It has been a while since Air India merged with Vistara, and Air India has been making a sincere effort to establish a fresh brand identity. While the transformation is still a work in progress, by 2026 a lot is expected to change, and travellers are likely to experience a far more premium and consistent service.
That said, Air India has recently sent out a newsletter outlining several updates planned for 2026.
One of the most important highlights relates to the Maharaja Club loyalty programme. Here’s a quick look at the official email:
As you might know, existing Air India credit cards, such as the Air India Signature Credit Card, have been on hold for new applications for quite some time.
Meanwhile, Vistara co-branded credit cards are gradually being phased out. For instance, my IndusInd Bank Vistara credit card was swapped for a proprietary IndusInd credit card earlier this month.
So, we can soon expect the long-awaited Air India credit cards in their new form, which are likely to please both Air India and Star Alliance loyalists.
Beyond credit cards, another notable update is the planned enablement of points redemption and accrual on flights operated by Air India Express. This is a significant relief, especially since many short-haul domestic sectors have now been shifted to Air India Express.
So, when can we expect these changes to go live?
Given that Air India has already publicly announced these updates, it is reasonable to expect implementation on or before March 2026.
Overall, 2026 is shaping up to be a very interesting year in the world of points and miles.
Hey Siddharth
SBI Airindia card is already exists, are you referring to to this card ?
That’s the old one. New one is expected in a month or two.
Please don’t spread rumours siddharth. Only publish articles when it is confirmed news.
This article was published in December. It is June now.
Great Update!!!
AIX integration is critical!!! Currently, cannot earn anything from AIX
Logically, it should be primary focus
Anyways, AI is degrading lots of routes that are being decommissioned
Lots of International Flights from Mumbai & Bangalore have been withdrawn
I’m wondering what the Flight Planning Team is doing with TATA Integrality, or whether they are setting up flights for personal benefit!!!
Thank You
I would not be surprised if the recent AI incident has had a significant influence on route and aircraft deployment choices. Things might look normal by year end I suppose.
But AIX for shorter routes is a good business decision, as they need to compete well with low-cost-carriers in those routes.
But the fact that points/tier are based on spends make it moot – AIX vs AI?
To compete with “low-cost” carriers on some routes = cheaper fares (barely). So those would automatically earn less points.
I hope they (a) integrated AIX soon; (b) Offer a premium card with some bonus *tier* points (which is better than direct tier per se – helps give a boost for those who already fly enough for silver/gold).
I believe they should either relax the eligibility criteria for tier renewal, or extend the tier status by one more year. Integration with AIX is an integral part, lack of which is now limiting earning and redemption possibilities. As you correctly pointed out, AI has either withdawan or reduced flights in many sectors, forcing us to choose AIX. Then later AIX withdrew completely from many sectors.
After the introduction of maharaja club, the earning rate is less and redemption rate is higher in terms of miles. They seriously need to reexamine the tier points earning criteria across different tiers.
The email also says they’ll benchmark with global airlines, so I’m guessing things would certainly improve. Or they can just simply run the 25% discount on award flights often like they did sometime back 🙂
Should one continue to hold Axis Vistara cards or cancel them till new cards are announced.
Better to hold. They might offer an equivalent swap.