Axis Bank transfer partners just got a big reshuffle. If you hold an Axis Atlas, Magnus, Olympus or Burgundy card, your transfer options changed this week. Some of it is good news. Some of it needs a rethink. And a few of the “updates” going around WhatsApp groups right now aren’t quite right.
We went through Axis Bank’s own Travel EDGE terms, line by line, so you don’t have to. Here’s what changed, what it means for your card, and the smartest ways to use your points now.
Quick Answer
What changed in Axis Bank transfer partners?
From September 2026, Accor Live Limitless is back (Group A), Cathay (Asia Miles) joins Group A, and Lufthansa Miles & More and Hilton Honors join Group B. Air India, Flying Blue and Qantas move from Group B to Group A with unchanged ratios, and Club ITC is removed. Annual caps stay the same.
Key takeaways
Accor is back in Group A, at the same or a better ratio on Burgundy Private, Select and “other” cards.
Cathay, Lufthansa Miles & More and Hilton Honors join, taking Axis to 27 partners.
Air India, Flying Blue and Qantas now share the smaller Group A allowance. Ratios are unchanged.
Atlas can send up to 30,000 EDGE Miles a year to Group A, and 1,20,000 to Group B. Paying with Apple Pay still earns full EDGE Miles, so tapping your phone builds your balance just like swiping.
Burgundy Private keeps 5:4 on all 27 partners, Accor included.
Table of contents
- What Changed in Axis Bank Transfer Partners
- The New Partners: Cathay, Miles & More and Hilton
- Accor Is Back (and It’s Not a Cut for Everyone)
- Air India, Flying Blue and Qantas Move to Group A
- What This Means for Your Card
- Axis Bank Transfer Partners: Full List (2026)
- Annual Transfer Caps (1 Jan – 31 Dec)
- Smart Moves Right Now
- FAQs
What changed in Axis Bank transfer partners
| Change | Partner | Group now |
|---|---|---|
| Returned | Accor Live Limitless (ALL) | A |
| New | Cathay (Asia Miles) | A |
| New | Lufthansa Miles & More | B |
| New | Hilton Honors | B |
| Moved B → A | Air India Maharaja Club | A |
| Moved B → A | Air France-KLM Flying Blue | A |
| Moved B → A | Qantas Frequent Flyer | A |
| Removed | Club ITC | — |
That leaves Axis with 27 partners: 18 in Group A and 9 in Group B.
Quick note: a couple of summaries doing the rounds list Hilton Honors under Group A. Axis’s T&C puts it in Group B. That’s a good thing, actually. Group B is where your bigger allowance sits.
The new partners: Cathay, Miles & More and Hilton
Three fresh options, and each one plays a different role.
Cathay (Asia Miles) is brand new to Axis (HDFC and Amex cardholders have had it for a while). It sits in Group A with the “premium partner” ratios, the same ones British Airways, Finnair, Qatar and Vietnam Airlines use.
Lufthansa Miles & More is a Star Alliance program, and it lands in Group B with the standard ratios. On Atlas that’s 1:1. It does come with its own rule: you can move at most 2,00,000 Miles & More miles per calendar year, and each transfer has to be at least 3,000 miles.
Hilton Honors is the pleasant surprise. It’s in Group B, and on Atlas it transfers at 1:2. Hilton points are worth much less per point than airline miles, so a 1:2 ratio here is normal, not a bonus. Still, it gives you a proper global hotel option with plenty of cap room.
EDGE Reward Points → new partners
| Card | Cathay | Miles & More | Hilton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burgundy Private | 5:4 | 5:4 | 5:4 |
| Magnus for Burgundy | 5:2 | 5:4 | 5:4 |
| Reserve / Magnus | 5:1 | 5:2 | 5:2 |
| Select / Privilege / Rewards | 10:1 | 10:1 | 10:1 |
| Other cards | 10:1 | 20:1 | 20:1 |
EDGE Miles → new partners
| Card | Cathay | Miles & More | Hilton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olympus | 1:2 | 1:4 | 1:4 |
| Atlas | 2:1 | 1:1 | 1:2 |
| Horizon | 2:1 | 1:1 | 1:1 |
| IndianOil Axis Premium | 2:1 | 2:1 | 2:1 |
Which cards hit the Miles & More limit?
The 2,00,000-mile yearly limit only matters if your card could send more than that to Miles & More. Four cards can:
| Card | Ratio | Limit hit at | Group B room |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olympus | 1:4 | 50,000 EDGE Miles | 6,00,000 |
| Burgundy Private | 5:4 | 2,50,000 points | 12,00,000 |
| Magnus for Burgundy | 5:4 | 2,50,000 points | 8,00,000 |
| Horizon | 1:1 | 2,00,000 EDGE Miles | 4,00,000 |
Once you reach it, the rest of your Group B room is still yours for Hilton, IHG, IndiGo BluChip and the other Group B partners. Every other Axis card can’t send more than 2,00,000 Miles & More miles a year anyway, so the limit won’t affect you.
Accor is back (and it’s not a cut for everyone)
Accor left in April 2026 along with Marriott and Qatar. Now it’s back in Group A. Most headlines say “at a lower ratio”, and for most cards that’s true. But not all of them.
| Card | Old | New | ALL pts per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burgundy Private | 5:4 | 5:4 | 800 → 800 (no change) |
| Magnus for Burgundy | 5:4 | 5:2 | 800 → 400 |
| Reserve / Magnus | 5:2 | 5:1 | 400 → 200 |
| Select / Privilege / Rewards | 10:1 | 10:1 | 100 → 100 (no change) |
| Other eligible cards | 20:1 | 10:1 | 50 → 100 (better) |
| Atlas | 1:2 | 2:1 | 2,000 → 500 |
| Olympus* | 1:4 | 1:2 | 4,000 → 2,000 |
| Horizon* | 1:1 | 2:1 | 1,000 → 500 |
Atlas takes the biggest hit. It used to be one of the best Accor routes in India, and that’s over. But if you’re on Burgundy Private, Select or one of the “other” eligible cards, Accor is simply back, at the same or a better rate. That’s worth knowing before you write it off.
Air India, Flying Blue and Qantas move to Group A
Axis didn’t change the ratios for these three. What changed is which bucket they draw from.
In plain terms, every card has a yearly allowance split into two buckets:
- Group A: the smaller bucket (roughly 20% of your total)
- Group B: the bigger one (roughly 80%)
Air India, Flying Blue and Qantas now share the smaller bucket with Singapore KrisFlyer, Aeroplan, Turkish, United and the rest of Group A.
What that looks like in Air India points
Here’s the most you could send to Air India in a year, if your entire Group A allowance went there alone:
| Card | Group A cap | Ratio | Max Air India pts / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlas | 30,000 EDGE Miles | 1:2 | 60,000 |
| Olympus | 1,50,000 EDGE Miles | 1:4 | 6,00,000 |
| Magnus / Reserve | 1,00,000 points | 5:2 | 40,000 |
| Magnus Burgundy | 2,00,000 points | 5:4 | 1,60,000 |
| Burgundy Private | 3,00,000 points | 5:4 | 2,40,000 |
Atlas users feel this most. Before, Air India, Flying Blue and Qantas could draw on Atlas’s 1,20,000-mile Group B allowance. Now all three compete with KrisFlyer, Aeroplan and the other Group A airlines for just 30,000 miles.
What this means for your card
Axis Atlas
Your Group A room is tight: 30,000 EDGE Miles a year. Save it for the one or two airlines you actually book with. Accor at 2:1 is rarely worth it now. The bright spots are in Group B, where you have 1,20,000 miles: Miles & More at 1:1 and Hilton at 1:2 are both new ways to use it.
Axis Olympus
You’re in the best spot of the EDGE Miles cards. 1,50,000 miles of Group A room at 1:4 on Air India, Flying Blue or Qantas is a lot of flying. Just watch the Miles & More limit: 50,000 EDGE Miles at 1:4 fills the full 2,00,000-mile yearly cap.
Axis Magnus & Reserve
Accor dropped to 5:1 and Cathay starts at 5:1. Your most efficient transfers are still the 5:2 partners, and that now includes Miles & More and Hilton in Group B. Our Axis Magnus devaluation guide has the full picture on what the card still earns.
Magnus Burgundy
Accor and Cathay are at 5:2. Most other partners, including Air India, Flying Blue, Miles & More and Hilton, stay at 5:4. With 2,00,000 points of Group A room, plan which Group A airline gets it.
Burgundy Private
Easily the least affected. Every one of the 27 partners, Accor included, is at 5:4, and you have 3,00,000 points of Group A room.
Horizon
Most partners stay at 1:1, including Miles & More and Hilton. Accor and Cathay are 2:1.
Select, Privilege & Rewards
Accor is back at 10:1, the same as before. Most partners are 10:1, with AirAsia and SpiceJet at 5:1.
Axis Bank transfer partners: Full list (2026)
| Group A (18) | Group B (9) |
|---|---|
| Accor Live Limitless | AirAsia Rewards |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Hilton Honors |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | IHG One Rewards |
| Air India Maharaja Club | IndiGo BluChip |
| British Airways Club | Lufthansa Miles & More |
| Cathay (Asia Miles) | Orchid Rewards |
| Ethiopian ShebaMiles | The Postcard Sunshine Club |
| Etihad Guest | Radisson Rewards |
| Finnair Plus | SpiceJet SpiceClub |
| JAL Mileage Bank | |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | |
| Thai Royal Orchid Plus | |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | |
| United MileagePlus | |
| Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles | |
| Wyndham Rewards |
Annual transfer caps (1 Jan – 31 Dec)
| Card | Total | Group A | Group B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burgundy Private | 15,00,000 | 3,00,000 | 12,00,000 |
| Magnus Burgundy | 10,00,000 | 2,00,000 | 8,00,000 |
| Olympus | 7,50,000 | 1,50,000 | 6,00,000 |
| All other cards* | 5,00,000 | 1,00,000 | 4,00,000 |
| Atlas | 1,50,000 | 30,000 | 1,20,000 |
*Magnus, Reserve, Select, Privilege, Rewards, Horizon, IOCL Premium and other eligible cards. Caps apply per customer ID. If you hold more than one EDGE Rewards card, the highest card’s cap applies. Hold an EDGE Rewards card and an EDGE Miles card (say Reserve + Atlas)? Then the two caps add up.
Smart moves right now
- Check your Group A balance for 2026. Caps reset on 1 January. If you’ve already used most of your Group A room this year, your Air India or Flying Blue plans may have to wait till then.
- Pick your Group A airline on purpose. With less room, the airline you actually fly (and can find award seats on) should get it. The one with the flashiest sweet spot shouldn’t.
- Put Group B to work. Miles & More, Hilton, IHG and IndiGo BluChip all sit in the bigger bucket, and two of them are new.
- Transfer only when you’re ready to book. Transfers are final and can’t be reversed (here’s how points transfers work). Most land within 1 working day, but Miles & More can take up to 5 and KrisFlyer up to 10.
- Re-check on Travel EDGE before you hit confirm. Axis can change groups and ratios without notice, and it has already done so three times this year.
Source: Axis Bank Travel EDGE Points/Miles Transfer Terms & Conditions, checked 23 September 2026. Ratios and partners can change without notice, so always confirm on Travel EDGE before transferring.
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About the author
Vibhav Singh is the Founder & CEO of PointsFly and a credit card rewards strategist with 39K+ Instagram followers (@pointsflywithvibhav). He has personally booked 200+ flights on points and previously built XTEN-AV, an AI-powered SaaS platform now used in 130+ countries.