Game of cards: Top banking players opt for tight gambit, rivals up the ante

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Since the start of the calendar year, major devaluations have hit multiple premium and super-premium cards, shocking the high spenders. No card has been spared, be it the ICICI Emeralde Private Metal (removal of some vouchers for accelerated rewards), American Express Platinum Travel (higher spend milestones for bonus rewards), or Axis Bank (removal of three popular transfer partners without advance notice). HDFC Bank, too, has asked its Infinia customers to clock in annual spends of at least Rs 18 lakh or maintain a total relationship value of at least Rs 50 lakh to retain the by-invite-only metal.