AU Ananta vs AU Zenith+ (2026)
Same points, and neither card transfers anywhere — the redemption catalogue is the ceiling for both, so this one is decided on earn and fee, nothing else: 0.5% at ₹2,000 to join plus ₹2,000/yr against 0.3% at ₹4,999/yr.
Head to head
| AU Ananta | Metric | AU Zenith+ |
|---|---|---|
| #71 — wins this row | Our rank | #102 |
| ₹2,000 joining, then ₹2,000/yr — wins this row | Fee — joining · annual (+ GST) | ₹4,999/yr |
| ₹3,00,000 spend | Fee waiver | ₹8,00,000 spend |
| 3.49% + GST (Ananta sits in AU's bottom forex tier — Zenith+ gets 0.99%, ixigo AU 0%) | Forex markup | 0.99% + GST — the lowest forex tier across AU's lineup — wins this row |
| 3.75%/mo (45%/yr) — all AU retail cards except Zenith+ | APR | 1.99%/mo (23.88%/yr) — Zenith+'s own tier, below AU's 3.75%/mo retail standard |
| 0.5% — wins this row | Headline earn rate | 0.3% |
| AU Reward Points | Currency | AU Reward Points |
| ₹0.25/pt | House value | ₹0.25/pt |
| 8,000 Reward Points (₹2,000) on activation and first transaction within 30 days | Welcome benefit | Luxury gift vouchers or reward points worth ₹5,000 on activation |
| 72 of 789 | Lounge doors opened | 731 of 789 — wins this row |
Neither issuer publishes an income floor for these two, and the door is the same on both sides: AU Ananta and AU Zenith+ are both open to a direct application. How people actually get AU Zenith+ is on its card page.
Gold marks the better side of a row. House value is our ₹-per-point mark for each card's currency — the full valuation index →
Ranking-value face-off
Everyday spend at each card's base rate plus a realistic ~20% at its best accelerator (less for narrow or capped boosters) — milestones, fee waivers and the redemption haircut all at our house ₹/point. That's why the biggest headline rate doesn't automatically win. This is the ranking model, the one that orders the board; each card page prints the earn-rate-only net annual value instead, which reads lower for any card with an accelerator (both models, side by side). Tune it to your own spend in the calculator.
AU Ananta out-earns AU Zenith+ at every spend level we model, from ₹25k to ₹5L a month.
How the gap moves with spend
AU Ananta leads at all 20 steps, but not by the same amount: ₹7,291 at ₹0.25L a month, ₹22,850 at ₹5L — the gap fans out with spend, widest at ₹5L (₹22,850).
AU Ananta charges twice — ₹2,000 to join, then ₹2,000 every year after.
AU Ananta draws above the line, AU Zenith+ below · ₹0.25L to ₹5L a month, step by step
| Monthly spend | AU Ananta | AU Zenith+ | In front |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹0.25L | ₹3,155 | −₹4,136 | AU Ananta by ₹7,291 |
| ₹0.5L | ₹7,560 | −₹3,274 | AU Ananta by ₹10,834 |
| ₹0.75L | ₹13,215 | ₹5,588 | AU Ananta by ₹7,627 |
| ₹1L | ₹20,120 | ₹13,950 | AU Ananta by ₹6,170 |
| ₹1.25L | ₹22,025 | ₹14,813 | AU Ananta by ₹7,212 |
| ₹1.5L | ₹23,930 | ₹15,675 | AU Ananta by ₹8,255 |
| ₹1.75L | ₹25,835 | ₹16,538 | AU Ananta by ₹9,297 |
| ₹2L | ₹27,740 | ₹17,400 | AU Ananta by ₹10,340 |
| ₹2.25L | ₹29,645 | ₹18,263 | AU Ananta by ₹11,382 |
| ₹2.5L | ₹31,550 | ₹19,125 | AU Ananta by ₹12,425 |
| ₹2.75L | ₹33,455 | ₹19,988 | AU Ananta by ₹13,467 |
| ₹3L | ₹35,360 | ₹20,850 | AU Ananta by ₹14,510 |
| ₹3.25L | ₹37,265 | ₹21,713 | AU Ananta by ₹15,552 |
| ₹3.5L | ₹39,170 | ₹22,575 | AU Ananta by ₹16,595 |
| ₹3.75L | ₹41,075 | ₹23,438 | AU Ananta by ₹17,637 |
| ₹4L | ₹42,980 | ₹24,300 | AU Ananta by ₹18,680 |
| ₹4.25L | ₹44,885 | ₹25,163 | AU Ananta by ₹19,722 |
| ₹4.5L | ₹46,790 | ₹26,025 | AU Ananta by ₹20,765 |
| ₹4.75L | ₹48,695 | ₹26,888 | AU Ananta by ₹21,807 |
| ₹5L | ₹50,600 | ₹27,750 | AU Ananta by ₹22,850 |
Transfer reach
Both cards earn AU Reward Points, so the partner list is identical — 0 live transfer routes each. The fight is decided on earn and fees, not reach.
Only AU Zenith+
- Air India Maharaja Club
Full route maps on each card page, best ₹/point routes on the optimizer →
What to watch out for
AU Ananta · 2 more →
- ₹0.25/point, closed loop — absent from Air India's AU transfer table (Zenith+/Zenith/Vetta convert; Ananta doesn't), ₹99 + GST per redemption
- 0.5% base earn; even the 5X categories pay just 1.25% — and are capped at 5,000 RP a statement cycle
- Lounge visits require ₹5,000 of AU Rewardz flight bookings in the same quarter
AU Zenith+ · 2 more →
- 0.25% base earn at AU's honest ₹0.25 point; even dining/travel is only 0.5%
- The Maharaja 3:2 is the only escape — every other redemption is the ₹99 + GST closed catalogue, points expire in 24 months
- ₹4,999 fee, waived only at ₹8L spend; the milestone pays ₹250 at ₹75k/month, and utility, insurance, transport, rent, education/govt, fuel, cash and EMI spends don't count toward it
The call
For the ₹1L/month spender, AU Ananta nets ₹20,120 against ₹13,950 — a ₹6,170 gap. At ₹5L/month, AU Ananta nets ₹50,600 against ₹27,750 — a ₹22,850 gap. Lounge chasers: AU Zenith+ opens 731 of 789 tracked doors to AU Ananta's 72.
Our standing verdicts: AU Ananta — Cancel; AU Zenith+ — Cancel. On our board, AU Ananta sits at #71 to AU Zenith+'s #102 — that's the overall call. Your spend pattern can overrule us: run your exact numbers →
Straight answers
Which is better, AU Ananta or AU Zenith+?
AU Ananta. It sits at #71 on our board to AU Zenith+'s #102. AU Ananta takes 6 of the 8 rounds we can score. AU Ananta out-earns AU Zenith+ at every spend level we model, from ₹25k to ₹5L a month.
AU Ananta or AU Zenith+ — which earns more at ₹3L a month?
At ₹3L a month, AU Ananta nets ₹35,360 against ₹20,850 — a ₹14,510 gap. Those are ranking-value figures: everyday spend at the card's base rate plus a realistic slice at its best accelerator, net of the fee.
Which costs less to hold, AU Ananta or AU Zenith+?
AU Ananta — ₹2,000 joining, then ₹2,000/yr against ₹4,999/yr. AU Ananta waives its fee at ₹3,00,000 of spend; AU Zenith+ at ₹8,00,000 of spend.
Which gets you into more airport lounges, AU Ananta or AU Zenith+?
Lounge chasers: AU Zenith+ opens 731 of 789 tracked doors to AU Ananta's 72. Visit quotas, guest charges and spend gates are per card — the lounge map carries each one.
How current is this comparison?
Both card records were last re-verified against their issuers' own documents on 2026-08-01. Every figure on this page — the ranking values, the fee rows, the lounge counts, the transfer ratios — is recomputed from those records each time the site builds, so a devaluation changes the call the day we log it.