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AMEX Platinum Travel vs AU Zenith

Side-by-side comparison of the American Express Platinum Travel and the AU Small Finance Bank Zenith. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

Zenith

The short answer

Platinum Travel costs ₹2,999 less a year.

Head-to-head

  • Annual fee Annual fee outcome: tie.
    Platinum Travel ₹5,000
    Zenith ₹7,999 Waivable at ₹5,00,000 spend
    ₹2,999/yr apart · waiver gates differ
  • Forex markup Forex markup outcome: tie.
    Platinum Travel 3.5%
    Zenith 3.49%
    Tie
  • Domestic lounge Domestic lounge outcome: tie.
    Platinum Travel 8/year (2 per quarter)
    Zenith 8/year (2 per quarter) Conditional · Domestic: 2/quarter · requires ₹20,000 spend in the calendar quarter
  • Rewards Rewards outcome: insufficient data to compare.
    Platinum Travel Not safely INR-comparable
    Zenith Not safely INR-comparable
    conservative base value
    Platinum Travel: Strong data Zenith: Strong data

Reward earning explained

Platinum Travel

3 Membership Rewards Points / ₹150

Strong data
Zenith

3 pts / ₹100 · Up to 5 pts / ₹100 on Dining

Strong data

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

  • American Express Platinum Travel: Base earn not clearly specified
  • AU Zenith: Base earn not clearly specified

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

All fields

Field Platinum Travel American Express Zenith AU Small Finance Bank
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits
spend-gated on some cards — see caveats
8/year (2 per quarter) 8/year (2 per quarter)
Railway lounge visits
Only available for AU Zenith
Not specified 8 railway lounge visits per year (max 2/quarter)
International lounge visits
Not included vs 2 per quarter
No international lounge access 2 per quarter
Forex / International Use
Forex markup
Source agreement differs — verify both.
3.5% vs 3.49%
3.5% 3.49%
Fees
Recurring annual fee
₹5,000 vs ₹7,999
₹5,000 ₹7,999
First-year cost
Only available for American Express Platinum Travel
₹5,000 Not specified
Annual-fee waiver
Only available for AU Zenith
Not specified ₹5,00,000
Interest-free period
Up to 48 days vs Up to 50 days
Up to 48 days Up to 50 days
Monthly interest rate
Only available for AU Zenith
Not specified 3.75% / month
Fuel benefit
1% surcharge waiver · ₹5,000+ transactions · Fuel rewards excluded vs Surcharge waiver available · ₹400–₹5,000 transactions · ₹1,000/month waiver cap
1% surcharge waiver · ₹5,000+ transactions · Fuel rewards excluded Surcharge waiver available · ₹400–₹5,000 transactions · ₹1,000/month waiver cap
Rewards
Base earn
3 Membership Rewards Points / ₹150 vs 3 pts / ₹100
3 Membership Rewards Points / ₹150 3 pts / ₹100
Earn ceiling
Not stated vs 100 points per transaction; at 3 pts / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ~₹3,300 of eligible spend
Not stated 100 points per transaction at 3 pts / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ~₹3,300 of eligible spend

Notes

  • AU Zenith Credit Card: Condition: ₹20,000 spend in the calendar quarter
  • Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.