Axis Horizon Review: The 'Citi PremierMiles' Successor?

The Identity Crisis

When Axis Bank acquired Citibank's consumer business, they needed a card to replace the legendary Citi PremierMiles. Their answer was the Axis Horizon.

It promises to be the ultimate travel card. It certainly looks premium. But when you look closely at the "Forex Markup" fee, you start to wonder: "Why does a travel card punish me for traveling?"

Benefit 1: The Earn Rate (5% on Travel)

The core value of this card is the EDGE Miles. Unlike normal Reward Points, these are meant for one thing only: Airlines.

• Travel EDGE Portal: 5 EDGE Miles per ₹100 spend. (5% Return).
• Other Spends: 2 EDGE Miles per ₹100 spend. (2% Return).
• 1 Mile = ₹1? Not exactly. But if you transfer to partners, yes.

The Sweet Spot: If you book flights via the Travel EDGE portal, getting 5% back in miles is solid. It competes directly with the SBI Cashback (5% Cash) and HDFC Regalia Gold (approx 5-6% on portal).

Benefit 2: The Transfer Partners (1:1 Ratio)

This is where Axis used to be King, and is now... a Prince. You can transfer your EDGE Miles to partners like:

• Qatar Airways (Avios)
• Turkish Airlines (Miles&Smiles)
• Air Asia
• Accor Hotels

The ratio is 1:1. This means 5,000 EDGE Miles = 5,000 Avios.

Benefit 3: Lounge Access (The Good & The Bad)

Axis Horizon is generous with domestic access, but stingy with the rules.

• Domestic: Up to 8 visits per quarter (32/year!). BUT you must spend ₹50,000 in the previous quarter to unlock this.
• International: 8 visits per year via Priority Pass. (2 per quarter).

Compared to Scapia (Unlimited, ₹20k spend) or BOBCARD Eterna (Unlimited, Lifetime Free offer), the Horizon feels a bit demanding with its ₹50k/quarter requirement.

The Deal Breaker: 3.5% Forex Markup

This is inexcusable for a card named "Horizon".

If you use this card abroad, you pay 3.5% + GST = 4.13% extra.
Scapia is Free and charges 0%.
IndusInd Tiger is Free and charges 1.5%.
Axis Horizon costs ₹3,000 and charges 3.5%.

Verdict: Do NOT swipe this card outside India. Use it only to *book* flights from India.

Comparison: Horizon vs Atlas vs Regalia Gold

Feature	Axis Horizon	Axis Atlas	HDFC Regalia Gold
Fee	₹3,000	₹5,000	₹2,500
Reward Rate	2% - 5% (Miles)	4% - 10% (Miles)	1.3% - 6.5%
Forex	3.5%	3.5%	2.0%
Best For	Citi Migrators	Heavy Travelers	General Premium

Conclusion: Should You Apply?

If you were forcibly migrated from Citi PremierMiles, keep it for a year and see if the Travel EDGE portal works for you. The 5% return is decent.

However, if you are applying fresh, HDFC Regalia Gold offers better ROI with lower forex markup (2%). And if you want pure miles, Axis Atlas is the true king (though expensive).

Get Axis Horizon if: You want a dedicated dedicated Miles card and can spend ₹50k/quarter for lounge access.