AU stops paying reward points on transportation codes — 1 April 2026

AU Small Finance Bank has stopped paying reward points on transportation merchant codes for several of its cards, including the CA, Xcite, Xcite Ultra, and Altura+ cards, effective 1st April 2026. This change brings these cards in line with the CS card, which already excluded transportation codes. The ixigo AU co-brand variants are excluded from this change. Before this, transportation was a difference between the CS and CA cards, but now both cards exclude it, along with Xcite, Xcite Ultra, and Altura+.

This change is the fifth exclusion added by AU in three years, following the 2023 voucher markdown, the 2024 fuel/rent/education/government sweep, the ixigo MCC rewrite, and the April-2026 lounge gate. None of these changes were announced with a notice. The ixigo AU co-brand is the only carve-out, as stated in AU’s MITC.

Our take: if you hold an AU card affected by this change, review your spending to see if the loss of reward points on transportation codes affects you. If you primarily use your card for other purchases, this change may not impact you significantly. However, if you frequently use your card for transportation, you may want to consider alternative uses for your card. The AU co-brand with ixigo remains unaffected, so if you have that card, you can continue to earn reward points on transportation codes.