AU Zenith+ vs AU Zenith (2026)
AU's confusing twins: ₹4,999 with 0.99% forex and golf vs ₹7,999 with more points and a concierge — the cheaper, better-named-worse card wins on paper.
Head to head
| Metric | AU Zenith+ | AU Zenith |
|---|---|---|
| Our rank | #58 | #45 |
| Annual fee | ₹4,999 + GST | ₹7,999 + GST |
| Fee waiver | ₹8,00,000 spend | ₹5,00,000 spend |
| Forex markup | 0.99% + GST — the lowest forex tier across AU's lineup | 1.99% + GST |
| APR | 1.99%/mo (23.88%/yr) — Zenith+'s own tier, below AU's 3.75%/mo retail standard | 3.75%/mo (45%/yr) — AU retail-card standard |
| Effective reward rate | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Currency | AU Reward Points | AU Reward Points |
| House value | ₹0.25/pt | ₹0.25/pt |
| Welcome benefit | Luxury gift vouchers or reward points worth ₹5,000 on activation | ₹1,000 voucher on first POS spend + 10,000 reward points on ₹1L in 60 days |
| Lounge doors opened | 588 of 644 | 609 of 644 |
| Income — salaried | not published | not published |
| Income — self-employed | not published | not published |
Gold marks the better side of a row. House value is our ₹-per-point mark for each card's currency — the full valuation index →
Net annual 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. Tune it to your own spend in the calculator.
AU Zenith+ wins under ₹0.5L/month; AU Zenith takes over above it.
Transfer reach
Both cards earn AU Reward Points, so the partner list is identical — 1 live transfer routes each. The ratios are not: see below.
Both reach
- Air India Maharaja Club 3:2 vs 6:1
Full route maps on each card page, best ₹/point routes on the optimizer →
The call
For the ₹1L/month spender, AU Zenith nets ₹13,080 against ₹6,450 — a ₹6,630 gap. At ₹5L/month, AU Zenith nets ₹53,400 against ₹20,250 — a ₹33,150 gap. Lounge chasers: AU Zenith opens 609 of 644 tracked doors to AU Zenith+'s 588.
Our standing verdicts: AU Zenith+ — Cancel; AU Zenith — Cancel. On our board, AU Zenith sits at #45 to AU Zenith+'s #58 — that's the overall call. Your spend pattern can overrule us: run your exact numbers →