HDFC Regalia Gold and Axis Bank Magnus represent two distinct tiers of premium credit cards in India. Regalia Gold serves as a mid-premium travel & lifestyle driver, while Axis Magnus caters to premium spenders seeking high-velocity transfer miles and unlimited airport lounge access.
This guide compares HDFC Bank Regalia Gold Credit Card and Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card across fees, annual waiver milestones, reward valuation, international lounge rules, and foreign currency markups. All metrics reflect verified issuer terms as of 2026-04-06.
To evaluate both options with your custom spending pattern, use Compare these two cards side-by-side or model your annual net rewards on our free Rewards calculator.
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Quick comparison (from the catalog)
| Topic | Regalia Gold | Magnus |
|---|---|---|
| Card page | HDFC Bank Regalia Gold Credit Card | Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card |
| Joining fee | ₹2,500 + taxes | ₹12,500 + taxes |
| Annual fee | ₹2,500 + taxes | ₹12,500 + taxes |
| Annual fee waiver (spend target) | ₹4,00,000 in a year (per bank rules) | ₹15,00,000 in a year (per bank rules) |
| Forex markup | 2% | 2% |
| Published APR band (retail) | 42% p.a. | 52.86% p.a. |
| Interest-free days (where listed) | 50 | 50 |
| Domestic airport lounges (published) | 12 visits per calendar year via DreamFolks (catalog copy; ≈3 per quarter equivalent) | 8 per quarter (up to 32 visits in a full year if you use every quarter’s quota) via DreamFolks |
| International lounges (published) | 6 visits per calendar year via Priority Pass | Unlimited international Priority Pass visits for primary cardholder; guest rules per Axis (catalog lists self + 2 guests free per visit in key benefits) |
| Minimum income in catalog | ₹1,00,000 / month (HDFC also quotes higher bars for non–government salaried on its site) | ₹1,50,000 / month |
| Minimum CIBIL in catalog | 750 | 750 |
| Age range in catalog | 21–65 | 21–70 |
| Reward type | points | miles |
Rounded fees and taxes: GST or other levies are additional wherever the issuer quotes “plus applicable taxes.”
Rewards: HDFC Reward Points vs Axis EDGE Miles
Regalia Gold (points): Earns 4 reward points per ₹150 spent on retail purchases, with 5X reward acceleration on SmartBuy travel bookings and brand vouchers (Myntra, Nykaa, Reliance Digital). Points redeem 1:1 for flight/hotel bookings via SmartBuy. Points are subject to a capping of 50,000 points per billing cycle.
Axis Magnus (miles): Earns 12 EDGE Miles per ₹200 on Axis Travel EDGE, 6 EDGE Miles per ₹200 on international and online spends, and 1.5 EDGE Miles per ₹200 on offline spends. Excluded categories include fuel, wallet loads, rent, utilities, insurance, and government payments. EDGE Miles transfer to 20+ airline and hotel loyalty partners.
Use our Rewards calculator to plug in your actual monthly spending breakdown across flight bookings, dining, and online shopping to calculate your exact net reward yield.
Airport Lounge Access & Foreign Exchange Comparison
HDFC Regalia Gold offers 12 domestic airport lounge visits per calendar year via DreamFolks and 6 international lounge visits per year via Priority Pass. Annual fee is ₹2,500, waived upon reaching ₹4 Lakhs annual spend.
Axis Magnus provides 8 domestic lounge visits per quarter (up to 32/year) plus unlimited international Priority Pass visits including guest access (self + 2 guests). Annual fee is ₹12,500, waived at ₹15 Lakhs annual spend.
Forex Markup: Both cards offer a discounted 2.0% forex markup rate (compared to the industry standard 3.5%), making both cards excellent choices for international travel.
Which one fits you?
Choose HDFC Bank Regalia Gold Credit Card if you want a ₹2,500-fee-tier card, can meet the lower ₹4 lakh annual spend waiver target, and your travel pattern fits roughly a dozen domestic and half a dozen international lounge visits per year. It suits professionals who redeem heavily through HDFC SmartBuy travel and accept HDFC’s point-value rules.
Choose Axis Bank Magnus Credit Card if you spend at a level where a ₹12,500 fee (or ₹15 lakh waiver) is justified, you book travel through Axis Travel EDGE and partner transfers, and you will actually use frequent domestic and unlimited international lounge access. The catalog’s income floor is higher than Regalia Gold’s minimum field, which matches a more selective applicant profile.
If you already hold legacy HDFC Regalia (non-Gold), your benefits and forex markup may differ from Regalia Gold; see the separate card page for that variant in the directory.
Sources and limitations
All numbers in this post were generated from the CardCheck JSON catalog at publish time. They are not personalised advice. Approval, credit limit, and live promotions are decided by the banks.
Key benefits bullets stored in the catalog are summaries of issuer programmes; the MITC and product pages on HDFC Bank and Axis Bank websites remain the legal reference.
FAQ
- Is “HDFC Regalia” the same as Regalia Gold?
For new applicants, HDFC currently promotes Regalia Gold; the older Regalia product is not sourced for new applications according to HDFC’s public copy. This comparison uses Regalia Gold as the Regalia-family product in our database.
- Does Magnus really have unlimited international lounges?
Our catalog’s key benefits for Axis Magnus describe unlimited international Priority Pass visits for the primary cardholder with guest rules. Always confirm current guest charges and enrolment steps on Axis Bank’s latest terms.
- Which card has the better reward rate?
It depends on spend mix. Magnus earns EDGE Miles at different rates for travel portal, online or international, and offline domestic spends. Regalia Gold earns reward points per rupee spent with accelerators on SmartBuy and partners. Use the on-site calculator with your actual numbers rather than comparing headline percentages.
- Why link to /cards/ instead of the bank URL directly?
CardCheck card pages show the full fee and benefit context next to the Apply control. Apply still sends you to the issuer through our redirect flow so we can keep the database aligned with what users see.
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Vineet Verma
Lead AnalystLead Financial Researcher & Credit Card Analyst at CardCheck
Vineet specializes in Indian retail banking terms, reward point economics, and MITC verification. Every insight is audited against official bank filings.