Kotak Air+ vs ixigo AU (2026)
ixigo AU vs Kotak Air+: which wins?
₹88,200ranking value a year at ₹3L a month, to Kotak Air+
Skip the duel — the board, ranked → · nothing to sign up for
Budget-travel co-brands at the entry gate — Kotak's airline tie-up against AU's OTA play. Neither builds wealth; one builds Maharaja balances.
ixigo AU wins under ₹0.75L/month; Kotak Air+ takes over above it.
Every metric, row by row — 11 compared
Head to head
| Kotak Air+ | Metric | ixigo AU |
|---|---|---|
| #16 — wins this row | Our rank | #37 |
| ₹3,000/yr | Fee — joining · annual (+ GST) | ₹0 — lifetime free — wins this row |
| ₹4,00,000 spend | Fee waiver | None |
| 2% + GST | Forex markup | 0% — zero forex markup (AU's ixigo/travel carve-out; Ananta pays 3.49%, Zenith+ 0.99%) — wins this row |
| 3.5%/mo (42%/yr) | APR | 3.75%/mo (45%/yr) — AU standard retail tier (all AU cards except Zenith+) |
| 2.0% — wins this row | Headline earn rate | 1.3% |
| Kotak Air Miles | Currency | ixigo AU Reward Points |
| ₹1.00/pt | House value | ₹0.50/pt |
| 2,500 Air Miles (₹2,500) on joining + 2,500 Air Miles at every renewal | Welcome benefit | 1,000 reward points + ₹1,000 ixigo money on the first transaction within 30 days — the ixigo-money voucher is new-to-bank only and expires 90 days from issuance |
| 735 of 793 — wins this row | Lounge doors opened | 717 of 793 |
| not published | Income — salaried | ₹25,000/month, or CIBIL 750+ (community) |
Gold marks the better side of a row. House value is our ₹-per-point mark for each card's currency — the full valuation index →
The ₹ face-off at ₹1L/₹3L/₹5L a month
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.
ixigo AU wins under ₹0.75L/month; Kotak Air+ takes over above it.
Where the lead changes hands — a 20-step sweep from ₹0.25L to ₹5L/month
Where the lead changes hands
The lead changes hands at ₹0.75L a month: ixigo AU is ahead by ₹9,400 at ₹0.25L, Kotak Air+ by ₹77,000 at ₹5L.
Ixigo AU's ongoing earn stops at ₹4,00,000 of spend a month, where Kotak Air+'s doesn't; Kotak Air+ runs a 5.0% booster on Kotak Unbox flights/hotels, where ixigo AU earns one flat rate.
Kotak Air+ draws above the line, ixigo AU below · ₹0.25L to ₹5L a month, step by step
| Monthly spend | Kotak Air+ | ixigo AU | In front |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹0.25L | ₹4,350 | ₹13,750 | ixigo AU by ₹9,400 |
| ₹0.5L | ₹14,700 | ₹17,500 | ixigo AU by ₹2,800 |
| ₹0.75L | ₹22,050 | ₹21,250 | Kotak Air+ by ₹800 |
| ₹1L | ₹29,400 | ₹25,000 | Kotak Air+ by ₹4,400 |
| ₹1.25L | ₹36,750 | ₹28,750 | Kotak Air+ by ₹8,000 |
| ₹1.5L | ₹44,100 | ₹32,500 | Kotak Air+ by ₹11,600 |
| ₹1.75L | ₹51,450 | ₹36,250 | Kotak Air+ by ₹15,200 |
| ₹2L | ₹58,800 | ₹40,000 | Kotak Air+ by ₹18,800 |
| ₹2.25L | ₹66,150 | ₹43,750 | Kotak Air+ by ₹22,400 |
| ₹2.5L | ₹73,500 | ₹47,500 | Kotak Air+ by ₹26,000 |
| ₹2.75L | ₹80,850 | ₹51,250 | Kotak Air+ by ₹29,600 |
| ₹3L | ₹88,200 | ₹55,000 | Kotak Air+ by ₹33,200 |
| ₹3.25L | ₹95,550 | ₹58,750 | Kotak Air+ by ₹36,800 |
| ₹3.5L | ₹1,02,900 | ₹62,500 | Kotak Air+ by ₹40,400 |
| ₹3.75L | ₹1,10,250 | ₹66,250 | Kotak Air+ by ₹44,000 |
| ₹4L | ₹1,17,600 | ₹70,000 | Kotak Air+ by ₹47,600 |
| ₹4.25L | ₹1,24,950 | ₹70,000 | Kotak Air+ by ₹54,950 |
| ₹4.5L | ₹1,32,300 | ₹70,000 | Kotak Air+ by ₹62,300 |
| ₹4.75L | ₹1,39,650 | ₹70,000 | Kotak Air+ by ₹69,650 |
| ₹5L | ₹1,47,000 | ₹70,000 | Kotak Air+ by ₹77,000 |
Transfer reach — 9 vs 0 live routes
Transfer reach
0 shared routes · 3 only Kotak Air+ · 0 only ixigo AU — the full partner lists
Only Kotak Air+
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios)
- The British Airways Club (Avios)
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Full route maps on each card page, best ₹/point routes on the optimizer →
What to watch out for — 6 points
What to watch out for
Kotak Air+ · 3 more →
- Zero Air Miles on international spends — the low 2% markup buys cheap swipes, not miles
- Airline transfers run 2:1, Marriott 3:1 — worse than Solitaire's 1:1, and worse than the ₹1 flat Unbox redemption
- Air India Maharaja Club is NOT an Air+ partner — that route belongs to the ₹999 Kotak Air
ixigo AU · 5 more →
- Points are worth 1.25% ONLY as ixigo money in ixigo's app — 0.5% as cashback, ₹99+GST per redemption, and a 200-point minimum before you can redeem anything
- Zero reward points on international spends, fuel, rent (MCC 6513), education, government, BBPS or wallet loads
- Utility, telecom (MCC 4812/4814/4899/4900) and insurance (5960/6300) earn a REDUCED 1 point per ₹100, and insurance stops at 100 points a transaction — so a ₹50,000 premium earns the same 100 points as a ₹10,000 one
The call
For the ₹1L/month spender, Kotak Air+ nets ₹29,400 against ₹25,000 — a ₹4,400 gap. At ₹5L/month, Kotak Air+ nets ₹1,47,000 against ₹70,000 — a ₹77,000 gap. Lounge chasers: Kotak Air+ opens 735 of 793 tracked doors to ixigo AU's 717.
Our standing verdicts: Kotak Air+ — Keep; ixigo AU — Keep. Kotak Air+ takes 6 of the 8 rounds we can score — that's the overall call. Your spend pattern can overrule us: run your exact numbers →
Common questions — 5 answered
Straight answers
Which is better, Kotak Air+ or ixigo AU?
Kotak Air+. Kotak Air+ takes 6 of the 8 rounds we can score. ixigo AU wins under ₹0.75L/month; Kotak Air+ takes over above it.
Kotak Air+ or ixigo AU — which earns more at ₹3L a month?
At ₹3L a month, Kotak Air+ nets ₹88,200 against ₹55,000 — a ₹33,200 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, Kotak Air+ or ixigo AU?
ixigo AU — ₹0 — lifetime free against ₹3,000/yr. Kotak Air+ waives its fee at ₹4,00,000 of spend; ixigo AU at no spend level — there is no waiver.
Which gets you into more airport lounges, Kotak Air+ or ixigo AU?
Lounge chasers: Kotak Air+ opens 735 of 793 tracked doors to ixigo AU's 717. Visit quotas, guest charges and spend gates are per card — the lounge map carries each one.
How current is this comparison?
Card records last re-verified against their issuers' own documents: Kotak Air+ on 2026-07-26, ixigo AU on 2026-09-25. 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.
Verified against Kotak Mahindra Bank and AU Small Finance Bank's own documents on · the ranking model, at our house ₹/point
Every document behind this page — 13 of them, each with the day we read it
- official Key Fact Statement — Kotak Air+ Credit Card (version KFSA+12032026) — joining ₹3,000, annual ₹3,000, joining-fee waiver NA
- official Kotak Air+ Detailed T&C PDF — joining ₹3,000 / annual ₹3,000, 2,500 welcome Air Miles within 120 days + 2,500 renewal
- official Air Miles Transfer Ratio for Kotak Air+ Credit Card — Air Canada, Air France, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airlines and United Airlines all 2:1
- official Kotak Air+ official product page — 5/2 Air Miles per ₹100, 2 international (Priority Pass) + 4 domestic lounge visits, 2% foreign-currency markup
- community CardInsider (28 May 2026) — claims a ₹5,000 travel voucher per ₹1.5 lakh a quarter, up to ₹20,000/yr
- community CardInsider — claims Kotak Air+ Air Miles convert 2:1 to Air India Maharaja Club
- official ixigo co-brand product page — 5 RP/₹200 online/offline/UPI, LTF, 0% forex, 16 lounge visits, ₹2L trip protection, Visa + RuPay, ₹1,000 ixigo money + 1,000 RP welcome
- official AU product page — lifetime free, 2.5% rewards per ₹200 (10,000 RP/cycle), ₹99+GST redemption from 200 RP, points last 2 years from the statement month, 8+8+1 lounges
- official AU notice, Revision of ixigo AU Reward Points Usage T&C (w.e.f. 22-Dec-2024) — the MCC table cutting utility, telecom and insurance to a reduced rate and zeroing rent, education, BBPS, international
- official AU's current bank-wide MITC with Schedule of Charges (v2.21, 7 July 2026) — ixigo AU is lifetime free and the only AU card at 0% forex, 50-day interest-free period, ₹250/month fuel-surcharge cap
- community CardInsider — 2.5 RP/₹100, ₹0.50 ixigo money / ₹0.25 cashback / ₹0.20 vouchers, ₹99+GST redemption fee, 10,000 RP monthly cap, 5,000 RP quarterly milestone at ₹75k, lounge counts
- official AU Usage T&C (w.e.f. 10-Apr-2026) — the domestic lounge programme runs on AU's OWN 50+ room list, not a card scheme; ₹50,000 prior-quarter spend gate
- official AU's own domestic lounge list for every card except Zenith+ — 50 rooms in 24 cities (Adani, Encalm, Travel Club, 080, Earth, Primus, Pearl, Blackberry, Airr)