AU Bank Ananta Credit Card Review
At a Glance
| Joining Fee | ₹2,000 + GST (₹2,360 all-in), charged on activation |
| Annual Fee | ₹2,000 + GST from year two, waived on ₹3,00,000 of retail spends in the previous card year |
| Best Suited For | People who spend ₹2.5 lakh or more a year, mostly on shopping, dining and travel |
| Reward Type | AU reward points, worth ₹0.25 each |
The AU Bank Ananta Credit Card is AU Small Finance Bank’s mid-premium rewards card, priced at ₹2,000 + GST.
It pays 5 reward points per ₹100 on shopping, dining and travel, gives 8,000 bonus points when you start using it, and adds up to 50,000 milestone points if you spend ₹10 lakh in a card year.
Domestic lounge access is generous on paper at 4 visits a quarter, but every visit has to be earned by booking a flight through AU’s own portal. This review puts a rupee value on each of those benefits so you can see whether the fee pays for itself.
Rewards & Benefits
Reward rate and earn structure
| Spend | Points per ₹100 | Value back |
|---|---|---|
| Shopping, dining and travel | 5, capped at 5,000 points a statement cycle | 1.25% |
| All other retail spends | 2 | 0.5% |
| Insurance, utility and telecom | 1, capped at 100 points a transaction on utility and telecom | 0.25% |
| Cash, rent, education, government, EMI, fuel, BBPS, transport and quasi cash | 0 | Nil |
The 5,000-point cap is reached at ₹1,00,000 of shopping, dining and travel spends in a single cycle, so it only bites for very heavy users. Bill payments made through BBPS earn nothing at all.
Redemption and point value
AU values 5,000 points at ₹1,250 in its own milestone table, which makes one point worth ₹0.25. You redeem on the AU Rewardz portal for e-vouchers, merchandise, flights and hotels, and every redemption carries a ₹99 + GST fee, so redeem in large blocks.
Spend ₹1.2 lakh a year on the accelerated categories and ₹1.8 lakh on everything else and you earn 9,600 points, worth ₹2,400.
Welcome and milestone benefits
| Benefit | Condition | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 8,000 welcome points | Activate and make your first transaction within 30 days of issuance, with the joining fee paid | ₹2,000 |
| 5,000 points | ₹2.5 lakh spent in a card anniversary year | ₹1,250 |
| 10,000 points | ₹5 lakh | ₹2,500 |
| 15,000 points | ₹7.5 lakh | ₹3,750 |
| 20,000 points | ₹10 lakh | ₹5,000 |
Milestones stack, so ₹10 lakh of spends earns all four, 50,000 points worth ₹12,500. Fuel and cash spends do not count towards them. The welcome points alone are worth ₹2,000 against the ₹2,360 you pay to join.
Travel, lounge and partner offers
| Benefit | Allowance |
|---|---|
| Domestic airport lounge | Up to 4 visits a calendar quarter, 1 visit per one-way flight of ₹5,000 or more booked on AU Rewardz |
| International lounge | Not offered |
| Amazon Fashion, District dining | 15% instant discount, up to ₹500 a month each |
| Hotels on AU Rewardz | 15% instant discount, primary cardholder only |
| Flights and hotels on AU Rewardz | 3-month no-cost EMI on ₹2,000 or more, ₹199 + GST fee |
| Fuel surcharge waiver | 1% on ₹400 to ₹5,000, up to ₹200 a statement cycle |
| Visa variant extras | Times Prime membership, 2 MakeMyTrip domestic flight seats up to ₹350 |
The lounge QR has to be generated within 7 days of your flight and expires on the travel date. A return booking earns 2 visits. If you book flights elsewhere, you get no lounge access at all.
| Insurance cover | Amount |
|---|---|
| Air accident | Up to ₹50 lakh |
| Credit shield | Up to ₹5 lakh |
| Purchase protection (90 days) | Up to ₹25,000 |
Fees & Charges
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Joining fee | ₹2,000 + GST, no waiver |
| Annual fee | ₹2,000 + GST, waived on ₹3,00,000 retail spends |
| Interest rate | 3.75% a month (45% a year) |
| Cash withdrawal | 2.5% or ₹500, whichever is higher |
| Late payment | 15% of total amount due, ₹10 minimum, ₹1,300 maximum |
| Over-limit | 2.5% of the excess, ₹500 minimum |
| Forex markup | 3.49% |
| Reward redemption | ₹99 + GST each time |
| Rent, and education through apps | 1%, ₹99 minimum a transaction |
| Utility above ₹50,000 a month | 1% |
GST at 18% applies to all fees and interest. To clear the ₹3 lakh waiver you need ₹25,000 of retail spends a month, which also unlocks the first ₹1,250 milestone at ₹2.5 lakh.
The charge that catches people out is the 3.49% forex markup. Travel spends earn 1.25% back, so paying abroad with this card still leaves you more than 2% worse off on every transaction.
Eligibility & Documents Required
You must be a resident Indian aged 21 to 60 if salaried, or 25 to 65 if self-employed. Add-on cardholders must be over 18.
AU does not publish a minimum income for Ananta on its card page, and approval is at the bank’s discretion. Keep your PAN, Aadhaar or another address proof, and recent salary slips or income tax returns ready.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 8,000 welcome points cover most of the joining fee | No joining fee waiver |
| Up to ₹12,500 a year in milestone points | Lounge visits only via AU Rewardz flight bookings |
| High 5,000-point monthly cap | ₹99 + GST on every redemption |
| ₹50 lakh air accident cover | 3.49% forex markup, no international lounge |
Ananta vs Competitors
| Feature | AU Vetta | AU Ananta | AU Zenith+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | ₹2,999 | ₹2,000 | ₹4,999 |
| Waiver spend | ₹1,50,000 | ₹3,00,000 | ₹8,00,000 |
| Accelerated points per ₹100 | 4 on grocery and department stores | 5 on shopping, dining, travel | 2 on travel, dining, international |
| Domestic lounge | 1 a quarter | Up to 4 a quarter, via AU Rewardz bookings | 4 a quarter |
| Forex markup | 3.49% | 3.49% | 0.99% |
Fees are plus GST. Vetta suits grocery-heavy households and has an easier waiver. Zenith+ is the better pick if you travel abroad, thanks to its 0.99% markup and international lounges, but it needs ₹8 lakh of spends to be free.
How to Apply
Open the Ananta page on AU Bank’s site and click Apply. Enter your mobile number, PAN and income details, then complete KYC online.
You can also apply at an AU branch. Once the card arrives, activate it through the AU 0101 app and make a transaction within 30 days so the 8,000 welcome points are credited.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the AU Ananta annual fee waived?
Yes, from the second year. The ₹2,000 + GST fee is waived if you spend ₹3,00,000 on retail purchases in the previous card anniversary year. The joining fee cannot be waived.
How many lounge visits does AU Ananta give?
Up to 4 domestic visits a calendar quarter. Each one needs a flight ticket of ₹5,000 or more booked through AU Rewardz by the primary cardholder.
What is an AU Ananta reward point worth?
₹0.25, based on AU’s own milestone values. That makes the 5X rate worth 1.25% and the base rate worth 0.5%, before the ₹99 + GST redemption fee.
What is the age limit for AU Ananta?
21 to 60 years for salaried applicants and 25 to 65 years for the self-employed. AU does not publish an income threshold on the card page.
Does AU Ananta earn points on fuel and rent?
No. Fuel, rent, cash, EMI, education, government, BBPS and transport spends earn no points, and fuel does not count towards milestones.
Bottom Line
Get the AU Ananta if you will spend at least ₹2.5 lakh a year with most of it on shopping, dining and travel. At ₹3 lakh you earn around ₹3,650 in points plus milestones, the fee is waived from year two, and the welcome points cover most of the first year’s cost.
Skip it if you spend under ₹2 lakh a year, because the fee then outweighs the rewards. Skip it too if you travel abroad or book flights on other apps, since the 3.49% markup and portal-only lounge access cancel its travel appeal.
