5:4 for Magnus Burgundy), it makes a world of difference, like 100% more value to be precise.
Exclusions for Rewards:
- Rent (Capped at 50K INR a month)
- Wallet, Utilities & Gov. Spends
- Insurance, Gold/Jewellery
- Fuel
Accelerated Rewards
- On Spends of >1.5L a month: Get 35 points / 200 INR (~14%)
Magnus Burgundy is an amazing credit card for high spenders as its reward rate beats any card in any bank in the “world”, especially when “monthly” spends go up.
You get 14% return for spends over 1.5L INR in a month. But realistically, here’s how the numbers look like on average, as first 1.5L spend gives only 4.8% return.
As you can see, ~3L monthly spend on an average is the sweet spot to get close to 10% reward rate.
To give a perspective of how lucrative it is, HDFC Infinia used to offer the highest reward rate for very many years, which is 3.3% on regular spends.
On top of that, if you move the points to Accor, then it’s 1.8X the value, which is a sweet 18% return on day-to-spends.
5X on Travel Edge
- Earn 60 points / 200 INR (~24% as miles) upto 2L spends a month
- Earn 35 points / 200 INR (~14% as miles) beyond 2L spends a month
While 5X Rewards on Edge Rewards is good in a way, do note that dealing with Travel Edge portal is not an easy affair.
While 5X on travel edge is good, especially for flights, HDFC Infinia gives 33% return on smartbuy hotel bookings.
Redemption
- Redeem Edge Rewards to points/miles at 5:4 ratio
- Max up-to 10L points a calendar Year: 2L to Group A & 8L to Group B
| GROUP A | GROUP B |
|---|---|
| Accor (Hotels) | ITC (Hotels) |
| Marriott (Hotels) | IHG (Hotels) |
| Wyndham (Hotels) | Qantas Airways |
| Air Canada | Air India |
| Qatar Airways | Air France |
| United Airlines | Spice Jet |
| Singapore Airlines | Air Asia |
| Turkish Airlines | |
| Thai Airways | |
| Japan Airlines | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | |
| Etihad Airways |
If you’re wondering where to redeem, Accor Hotels (1.8 INR per Accor ALL Point) in Group A & ITC (1 INR per ITC Green point) in Group B are the safe & popular partners.
If you’re looking for airline partners, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines and Qatar are the next best.
But be aware that airline partners are risky as they tend to devalue miles overnight and you might end up sitting on ~50% lower value, just like how I’m sitting on few lakh miles with United Airlines.
Airport Lounge Access
| ACCESS TYPE | VIA | LIMIT | GUEST ACCESS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic Lounge Access | Visa / Mastercard | Unlimited | 4 |
| International Lounge Access (Primary) | Priority Pass | Unlimited | 4 |
Guest access is a good one to have and it is limited to 4 per “calendar year” which is decent but 8 as before would have been lot better.
Note: With effect from 1st May 2024, the airport lounge benefits (domestic only) are available after spending 50K INR in the past 3 calendar months. This is cruel for a card of this grade.
Airport Meet & Greet
- Complimentary Access: 4 / Calendar year
The domestic airport meet & greet service – which Axis Bank calls as “airport concierge” service is the USP of this product. It gives VIP Assistance Services for a smooth and hassle-free airport transfers in India.
Add-On Cards
Getting add-on cards with any Axis Bank credit card is tricky but is getting better.
I wouldn’t suggest taking add-on cards if you’re looking for peace of mind. Because even if you get it, you might end up in OTP handling issues. Hope Axis Bank fixes this Add-on cards issue forever.
Forex Markup Fee
- Foreign Currency Markup Fee: 2%+GST = 2.4%
- Net Return: Rewards – Markup Fee = 4.8% – 2.4% = ~2.4%
2.4% gain on forex spends is a very good return on spend in the industry. On top of it, if your monthly spends are higher, then it’s undoubtedly the best credit card for forex spends.
Features & Benefits
- No Cash Withdrawal fee (but finance charges applies)
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver (400 INR to 4000 INR)
- Buy 1 Get 1 Bookmyshow offer has been discontinued from April 2024
My Experience
I’ve been holding the regular Axis Magnus Credit Card ever since it was launched and then moved to the Axis Magnus Burgundy when they initially rolled out the LTF offer.
It’s highly lucrative for sure and have been using it for both domestic & international spends.
The only downside of the card is the long list of exclusions, including utilities, which is quite unacceptable for card of this grade.
Should you get it?
If I look at the recent consultations, I’ve always suggested the Axis Magnus Burgundy Credit Card as a primary card, especially when the annual spends are ~40 Lakhs or more.
If the spends are slightly on lower side and still wish to get better return on spend, multiple Axis Atlas & Amex Platinum Travel Credit Cards in the family would also help.
That said, Atlas Credit Card is quite a lucrative card even now and can as well get devalued further anyday but Magnus for Burgundy might stand bit longer as it’s tied to NRV which gives some profit to the bank.
And not to mention that Axis Bank doesn’t like you to do business spends on their cards.
So, if you’re holding Magnus Burgundy or if you intend to apply for one, make sure to keep an eye on the latest updates which the bank communicates from time to time, so that you’re not up for an unpleasant surprise.
How to Apply?
- Eligibility: 30L NRV to start with; then 30L NRV or 10L AMB
If you already meet the eligibility criteria and hold an existing Axis Bank Credit Card, call Axis Bank support and you should be able to apply over the call.
If you’re new to bank, then you’ll need to follow the 30L NRV route for quick issuance, via branch.
Bottom line
Axis Bank Magnus Burgundy Credit Card is a wonderfully rewarding credit card for high spenders. It’s a must have card for those who’re spending >1.5L a month.
While it’s undoubtedly a great card with no limits on earning capability, capping the Group A redemptions to only 2L a year feels too low, except for Accor Hotels that gives exceptional value.
I wish the bank increases that number or perhaps moves some partners to Group B in future.
If that’s not going to happen, we’ll have to rely on additional cards like Axis Atlas for redemptions beyond 2L Points in a calendar year.