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Axis Bank Magnus vs SBI Card PRIME

A head-to-head comparison of Axis Bank Magnus and SBI Card PRIME across fees, rewards, and spending categories to help you decide which card suits your wallet better.

PremiumCard A

Axis Bank Magnus

Frequent International Travelers

Annual Fee
₹12,500
Reward Rate
EDGE Rewards
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PremiumCard B

SBI Card PRIME

Dining & Lounge Lovers

Annual Fee
₹2,999
Reward Rate
10 RP per ₹100 on dining & movies
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Feature comparison

FeatureAxis BankSBI Card
Annual Fee₹12,500 (Waived on ₹25L spend)₹2,999 + GST (Waived on ₹3L annual spend)
Reward RateEDGE Rewards10 RP per ₹100 on dining & movies
Best ForFrequent International TravelersDining & Lounge Lovers
First-Card Friendly
Lounge Access
Zero Forex Markup

Spending category coverage

Which categories does each card reward?

CategoryAxis BankSBI Card
Groceries
Dining
Movies & entertainment
International travel
Airport lounge access

Quick verdict

Choose Axis Bank Magnus if:

  • You spend heavily on international travel
  • You spend heavily on concierge service

Choose SBI Card PRIME if:

  • Lower annual fee (₹2,999 vs ₹12,500)
  • You spend heavily on dining
  • You spend heavily on groceries
  • You spend heavily on movies & entertainment

Full pros & cons

Axis Bank Magnus

What's good
  • Airport meet-and-greet concierge service across India
  • Excellent travel insurance coverage
  • Unlimited international lounge access
Watch out for
  • Domestic lounge access is heavily spend-gated (₹50K in prior 3 months)
  • Monthly milestone bonus program eliminated in September 2023 — was the biggest value driver
  • EDGE Miles transfer ratios halved (5:4 → 5:2); Accor, Marriott, Qatar Airways removed as partners (April 2026)
  • Fee waiver requires very high ₹25L annual spend (excluding wallet, fuel, rent, utilities)
  • ~2% forex markup on international transactions — better than standard 3.5% but not zero-forex
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SBI Card PRIME

What's good
  • 10 RP per ₹100 on dining, groceries, departmental stores & movies (2.5% effective value at ₹0.25/point)
  • 8 domestic lounge visits/year (max 2/quarter) + 4 international via Priority Pass (max 2/quarter)
  • Welcome e-gift vouchers worth ₹3,000 (Shoppers Stop, Bata, Pantaloons, Yatra, etc.)
Watch out for
  • Base earn rate on non-accelerated categories is only 2 RP per ₹100 (0.5% value)
  • Fuel transactions are completely excluded from earning reward points
  • Quarterly milestone Pizza Hut voucher (₹1,000 on ₹50K spend) requires consistent high spending
Apply Now
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