AU Bank credit cards compared

AU Altura is AU Small Finance Bank's entry-level rewards card, designed as a first credit card rather than a wealth-building tool. It pays 2% cashback on grocery, departmental-store and utility spends, and 1% on everything else, but both rates are capped at just ₹50 per statement cycle, keeping the actual return quite modest regardless of how much you spend. The ₹199 annual fee waives once you cross ₹40,000 of spend in a year. There's no airport lounge access, but the card does include 2 complimentary railway lounge visits per quarter — 8 a year — along with a 1% fuel surcharge waiver and a ₹50 milestone cashback in any statement cycle where retail spending crosses ₹10,000. Think of it as a low-friction way to build credit history and an AU Bank relationship, not as a serious rewards engine.

AU SPONT targets everyday UPI spenders with a straightforward 1% cashback that lands directly as a statement credit whenever you pay through e-commerce, POS, contactless or any UPI app, though the payout tops out at ₹500 per billing cycle. Route your UPI payments through AU's own 0101 app instead and you earn separate "coins" for the AU Rewardz catalogue, though AU never states what those coins are worth in rupees. Cardholders get 2 railway lounge visits every quarter at no cost, and clearing ₹50,000 in spend the previous quarter unlocks 2 domestic airport lounge visits as well, alongside a 1% fuel surcharge waiver capped at ₹100. The joining and annual fee comes to ₹353 including GST, and AU currently offers no spend-based route to waive it in future years.

AU Zenith sits at the top of AU Small Finance Bank's card lineup, though the 1 January 2026 revision took a fair bit of shine off it. The ₹7,999 + GST annual fee still waives once you spend ₹5 lakh in a year, but the earn rate underneath it was trimmed hard — 3 reward points per ₹100 (about 0.75%) on general spending and 5 points per ₹100 (roughly 1.25% at ₹0.25 a point) on dining, international transactions and groceries, well below the 20X/10X rates the card used to offer. The quarterly voucher and Taj Epicure membership perk are both gone too. What survives: a competitive 1.99% forex markup, spend-gated lounge access (8 domestic visits plus 8 international via Priority Pass each year), and a 2,500-point birthday bonus. AU appears to be nudging new applicants toward the Zenith+ instead.

AU Small Finance Bank's Paytm AU Credit Card is a no-fee co-brand aimed squarely at people who already transact through the Paytm app. Scan & Pay purchases made via UPI earn 2 reward points per ₹100 as long as the transaction sits between ₹100 and ₹2,000 (spends above that slip to 1 point per ₹100), while bookings through Paytm Travel and purchases of Paytm Gold return a stronger 5 points per ₹100. Everything else — spends outside the Paytm ecosystem — settles at a flat 1 point per ₹100. Redeem those points as Paytm Gold and each is worth a full rupee; cash them out any other way and the value halves to ₹0.50. Cardholders also get complimentary lounge access tied to flights booked through Paytm Travel. Because it rides on the RuPay network, it plugs straight into UPI, turning routine scan-and-pay purchases into a rewards stream — and it does all this without ever charging an annual fee.

AU LIT is built around a build-your-own-benefits idea that's fairly unusual in the Indian market: it's lifetime-free, but out of the box it only earns about 1 reward point per ₹100 spent — roughly 0.25%. The real value comes from "packs" you switch on and off inside the AU 0101 app in 90-day blocks, each one costing somewhere between ₹49 and ₹399 per quarter. Turn on the right pack and the card can pay back up to 5% cashback on categories like groceries or apparel, or add extras such as lounge access and OTT subscriptions; leave everything switched off and you're left holding a card that barely rewards you at all. It's a strong pick if your spending patterns shift through the year and you're willing to log in and adjust packs accordingly — it's a weak one if you want a card you can simply forget about.

Think of the Xcite Ultra as the points-earning twin of AU Small Finance Bank's Xcite Ace: same ₹749 + GST card body on the RuPay rails, but the accelerators are sorted by where you swipe rather than what you buy. Offline purchases bank 4 reward points per ₹100 spent, online checkouts double that to 8 per ₹100, and anything billed internationally jumps to 12 per ₹100 — utility bills, telecom recharges and insurance premiums sit at a flat 1 point per ₹100 regardless of channel. Two milestone bonuses run alongside the base earn: 500 points for hitting ₹5,000 of spend in the first five days of any month, and a larger 5,000-point payout for crossing ₹2.5 lakh across a full card-anniversary year. Quarterly airport lounge entry (two visits) opens up once the prior quarter's spend clears ₹50,000, and the annual fee itself drops away entirely if you put ₹2,00,000 through the card in a year.

AU Bank Vetta is a mid-tier lifestyle card that rewards grocery and departmental-store spending more generously than most other categories, with a flat base rate elsewhere and a token 1 point per ₹100 on utility, telecom and insurance payments. It's aimed squarely at AU Bank customers whose monthly spending has grown past the entry-level Altura's comfort zone — typically ₹25,000–50,000 a month — and works well as a natural next step within the AU card family rather than as a standout choice against the wider market.

AU InstaPay isn't a standalone product — it's a lifetime-free, entirely virtual RuPay card that AU Small Finance Bank issues only to people who already hold one of its credit cards; the bank's own FAQ describes it as "exclusively available to our existing Credit cardholders at AU Small Finance Bank" (currently rolled out to a select base). Rather than opening a fresh credit line, it draws on the limit already attached to your primary AU card, though it generates its own separate statement. Because it's virtual and instant-issuance, there's no physical card to wait on — you activate it straight from the AU 0101 app, ChatBot, IVR or website. As a RuPay card it plugs into UPI, and it pays 1% cashback on UPI transactions of ₹200 and above at departmental stores, dining, pharmacy and grocery/supermarket outlets, capped at ₹100 per statement cycle, alongside a 1% fuel surcharge waiver. Think of it less as a credit card in its own right and more as a UPI-spending add-on for an AU relationship you already have.

Built jointly with the UPI-on-credit app Kiwi, AU Kosmo is a lifetime-free RuPay card whose entire premise is turning everyday UPI Scan & Pay transactions into rewards. Every scan-and-pay purchase run through Kiwi earns Kiwi rewards, the card throws in a 1% fuel surcharge waiver capped at ₹100 per cycle, and there's no annual fee to worry about. It's clearly designed with a younger, app-native UPI spender in mind — someone who's already comfortable transacting through Kiwi rather than a traditional card swipe.

AU NOMO takes the fixed-deposit-to-credit-card route: because it's secured against an FD, AU doesn't ask for income proof, extra paperwork beyond basic KYC, or any prior credit history — it's aimed squarely at people with no bureau record, and every transaction gets reported so that record starts building. Reward-wise it earns 2 points per ₹100 on retail spends and 1 point per ₹100 on utility and insurance payments, throws in 500 welcome points after your first transaction, and pays a 500-point milestone once quarterly spend hits ₹25,000 (which doubles at ₹50,000). What really sets it apart is a 0.99% foreign-currency markup — unusually low for any card, and almost unheard of on a secured one — alongside a 1% fuel surcharge waiver. The deposit conditions matter and are worth reading closely before committing funds: AU wants at least ₹20,000 parked in a fixed deposit held solely in your name, in cumulative, auto-renewing mode, booked for a fixed 24-month term, with a lien placed on the entire amount. Deposits that are joint, tax-saving, held by a third party, or non-callable won't qualify.

AU Tejas is an entry-level card built around partner-brand deals rather than a broad rewards rate. Spend at its five named partners — District for movies, Amazon Fresh for groceries, Zomato for food delivery, ride-hailing apps like Uber, Ola or Rapido, and AU's own 0101 bill payments — and you get a flat 10% cashback, though each category caps out at ₹50 a month for a combined ceiling of ₹250. Everything else earns a plain 1 reward point per ₹100 spent (roughly 0.25% back), with a richer 5 points per ₹100 reserved for bookings made through the AU Rewardz portal. Hit 5 transactions of ₹500 or more in a billing cycle and you pick up an extra 500 points, on top of the 2,000-point (or ₹500 voucher) welcome bonus for activating the card and transacting within 30 days. A 1% fuel surcharge waiver is included, and the ₹590 all-in annual fee is waived entirely once you cross ₹1,50,000 in spend for the year.

AU Laksya positions itself as a mid-tier rewards card for the routine expenses a household actually runs up — groceries, departmental-store shopping and contactless payments earn 5 reward points per ₹100 (with the grocery/departmental leg capped at 1,000 points a cycle, while contactless spending earns uncapped), and everything else in general retail earns 2 points per ₹100. New cardholders start with 4,000 bonus reward points, or alternatively a ₹1,000 brand voucher, on activation. Beyond the earn rate, it layers on a flat 15% discount at partner merchants, buy-one-get-one movie tickets every month, and up to 8 domestic airport lounge visits a year (capped at 2 per quarter, and each quarter's access depends on having spent ₹50,000 in the quarter before). It isn't fee-free — the ₹1,000 charge is waived only once annual retail spend crosses ₹2,00,000.

AU Zenith Plus is the metal card at the top of AU's lineup, and it leads with a welcome kick of ₹5,000 — either as a brand voucher or 5,000 reward points, your choice. Ongoing earning runs at 2 reward points per ₹100 on dining, travel and international purchases, and because AU prices each point at a flat ₹1, that translates directly into a genuine 2% return on those three categories and 1% on everything else. Layered on top: a complimentary Taj Epicure membership once you cross ₹12 lakh of net retail spend in an anniversary year, free golf outings, BookMyShow ticket offers, lounge access with no spend condition attached, and a 1% fuel surcharge waiver capped at ₹1,000. Priced at ₹4,999, it comes in well below the older ₹7,999 Zenith while trading up to a metal card body.

The ixigo AU Credit Card is a lifetime-free co-brand aimed squarely at people who already book their travel through the ixigo app. It knocks 10% off flight bookings (capped at ₹3,000) and another 10% off hotel bookings (also capped at ₹3,000), and it waives the payment-gateway charge on train tickets up to 4 times a month — split evenly between ixigo and ConfirmTkt — which adds up to a real saving for anyone booking trains often. Regular spending earns a flat 5 reward points per ₹200 whether it's online, offline or via UPI, and crossing ₹75,000 in a calendar quarter unlocks a 5,000-point bonus. Lounge access is generous for a free card: 8 domestic visits a year (spend-gated), 8 railway lounge visits, and 1 international visit through Priority Pass. New cardholders start with 1,000 reward points plus ₹1,000 of ixigo Money, all with zero annual fee, and the card links to UPI for scan-and-pay use.

AU Altura Plus sits one step above the base Altura in AU Small Finance Bank's lineup — a ₹499 RuPay card that pays 1.5% cashback on offline retail spends, capped at ₹100 per statement cycle, and 2X reward points (2 per ₹100) on online purchases. Offline spending beyond the cashback cap still earns a modest 1 point per ₹100. A recurring monthly milestone adds 500 bonus reward points once retail spending crosses ₹20,000 in a calendar month, which helps steady spenders push the overall return higher. The card carries over the Altura family's signature travel perk — 8 railway lounge visits a year — plus a 1% fuel surcharge waiver. The ₹499 annual fee waives on ₹80,000 of yearly spend, and the first year is waived outright if you spend ₹20,000 within the first 90 days.

AU Ananta targets accelerated earning on the categories people actually spend on most — 5 reward points per ₹100 on shopping, dining and travel, shared under a 5,000-point cap per statement cycle, and 2 points per ₹100 on other retail spends. New cardholders get 8,000 bonus reward points just for activating the card and making a first transaction within 30 days, which goes a long way toward offsetting the joining fee. A four-step milestone ladder then adds up to 50,000 bonus points across the card's anniversary year, starting from ₹2.5 lakh of cumulative spend. Rounding things out are a 15% instant discount at Amazon Fashion, District dining and AU Rewardz hotel bookings (capped at ₹500 per merchant a month), domestic lounge access, and a 1% fuel surcharge waiver. The ₹2,000 annual fee waives once you cross ₹3,00,000 of retail spend in a year.

Aimed squarely at practising Chartered Accountants, the AU CA Credit Card is a lifetime-free metal card issued in partnership with ICAI. Cardholders earn 8 reward points per ₹100 spent on dining, travel, tax payments and software — the categories a working CA actually spends on — whether the purchase is for the practice or personal use. Everyday exclusions apply: cash withdrawals, rent, wallet top-ups, education, government payments outside tax, transportation, EMI conversions, fuel and BBPS/quasi-cash transactions don't earn points. On top of the base earn rate, the card refunds 25% cashback on ICAI membership renewal, hands out 2,000 bonus points for ₹5,000 of spend within the first 30 days, throws in a SwiggyOne Quarterly Dining Membership once ₹10,000 is spent in that same window, and includes two complimentary domestic airport lounge visits every quarter plus a 1% fuel surcharge waiver capped at ₹250. The one hard limit: you need to be an ICAI member to qualify.

AU CS is a no-fee metal card built specifically for Company Secretaries who are registered members of ICSI, essentially replicating the earn structure AU already built for its Chartered Accountant card. You get 8 reward points per ₹100 spent on dining, travel, tax payments and software purchases, whether for business or personal use, though that accelerated rate is capped at 5,000 points per statement cycle. Everything else in general retail earns 2 points per ₹100, while utility bills, telecom and insurance payments trickle in at 1 point per ₹100 (capped at 100 points per transaction). A handful of categories — cash, rent, wallet loads, education, government payments, transportation, EMI, fuel, BBPS and quasi-cash — don't earn anything at all. On top of the earn rate, the card throws in 25% cashback when you renew your ICSI membership, a 2,000-point bonus for spending ₹5,000 in the first 30 days after activation, a free SwiggyOne Quarterly Dining Membership once you cross ₹10,000 in that same window, two domestic airport lounge visits every quarter, a 1% fuel surcharge waiver capped at ₹250, and a forex markup as low as 1.99%. As the name suggests, only practicing or registered ICSI members can apply for this card.

AU Xcite Ace sits as the cashback-focused option within the Xcite SwipeUp lineup — a RuPay card carrying a ₹749 fee that pays back up to 3% through a tiered monthly milestone system: 1% once you cross ₹7,500 of spend, 2% at ₹12,500, and the full 3% at ₹20,000. Spend ₹50,000 in the prior quarter and you also unlock two complimentary domestic airport lounge visits per quarter. There's a 1% fuel surcharge waiver thrown in, and the annual fee disappears if you spend ₹2,00,000 over the year. Compared to the base Xcite card, this is the step up aimed at spenders chasing cashback along with airport lounge perks.

AU Xcite is AU Bank's entry-level card built for the RuPay UPI network, and it earns more than most cards at this fee level. It pays 15 reward points per ₹100 on dining, movies, grocery and departmental-store spends — roughly 3.75% back at ₹0.25 per point — along with 3 points per ₹100 on other retail spending, doubled to 6 points if the transaction falls between the 1st and 5th of the month. Utility, telecom and insurance payments earn a base 1 point per ₹100. At just ₹249 a year, with the fee waiving entirely once you cross ₹1 lakh of annual spend, it's a strong everyday earner for anyone whose spending naturally sits in its bonus categories.

AU Traverse is a premium travel card, but with one important restriction — it's issued only to Non-Resident Indians. Everything about it is oriented toward cross-border spending: a 0.99% forex markup on international transactions, two complimentary domestic and international airport lounge visits every quarter, Meet & Assist and spa access at airports (four uses each per year), a ₹5,000 MakeMyTrip voucher as a welcome perk, reward points on both international and domestic spends, a flat ₹500 cashback on duty-free purchases of ₹10,000 or more, and a 1% fuel surcharge waiver capped at ₹250. The ₹4,999 annual fee is waived if you spend ₹6 lakh in your card anniversary year. Because eligibility is limited to NRIs, resident Indians simply cannot apply for it.

AU Prathama — the name literally translates to "first" — is positioned as an entry card for people applying for their very first credit card, and it's priced accordingly at just ₹100 a year. The base earn rate is 1 reward point per ₹100 spent, which doubles to 2 points per ₹100 for contactless Tap & Pay transactions and for whatever portion of your spend in a cycle crosses ₹5,000. New cardholders also get a one-time 500-point bonus per merchant the first time they set up a recurring payment, plus a 1% fuel surcharge waiver. Spend ₹75,000 in a year and the ₹100 annual fee gets waived entirely.

CheQ AU is a joint effort between the fintech CheQ and AU Small Finance Bank, and it's notable for being India's first credit card with an actual LED built in — a light that flashes every time you tap to pay. Past the gimmick, the earning structure is real but needs unpacking: the advertised rate is 24 CheQ points per ₹200 (marketed as "12%") on partner brands like Amazon, Flipkart, Zomato, BigBasket and Apple, plus CheQ Travel and utility bills, all routed through the CheQ app; 10 points per ₹200 ("5%") on other online, food, grocery and travel purchases across more than 10,000 brands; 5 points per ₹200 on UPI payments made inside the CheQ app (UPI outside the app earns zero); and 2 points per ₹200 everywhere else. The twist is in how points redeem: 2 points equal ₹1 when used for flights, hotels or gift cards, but it takes 4 points to get ₹1 (25 paise each) as cashback — so the real value works out to roughly half the advertised rate, around 6% on in-app utility payments and 2.5% on online spend, and it pays off best when redeemed for travel or vouchers. The card itself carries no joining or annual fee for life. Approval gets you two physical cards — a Visa and a RuPay — and the optional LED feature, available only on the Visa card, costs a one-time ₹999 + GST.