As the Clock struck 12 and the world entered a new year, IndusInd came up with an offer that looked too good to be true!
Background
IndusInd offers an Avios card with an annual fee of INR 10,000, which includes a joining bonus of 20,000 Avios. Although the reward rate isn’t great, it’s one of the few cards that has the fewest exclusions.
Offer
The bank came up with a Bang as they offered 40,000 Avios instead of 20,000 for new cards issued between 1st Jan 2026 & 31st Jan 2026!
Yes, the initial 20,000 Avios would be created once you pay the joining fee, and the additional 20,000 would be credited by 15th April 2026, provided you still hold the card as on that date and spend IR 5,000 within 30 days of approval of the card. This basically meant you are buying 40,000 Avios for 16,800 (including GST), resulting in a value of INR 0.42/Avios. You can easily redeem 1 Avios for INR 1 (minimum), thereby making almost 1.5x return on investment.
Result
The applications exceeded the expectations! The bank had to roll back the offer and stop issuing new cards! As you can see, the Qatar website reverted to the old bonus scheme, and the “Apply Now” button is disabled on the bank’s website!
Repercussions?
We don’t know when IndusInd Bank will reopen the application. However, they have clarified that they will honor the bonus for cards issued between January 1, 2026, and January 6, 2026 (both days inclusive).
https://www.indusind.bank.in/content/dam/indusind-corporate/Other/Termsandconditions-forQatarAirwaysacquisitioncampaign-Jan26.pdf
Conclusions
Product managers can miscalculate demand, and the “Early bird catches the worm!”
The Enigmatic Pen 