Which card has a lower forex fee: AU Zenith+ Credit Card or ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card?

AU Zenith+ Credit Card has lower forex markup (0.99% vs 3.5%).

Which card has a lower annual fee: AU Zenith+ Credit Card or ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card?

ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card has a lower annual fee (₹3,500 annual fee vs ₹4,999 annual fee).

Which card offers better lounge access?

AU Zenith+ Credit Card: 2 domestic + 2 international lounge visits/quarter. ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card: 2 per quarter domestic + 2 per year international.

Which card has a higher base reward rate?

Base reward rates are not fully available for both cards in the current snapshot.

Pairwise comparison Compare 3+ cards →

AU Small Finance Bank Zenith+ vs ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex

Side-by-side comparison of the AU Small Finance Bank Zenith+ and the ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

Zenith+

Sapphiro Mastercard

The short answer

Verdict

Pick Zenith+ for spending abroad.

Head-to-head

Three core metrics

Annual fee

Zenith+ ₹4,999 Waivable at ₹8,00,000 spend

Sapphiro Mastercard ₹3,500 Waivable at ₹6,00,000 spend

Sapphiro Mastercard saves ₹1,499/yr
Forex markup

Zenith+ 0.99%

Sapphiro Mastercard 3.5%

Zenith+ saves ~₹2,510 per ₹1L abroad
Domestic lounge

Zenith+ 8/year (2 per quarter)

Sapphiro Mastercard 8/year (2 per quarter) Conditional · Domestic: 2/quarter · requires ₹75,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter (unlocks the following quarter)

Reward earning explained

Per card

Zenith+

3 pts / ₹100

Limited data

Sapphiro Mastercard

2 pts / ₹100 · Up to 4 pts / ₹100 on international spend

Strong data

Pick based on what matters

4 dimensions

Start with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (AU Small Finance Bank Zenith+: ₹4,999 vs ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard: ₹3,500), forex markup (0.99% vs 3.5%), or lounge access (8/year (2 per quarter) vs 8/year (2 per quarter)).

Travel Insufficient data

Insufficient data to compare travel

Only AU Small Finance Bank Zenith+ has comparable evidence here. Forex markup is 0.99%.

Zenith+: Strong data Sapphiro Mastercard: Strong data
Forex markup AU Small Finance Bank Zenith+ wins

AU Small Finance Bank Zenith+ is better for forex

AU Small Finance Bank Zenith+ is stronger here. Forex markup is 0.99%.
Lounge access Tie

Both cards are similar for lounge access

Domestic lounge access is 2 per quarter.
Rewards Insufficient data

Insufficient data to compare rewards

Available evidence is incomplete: AU Small Finance Bank Zenith+ is not safely INR-comparable (no usable point value). ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard conservative base value ~0.5% per ₹100.

Zenith+: Limited data Sapphiro Mastercard: Strong data

All fields

Standard view

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

Sapphiro: ~₹250/month at base rate
AU Zenith+: Base earn not clearly specified

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

Field	Zenith+ AU Small Finance Bank	Sapphiro Mastercard ICICI Bank
Insurance — Air accident cover Only available for Sapphiro	Not specified	₹3 crore · Requires at least one card use during the preceding 60 days
Insurance — Lost card liability cover Only available for Sapphiro	Not specified	₹50,000
Insurance — Underwriter Only available for Sapphiro	Not specified	Insured by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits spend-gated on some cards — see caveats	8/year (2 per quarter)	8/year (2 per quarter)
International lounge visits 2 per quarter vs 2 per year	2 per quarter	2 per year
Forex / International Use
Forex markup Source agreement differs — verify both. 0.99% vs 3.5%	0.99%	3.5%
Fees
Recurring annual fee ₹4,999 vs ₹3,500	₹4,999	₹3,500
Annual-fee waiver ₹8,00,000 vs ₹6,00,000	₹8,00,000	₹6,00,000
Interest-free period Up to 50 days vs Up to 48 days	Up to 50 days	Up to 48 days
Monthly interest rate 1.99% / month vs 3.75% / month	1.99% / month	3.75% / month
Fuel benefit Surcharge waiver available · ₹400–₹5,000 transactions · ₹1,000/month waiver cap vs 1% surcharge waiver · up to ₹4,000 transactions · Fuel rewards excluded	Surcharge waiver available · ₹400–₹5,000 transactions · ₹1,000/month waiver cap	1% surcharge waiver · up to ₹4,000 transactions · Fuel rewards excluded
Rewards
Points per ₹100 3 pts / ₹100 vs 2 pts / ₹100	3 pts / ₹100	2 pts / ₹100
Conservative base value Not safely INR-comparable vs ~0.5%	Not safely INR-comparable	~0.5%
Earn ceiling Not stated vs Eligible spend capped at ₹80,000 per statement cycle	Not stated	Eligible spend capped at ₹80,000 per statement cycle
Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid. Only available for Sapphiro	Not specified	₹0.25
Point validity Only available for Sapphiro	Not specified	3 years

Notes

ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card: Condition: ₹75,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter (unlocks the following quarter)
Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.

AU Small Finance Bank Zenith+

Verify with issuer

ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard

Verify with issuer