AU Prathama Credit Card Review 2026: ₹100 a Year, and the ₹5,000 Threshold That Doubles Your Rate
AU Prathama costs ₹100 — AU's cheapest fee-bearing card. Cross ₹5,000 in a statement cycle and the rate doubles on everything above it. How the threshold works, plus caps and FAQs.
AU Prathama costs ₹100 a year, the cheapest fee-bearing card AU issues, and waives it at ₹75,000 of annual spend — the lowest threshold in the range.
Its earning has a twist worth understanding: crossing ₹5,000 in a statement cycle doubles the rate on everything above that point.
AU Prathama Credit Card Quick Overview
| **Card type** | Entry rewards card |
|---|---|
| **Best for** | Someone who wants a near-free card and spends over ₹5,000 a month on it |
| **Joining / renewal fee** | ₹100 + GST, same on renewal — renewal waived at ₹75,000 of annual spend |
| **Network** | Visa, RuPay |
| **Base reward rate** | **0.25%** |
| **Top reward rate** | **0.5%** — shopping |
| **Reward currency** | AU Reward Points, valued at ₹0.25 each |
| **Lounge access** | None published |
| **Forex markup** | 3.49% |
Reward Structure: How You Earn
AU Reward Points are worth ₹0.25 each when redeemed through AU Rewardz. That figure is not a guess — AU's Card Member Agreement states it, and AU's reward-points revision notice confirms it by setting a lower rate of ₹0.20 for gift cards and vouchers while leaving 'all other categories of redemption' unchanged. Every percentage in this review uses ₹0.25.
1 Reward Point per ₹100 on all other eligible transactions — 0.25%.
2 Reward Points per ₹100 on contactless Tap & Pay transactions — 0.5%.
2 Reward Points per ₹100 on incremental spends above ₹5,000 in a statement cycle — 0.5%.
| Spend | Effective rate |
|---|---|
| shopping (capped at 5,000 points a month) | **0.5%** |
| Everything else | 0.25% |
| Fuel, rent, wallet loads, government, gaming | **0%** |
The caps that actually bind
Headline rates mean little until you know where they stop. These are the limits on this card:
| Cap | Limit |
|---|---|
| Incr | 5,000 points per calendar month |
The ₹5,000 threshold is incremental, not retrospective
This is the detail that decides whether the card is worth holding.
The first ₹5,000 of each statement cycle earns 1 Reward Point per ₹100. Everything above ₹5,000 earns 2. The doubled rate does not apply retrospectively to the first ₹5,000.
So a cardholder spending ₹20,000 a month earns 50 points on the first ₹5,000 and 300 on the remaining ₹15,000 — 350 points, ₹87.50, a blended rate of 0.44%. Someone spending exactly ₹5,000 earns 50 points and a flat 0.25%.
The schema behind this dataset cannot express a threshold that raises a rate, which is worth saying plainly: no automated comparison can compute Prathama's effective rate without knowing your monthly spend.
The ₹99 redemption fee nobody mentions
AU charges ₹99 + GST on every successful redemption, on every card variant it issues. That is ₹116.82 a time, and it is worth 467 Reward Points. It appears in AU's Schedule of Charges and in its reward-points revision notice; it appears on no card page.
The practical effect is that small redemptions are not worth making. Cash out 500 points — ₹125 of value — and the fee takes almost all of it. The programme quietly rewards hoarding points and redeeming in large blocks, which is the opposite of what the card pages suggest.
Fair usage charges: the most important thing about any AU card
AU levies 1% 'fair usage charges' on five categories of spending. These are charges, not merely the absence of rewards — money leaves your account for using the card.
| Category | MCCs | When the 1% applies |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | 5172, 5541, 5542, 5552, 5983 | Monthly aggregate above 50% of your credit limit or ₹50,000, whichever is **lower**. If a single transaction also exceeds ₹10,000, the 1% hits the **entire** aggregate, not just the excess. |
| Utility | 4900 | Monthly aggregate above ₹50,000 |
| Education & government | 8211, 8220, 8241, 8244, 8249, 8299 | Paid through third-party apps (CRED, PhonePe, Paytm, MobiKwik, Freecharge) or internationally. Minimum ₹99 per transaction. Paying the institution directly is free. |
| Rent | 6513 | All domestic rent. Minimum ₹99 per transaction. |
| Transportation | 4111, 4112, 4784 | Monthly aggregate above 50% of your limit or ₹25,000, whichever is lower — then 1% on the **entire** aggregate. |
Two exemptions are worth knowing: the AU Corporate and Purchase cards are exempt from all five, and the ixigo AU co-brand is exempt from the transportation charge. Nothing applies to international transactions.
The fuel rule deserves a second look. Fuel earns no reward points on any AU card, and above the threshold it costs 1%. It is the only category in this dataset that is penalised twice.
Category Restrictions: Where You Won't Earn
- Where you earn nothing: Earns nothing at all: AU excludes fuel, cash withdrawals and quasi-cash from Reward Points across the range. Note that fuel is doubly penalised: it earns nothing AND, above the fair-usage threshold, attracts a 1% charge.
- Point expiry: Reward Points remain valid for 24 months from the date of accrual, per AU's Card Member Agreement. Points are credited on the statement generation date and only where the transaction has settled and has not been reversed, disputed, cancelled, refunded or charged back.
- Redemption fee: ₹99 per redemption.
- Incr cap: A spend THRESHOLD, not a ceiling: the first ₹5,000 of a statement cycle earns 1 Reward Point per ₹100 and everything above it earns 2. The schema has no field for a threshold that raises a rate, so it is recorded here as a spend bucket.
Fees and Charges
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Joining fee | ₹100 + GST |
| Renewal fee | ₹100 + GST |
| Finance charges | 3.75% per month (45% per annum) on all AU retail credit cards. Two exceptions: Zenith+ at 1.99% per month (23.88% per annum) and AU CA and AU CS at 2.99% per month (35.88% per annum). Commercial cards — Corporate, Purchase and Business — are charged up to 3.49% per month (41.88% per annum). |
| Interest-free period | Up to 50 days on retail cards and up to 48 days on commercial cards, and not applicable to cash withdrawals. The period is lost entirely if the previous month's dues were not paid in full. |
| Minimum amount due | 5% of principal outstanding + 100% of fees and charges + 100% of interest + due EMIs + 100% of the annual membership fee + 100% of GST, for customers who paid the previous statement's Total Amount Due in full and on time. For customers who did NOT, the principal component drops to 2% — a lower minimum that lets the balance revolve for longer. The result is rounded up to the next multiple of ₹10, and any unpaid MAD from previous statements is added on. |
| Cash advance fee | 2.5% of the amount withdrawn or ₹500, whichever is higher. Zenith+ and Traverse (NRI) have NO cash withdrawal fee. |
| Cash advance interest | Charged at the card's revolving rate from the date of withdrawal, with no interest-free period. |
| Forex markup | Varies by card: 0% on ixigo AU; 0.99% on Zenith+, NOMO and Traverse (NRI); 1.99% on Zenith, AU CA and AU CS; 2.99% on Vetta; and 3.49% on the rest of the range. |
| Dynamic currency conversion | Charged at the card's cross-currency markup rate — AU applies the same rate to dynamic and static currency conversion transactions as to foreign currency transactions. |
| Late payment | 15% of the Total Amount Due, subject to a minimum of ₹10 and a maximum of ₹1,300. AU's late fee is PERCENTAGE-BASED, which is unusual — most Indian issuers use a flat slab table. On a ₹2,000 balance the charge is ₹300 where a slab-based issuer would charge ₹400–₹500; on a ₹20,000 balance it is ₹1,300 against a typical ₹950–₹1,000. AU's own MITC works the ₹2,000 example. The charge is levied on the amount outstanding after the due date, not on the total amount due, and applies equally if you pay less than the minimum amount due. |
| Overlimit | 2.5% of the over-limit amount, subject to a minimum of ₹500. |
| Payment return | 2% of the Total Amount Due or ₹500, whichever is higher, on the return or failure of a payment — cheque, ECS/NACH or autopay alike. |
| Rent payment | 1% of the transaction value, minimum ₹99 per transaction, on domestic rent (MCC 6513). International rental transactions are not charged. |
| Utility payments | No charge while aggregate utility spend (MCC 4900) stays at or under ₹50,000 in a calendar month; 1% on the amount above ₹50,000. |
| Education payments | 1% of the transaction value, minimum ₹99 per transaction, on education and government payments (MCC 8211, 8220, 8241, 8244, 8249, 8299) made through third-party apps such as CRED, PhonePe, Paytm, MobiKwik and Freecharge, and on international education transactions. Payments made directly to a school or college — on its own website or at its POS terminal — are NOT charged. |
| Fuel transactions | Revised w.e.f. 1 July 2026. No charge while aggregate monthly fuel spend (MCC 5172, 5541, 5542, 5552, 5983) stays under 50% of the credit limit or ₹50,000, whichever is lower. Above that threshold, 1% on the excess — but where a single transaction ALSO exceeds ₹10,000, the 1% is charged on the entire aggregate rather than on the excess alone. |
| Add-on card | AU levies the same joining and annual membership fee schedule on add-on cardholders as on primary cardholders. |
| Reward redemption | ₹99 + GST on EVERY successful redemption, applicable to all AU Bank Credit Card variants. At the ₹0.25 general redemption rate that fee is worth 467 Reward Points. |
| EMI processing | Xpress EMI: 1% of the amount converted, minimum ₹99 + GST — but zero on Laksya, AU CA and AU CS. Instant EMI: ₹199 + GST on every EMI transaction at a point of sale or through a payment gateway. |
| GST | 18% on all fees, interest and other charges. |
Is the AU Prathama Credit Card Worth It?
₹100 a year is close enough to free that the rate barely matters. The card costs less than a single restaurant meal, and ₹75,000 of annual spend removes even that.
The rates are low in absolute terms — 0.25% to 0.5%. Prathama is a first card or a spare card, not a primary one.
The ₹100 fuel surcharge cap matches AU's entry tier.
AU's late payment charge is 15% of the total amount due, with a floor of ₹10 and a ceiling of ₹1,300. That is unusual — almost every Indian issuer uses a flat slab table. It works out cheaper than the market on small balances (₹300 on ₹2,000, where a slab issuer charges ₹400 to ₹500) and at the ceiling on large ones.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How does the ₹5,000 threshold work on AU Prathama? The first ₹5,000 of each statement cycle earns 1 Reward Point per ₹100. Spending above ₹5,000 earns 2 points per ₹100. The higher rate applies only to the incremental amount, not retrospectively to the first ₹5,000.
What is the annual fee on the AU Prathama Credit Card? ₹100 plus GST, waived on ₹75,000 of retail spends in the previous card anniversary year. It is AU's cheapest fee-bearing card and has the lowest waiver threshold in the range.
What is an AU Reward Point worth? ₹0.25 when redeemed through AU Rewardz, and ₹0.20 if redeemed against gift cards, vouchers or e-vouchers. Both rates are published by AU. Points are valid for 24 months from the date they are earned.
Is there a fee to redeem AU reward points? Yes — ₹99 plus GST on every successful redemption, on every AU card variant. At ₹0.25 a point that fee is worth 467 Reward Points, so redeeming small balances is rarely worth it.
Does this card earn rewards on fuel? No. Fuel earns no reward points on any AU credit card. Above 50% of your credit limit or ₹50,000 a month, whichever is lower, fuel spending also attracts a 1% fair usage charge.
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