Kotak Mahindra Bank

Kotak Air Credit Card

Last updated: 28 October 2026

Welcome offerEarn 1,000 bonus Air Miles as a welcome benefit upon successful payment of the joining fee.
Annual fee
₹ 999
Reward rate
Up to 3 Air Miles per ₹100 spent
Editorial score guidance
700+
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Free to apply via CardsGuruji · subject to issuer approval

Kotak Air Credit Card | CardsGuruji
Visa
Rewards

How the rewards work

What you earn on every spend, and the ways you can cash it in.

You earn

Up to 3 Air Miles per ₹100 spent

Earn 3 Air Miles per ₹100 on flight and hotel bookings via Kotak Unbox (capped at 5,000 AM per statement cycle). Earn 1 Air Mile per ₹100 on all other retail purchases.

Redeem for

  • Kotak Unbox Flights & Hotels (1 AM = ₹1)
  • Instant Vouchers (1 AM = ₹0.5)
  • Transfer to Partner Airlines & Hotels
Reward currency
Air Miles
Points validity
36 months
Card network
Visa
Perks

What you get with this card

The privileges that come bundled in, beyond the reward points.

  • Milestone Benefit: Earn a ₹5,000 travel voucher or equivalent Air Miles on spending ₹2.5 Lakh, achievable up to two times in an anniversary year

  • Lounge Access: 4 complimentary domestic lounge visits annually (capped at 2 per quarter), unlocked by spending ₹60,000 or more in the previous calendar quarter

  • Renewal Benefit: Receive 1,000 bonus Air Miles upon payment of the annual renewal fee

  • Fuel Surcharge Waiver: 1% waiver for fuel transactions between ₹500 and ₹5,000, capped at ₹3,500 annually

  • Fee Waiver: The ₹999 annual fee is waived upon spending ₹2.5 Lakh in the preceding anniversary year

Our verdict

Pros & cons

An honest read on where this card earns its keep — and where it doesn't.

What we like

  • Strong redemption value of 1 Air Mile = ₹1 when used for flights and hotels on Kotak Unbox

  • Achievable milestone benefit offers up to ₹10,000 in travel value annually

  • Welcome and renewal bonuses effectively offset the low ₹999 annual fee

  • Fee waiver condition aligns perfectly with the milestone benefit target (₹2.5 Lakh)

What to watch out for

  • Steep quarterly spend requirement of ₹60,000 just to unlock domestic lounge access

  • Low base reward rate of 1% on everyday offline/online spending

  • High foreign currency markup of 3.5% makes it poor for international use

  • Transferring miles to some airline partners suffers from a diluted 3:1 ratio

Costs

Fees & charges

Everything the issuer can bill you for, in one place.

Annual fee
₹999Charged every year from the second year

Other charges

Applied only when the situation arises

Balance transfer
Standard promotional rates apply
Foreign currency markup
3.5% + GST
Late payment
Graded based on the total amount due
Returned payment
₹500 per instance
Over-limit
₹500 flat fee

Interest rates

Charged on any balance you carry forward

Purchases
3.75% per month (45% annually)
Balance transfer
3.75% per month
Cash advance
3.75% per month
Penalty rate
Up to 45% annually

Fee waiver: most issuers waive the renewal fee once your yearly spends cross a set threshold. Confirm the exact criteria with Kotak Mahindra Bank before you apply.

Eligibility

Credit-score and eligibility guidance

Issuer-stated requirements and CardsGuruji guidance are shown separately.

700+out of 900
CardsGuruji editorial guidance: 700+

What this means for your application

  • A score range is general guidance, not an issuer's eligibility requirement.
  • Issuers independently assess income, employment, existing obligations, repayment history and other criteria.
  • Check the issuer's current eligibility terms before applying; no score guarantees approval.

Note: A displayed score is editorial guidance only unless separately identified as an issuer-stated requirement.

FAQs About Kotak Air Credit Card

Everything you need to know about Kotak Air Credit Card fees, reward conversion, lounge access, and application eligibility.

Kotak Air Credit Card has an annual fee of ₹999 plus 18% GST. Most cardholders can get subsequent annual renewal fees waived by reaching the bank's annual milestone spend threshold. Additionally, the initial fee is often offset by welcome privileges like "Earn 1,000 bonus Air Miles as a welcome benefit upon successful payment of the joining fee.".

Kotak Air Credit Card earns Air Miles at a primary rate of Up to 3 Air Miles per ₹100 spent. Specifically, Earn 3 Air Miles per ₹100 on flight and hotel bookings via Kotak Unbox (capped at 5,000 AM per statement cycle). Earn 1 Air Mile per ₹100 on all other retail purchases.. Spends in Travel, Entry Level categories provide the maximum valueback per transaction on this card.

Rewards earned on Kotak Air Credit Card can be redeemed for Kotak Unbox Flights & Hotels (1 AM = ₹1), Instant Vouchers (1 AM = ₹0.5), Transfer to Partner Airlines & Hotels via Kotak Mahindra Bank's official rewards portal or mobile banking app. Points earned remain valid for 36 months from the transaction date before expiring.

Yes, Kotak Air Credit Card features complimentary airport lounge privileges. Privileges include: "Lounge Access: 4 complimentary domestic lounge visits annually (capped at 2 per quarter)". Note that banks frequently require a minimum spend (typically ₹35,000 to ₹50,000) in the previous calendar quarter to unlock complimentary lounge access.

A CIBIL credit score of 700 or above is strongly recommended for approval of Kotak Air Credit Card. Applicants should be Indian residents aged 21 to 65 years with a stable monthly income (salaried or self-employed with ITR) and no recent payment defaults or high credit utilization over 30%.

Kotak Air Credit Card is issued on the Visa network with worldwide acceptance at over 30 million merchant establishments and online portals. International transactions, contactless tap-to-pay (up to ₹5,000 without PIN), and tokenized payments are supported once enabled in your banking app.

Kotak Air Credit Card levies a forex markup fee of 3.5% + GST on transactions processed in foreign currencies. For cross-border shopping and overseas travel, remember that standard 18% GST applies on the markup charge.

Kotak Air Credit Card currently features a welcome offer: "Earn 1,000 bonus Air Miles as a welcome benefit upon successful payment of the joining fee.". To claim this joining perk, cardholders typically need to activate the card and complete a qualifying initial transaction within 30 to 60 days of card issuance.

Key highlights include Strong redemption value of 1 Air Mile = ₹1 when used for flights and hotels on Kotak Unbox and Achievable milestone benefit offers up to ₹10. However, keep in mind that Steep quarterly spend requirement of ₹60 and 000 just to unlock domestic lounge access. Overall, Kotak Air Credit Card delivers strong value if your regular spending aligns with Travel, Entry Level.

Yes, Kotak Air Credit Card includes a 1% fuel surcharge waiver for fuel spends typically between ₹400 and ₹4,000 at all government and private fuel stations in India. (Fuel Surcharge Waiver: 1% waiver for fuel transactions between ₹500 and ₹5). The monthly waiver is subject to a cap, and GST charged on the surcharge is non-refundable.