AU Zenith Credit Card

The AU Zenith Credit Card is a premium card that offers multiple benefits across travel and shopping. However, it stands out due to its reward-earning rate. The card offers up to 20 rewards for every Rs. 100 spent. This reward earning rate is better in comparison to the other similar variant, Zenith+, which offers 2 rewards per Rs. 100. However, where Zenith+ offers a 1:1 redemption, Zenith offers a per reward value of just Rs. 0.25. But, surprisingly, the high reward-earning rate on Zenith compensates for the low reward value, surpassing the reward rate on Zenith+ by a decent margin.

Here is an example for the same:

Let’s assume a card user spends Rs. 5,000 on dining in a month. While Zenith+ earns 100 reward points with a value back worth Rs. 100, the Zenith card gets 1,000 reward points, with a value back worth Rs. 250.

That way it is safe to say that, despite a low redemption value, Zenith outshines Zenith+ with a high reward rate of up to 5% (2.5% on international transactions, grocery and departmental stores) in comparison to 2% on accelerated categories and a base rate of 1.5% in comparison to 1%. Thus, in some way, Zenith justifies the higher fee of Rs. 7,999 in comparison to the Rs. 4,999 offered by Zenith+.

AU Zenith is clearly a better option for card users seeking better benefits in terms of rewards earned. But Zenith+ is better for card users looking for extended travel and lifestyle benefits, like a comparatively lower forex markup fee of 0.99% (in comparison to 1.99%), higher frequency of lounge access, and movie benefits. The Plus variant also offers a renewal benefit of 5,000 points every year, which Zenith does not offer; though a one-time benefit, it can be a good factor for comparing the value back on the cards. Plus, apart from dining, the difference in reward rate on all categories is just marginal at 0.5%. So, in a way, you need to evaluate if the additional benefits of Zenith+ compensate well for the marginal difference based on your spend types. Furthermore, understand that while Zenith offers a good return on dining, it might not fit well with most customers’ spending habits. A dining discount is a common add-on perk on most cards, and the accelerated return on dining cannot be a deciding factor to avail this card. Thus, overall, at a lower fee of Rs. 4,999, AU Zenith+ offers better all-round benefits.

When looked upon without its link to its identical variant, AU Zenith is comparable with cards like HDFC Regalia Gold, SBI Card Elite, etc., that also offer a high reward rate with a similar forex markup fee but at a comparatively lower fee of Rs. 2,500 and Rs. 4,999, etc.