AU Small Finance Bank Credit Cards 2026: LIT to Zenith+ Compared

Which AU card suits which need

AU's cards are easier to compare once you sort them by the spend that matters most to you. The table gives the one figure that decides each case, and the notes below explains the catch in each one.

Lifetime free: LIT

LIT costs nothing to hold and earns 1 point per ₹100, up to 10,000 points a statement cycle. The real value sits in the 90-day features. Take the 5% grocery cashback at ₹299: the terms cap it at ₹500 per 30-day cycle, so ₹10,000 a month on groceries already reaches the cap (5% of ₹10,000 is ₹500), and three cycles give ₹1,500 against the ₹299 fee plus GST. Not worth it for a small grocery bill. Fuel surcharge waiver is not included unless you add the ₹49 feature.

Secured: NOMO

NOMO is issued against an AU fixed deposit of at least ₹20,000 in your sole name, and no income proof is asked. AU marks a lien on 100% of the deposit but does not publish how much of it becomes your limit. Rewards are 2 points per ₹100 at ₹0.25 a point, so 0.5%, and the forex mark-up is only 0.99%, which is quite cheap price for a starter card. The cash limit is 70% of the card limit in the MITC and 50% in the KFS from 7 November 2025, so ask AU which one apply to you. For comparison, the FD card on our Axis Bank hub gives a limit of 80% to 90% of a deposit starting at ₹15,000.

UPI: SPONT

SPONT runs on RuPay, so it can be used on UPI, and it pays 1% cashback on all spends, UPI through any app included, capped at ₹500 a statement cycle. The cap is reached at ₹50,000 of spends (₹500 divided by 1%), far above most person's monthly UPI use. There is a ₹299 annual fee with no published waiver, so you need ₹29,900 of yearly spend (₹299 divided by 1%) just to earn the fee back.

Entry cashback: Altura+

Altura+ gives 1.5% cashback on offline card swipes, but only up to ₹100 a cycle, which you reach at about ₹6,667 of offline spend (₹100 divided by 1.5%). After that, offline spends earn 1 point per ₹100 and online spends 2 points per ₹100, with no published point value. The ₹499 fee is waived in year one on ₹20,000 of spend within 90 days, and after on ₹80,000 a year.

Groceries: Laksya and Vetta

Laksya pays 5 points per ₹100 at grocery and department stores up to 1,000 points a cycle, so the cap arrives at ₹20,000 of grocery spend, and contactless taps also earn 5 points with no cap. Vetta pays 4 points per ₹100 on groceries with no separate category cap, so for a big family bill it is more better. Neither card publishes a point value, so we can't put a rupee figure on either.

Shopping, dining and travel: Ananta

Ananta earns 5 points per ₹100 on shopping, dining and travel, and AU's own milestone table values a point at ₹0.25, so the rate works out to 1.25%. The 5,000-point cycle cap covers ₹1,00,000 of such spends (5,000 points divided by 5, times ₹100), so very few people will touches it. Milestones add 50,000 points in all once you reach ₹10 lakh in a card year, worth ₹12,500 (50,000 times ₹0.25).

Premium: Zenith+ and fuel

Zenith+ is the only AU card where a point is plainly worth ₹1, so 1 point per ₹100 is 1% and 2 points on travel, dining and international spends is 2%. Lounge visits come to 16 in India and 16 abroad each year, and it asks a net monthly income of ₹2.5 lakh. Our Zenith+ review works out the value. On fuel, AU has no co-brand card, and the 1% waiver on ₹400 to ₹5,000 fills is capped per cycle at ₹1,000 on Zenith+, ₹200 on Ananta, ₹150 on Laksya and ₹100 on Altura+, Vetta, NOMO and SPONT.

Charges common to AU cards

AU publishes one schedule of charges for its retail cards, the MITC version 2.23 dated 2 November 2026, and most lines is same across the whole range. GST at 18% is added on every fee, interest and charge, which people often forget when they check a bill.

Interest and late fee

Revolving interest runs at 3.75% a month (45% a year) on all AU retail cards, calculating on the average daily balance. Zenith+ is the exception at 1.99% a month (23.88% a year), and the AU CA and AU CS cards charge 2.99% (35.88%). In rupees, carrying ₹20,000 for a month at 3.75% costs about ₹750, and GST of 18% on that interest adds ₹135, so ₹885 in total. The interest-free period is up to 50 days, but never on cash withdrawals.

If the minimum due isn't paid by the due date, AU levies 15% of the Total Amount Due as a late charge, with ₹10 as the floor and ₹1,300 as the ceiling, plus GST. On a ₹6,000 bill that is ₹900 (15% of ₹6,000) before GST. Any bill above about ₹8,667 hits the ₹1,300 ceiling, because 15% of ₹8,667 is roughly ₹1,300. Very costly mistake it is, for one missed date. The minimum amount due is 5% of principal plus all fees, interest and EMIs if you paid the last bill in full, and 2% of principal plus the same items if you did not.

Cash, over-limit and returns

Cash advances cost 2.5% of the amount, minimum ₹500, and interest runs from the day of withdrawal. Take out ₹10,000 and 2.5% is only ₹250, so the ₹500 minimum applied instead. Zenith+ and the NRI card Traverse charge no cash withdrawal fee. Over-limit use costs 2.5% of the excess, minimum ₹500, and is allowed only if you opt in, while a bounced payment costs the higher of ₹500 and 2% of the total due.

Fair-usage charges

• Rent (MCC 6513), domestic: 1% of each payment, minimum ₹99. A ₹15,000 rent payment cost you ₹150 extra.
• Utilities (MCC 4900): 1% once the month's utility spends go above ₹50,000 in a calendar month.
• Fuel, from 1 July 2026: 1% on all your fuel spend for the month if one fill is above ₹10,000 or the month's total goes over ₹25,000. So ₹26,000 of fuel in a month costs ₹260 (1% of ₹26,000), not just 1% of the extra ₹1,000.
• Education through apps such as CRED, PhonePe or Paytm: 1%, minimum ₹99, while paying the school or college directly is free.
• Transport (MCC 4111, 4112, 4784), from 14 June 2026: 1% on the whole amount when the month's spend goes past half your limit or ₹25,000, whichever is lower, with IRCTC and some travel partners left out of it.

None of these apply on international transactions, and wallet loads are not in AU's list at all. If you pay ₹15,000 rent every month, the 12 months fee comes to ₹1,800 a year (₹150 times 12), which is more than most AU annual fees.

Forex, points and lounges

The foreign currency mark-up is 3.49% on LIT, SPONT, Altura+, Laksya, Ananta and Vetta, and 0.99% on NOMO and Zenith+. On ₹50,000 spent abroad, 3.49% is ₹1,745 before GST, against ₹495 at 0.99%. Every reward redemption costs ₹99 plus GST, points stay valid for 2 years from the date earned, and they gets forfeited if the card is unused for 12 months or closed. Priority Pass visits at lounges inside India cost US$35 plus taxes each, and up to 3 add-on cards are lifetime free.

What changed on AU cards, 2025 to 2026

We found no AU card change dated 2024 in the bank documents we read; the dated changes start in late 2025 and comes thick and fast in 2026. Here they are in date order, with what each one means for you.

• 7 November 2025, NOMO: the KFS sets the cash withdrawal limit at 50% of the card limit, while the MITC of 2 November 2026 still says 70%. Until AU clears this up, plan on lower one, the 50%.
• 1 January 2026, Zenith: the quarterly and yearly milestone benefits on the older Zenith card were discontinued. If you were keeping Zenith for those milestones, it is worth comparing it with Zenith+ now.
• 1 April 2026, Altura+: spends coded as transportation stopped earning reward points, so this spends now earn nothing at all.
• 10 April 2026, NOMO, SPONT and Vetta: domestic lounge visits became spend-based at ₹50,000 a quarter. A SPONT holder spending ₹15,000 a month (₹45,000 a quarter) no longer qualifies.
• 6 May 2026: AU launched Ananta, Laksya, Tejas and Prathama as one portfolio, with lounge access on Ananta tied to flight bookings on AU Rewardz.
• 14 June 2026: the 1% transport charge began on all AU retail cards.
• 1 July 2026: the 1% fuel charge on large fuel spends began, also on all retail cards same way.
• 1 October 2026, Vetta and Altura+: Vetta's forex mark-up rose from 2.99% to 3.49%, and the fuel surcharge waiver cap fell to ₹100 a cycle on both cards (Vetta was ₹250, Altura+ ₹150). On ₹1,00,000 of foreign spend, Vetta now charges ₹500 more (0.5% of ₹1,00,000), which is not small amount for frequent flyer.
• 1 December 2026, Zenith+: the forex mark-up falls from 0.99% to 0%.

The pattern is easy to read. AU is pulling back free extras on its mid-range cards, mainly lounges and fuel waivers, while making the top card cheaper abroad. For a cardholder the practical step is to look at your last three statements: if fuel, rent or transport are making big share, work out the 1% before you decide to keep the card.

Eligibility, documents and applying

AU's age band is 21 to 60 for salaried people and 25 to 65 for the self-employed, and you have to be an Indian resident. On income, AU only says "as specified by the bank" for every card except Zenith+, where it asks for a net monthly income of ₹2.5 lakh. So you won't know the income bar for LIT or Vetta until you apply, which is little frustrating for a planner.

NOMO works differently. Anyone from 18 to 99 can apply with an AU fixed deposit of at least ₹20,000, held in a sole name, set to cumulative or reinvest with auto-renewal, and booked for 24 months. Joint, tax-saver and non-callable deposits don't qualify. The deposit keeps earning interest, but you cannot withdrawn part of it while the card is live. For a yardstick, the FIRST WOW! card on our IDFC FIRST Bank hub gives a limit of 100% of a deposit from ₹20,000.

For documents, AU wants proof of identity, proof of address and proof of income, and NOMO needs only the deposit. Applications go through the Apply Now link on each card page, which opens AU's online onboarding portal, and you can track the status online. Support after that is by branches and AU 0101 app. If you are unsure which card fits, the card finder narrows it by spend and income.

What AU checks, and the rights you have

Approval is AU's decision. Under the RBI's 2025 card Directions a bank has to judge your own means to repay and count the limits you already hold with other lenders. A credit score is helping here: on Experian's 300 to 900 scale, anything above 750 counts as good in general.

• AU has to hand over a one-page Key Fact Statement along with the form, and put in writing why, if it rejects you.
• No card or upgrade can be issued without your explicit consent, in writing or digitally, and the limit also can't be raise without asking you.
• Leave a new card unactivated for 30 days and AU must ask for your OTP consent; without it, the account is shut at no cost within seven working days.
• A closure request has to be completed in seven working days once dues are cleared; AU's own MITC says it pays ₹500 for each calendar day of delay.
• You can change your billing cycle date at least once, picking any date you like.

AU credit card customer care

AU's credit card call centre runs 24x7 on 1800 1200 1500, the number printed in its MITC. Zenith, Zenith+, AU CA and Vetta holders also get a separate priority email desk. Call this number first for a lost card: RBI rules oblige AU to stop the card the moment you tell it and to confirm that it has done so, and they want reporting open round the clock through more than one channel, like app, SMS and phone all.

For a wrong charge, raise it in writing and keep the reference. AU has 30 days to explain a disputed bill, with documents where relevant, and while a fraud dispute is open it can't add charges on that transaction. If AU does not reply in 30 days, or the reply doesn't satisfy you, you can take the complaint to the RBI Ombudsman.

Two account-care points are specific to AU. Points are forfeited after 12 months of no use, and separately the RBI lets a bank start closing a card that has been unused for more than a year, after telling you, if you don't reply in 30 days. So a forgotten LIT in drawer can lose both, its points and the account. If you close a card with a credit balance, the bank has to send that money to your bank account.