3 pts / ₹100 · Up to 5 pts / ₹100 on Dining
Strong data Pairwise comparison
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AU Small Finance Bank Zenith vs Standard Chartered Bank India Ultimate Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex
Side-by-side comparison of the AU Small Finance Bank Zenith and the Standard Chartered Bank India Ultimate. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.
The short answer
VerdictPick Ultimate for lounge access.
Head-to-head
Three core metrics- Annual fee Ultimate saves ₹2,999/yrZenith ₹7,999 Waivable at ₹5,00,000 spendUltimate ₹5,000 Annual-fee waiver not offered
- Forex markup Zenith saves ~₹10 per ₹1L abroadZenith 1.99%Ultimate 2%
- Domestic lounge Ultimate: +8 lounge visits/yrZenith 8/year (2 per quarter) Conditional · Domestic: 2/quarter · requires ₹20,000 spend in the calendar quarterUltimate 16/year (4 per quarter) Conditional · International: 1/month · requires ₹20,000 spend in the previous month (unlocks the following month)
Reward earning explained
Per card5 pts / ₹150
Strong dataPick based on what matters
4 dimensionsStart with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (AU Small Finance Bank Zenith: ₹7,999 vs Standard Chartered Bank India Ultimate: ₹5,000), forex markup (1.99% vs 2%), or lounge access (8/year (2 per quarter) vs 16/year (4 per quarter)).
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Travel Tie Both cards are similar for travel
Forex markup is 1.99%. Forex markup is 2%.
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Forex markup Tie Both cards are similar for forex
Forex markup is 1.99%. Forex markup is 2%.
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Lounge access Standard Chartered Bank India Ultimate wins Standard Chartered Bank India Ultimate is better for lounge access
Standard Chartered Bank India Ultimate is stronger here. Standard Chartered Bank India Ultimate offers 16 domestic lounge visits per year versus 8.
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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). Standard Chartered Bank India Ultimate conservative base value ~3.3333333333333335% per ₹100.
All fields
Example usage at this monthly spend
At ₹50k/month spend:
- Standard Chartered Ultimate: ~₹1,670/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 | Ultimate Standard Chartered Bank India |
|---|---|---|
| Lounge Access | ||
| Domestic lounge visits spend-gated on some cards — see caveats 8/year (2 per quarter) vs 16/year (4 per quarter) | 8/year (2 per quarter) | 16/year (4 per quarter) |
| International lounge visits 2 per quarter vs 1 per month | 2 per quarter | 1 per month |
| Forex / International Use | ||
| Forex markup Source agreement differs — verify both. 1.99% vs 2% | 1.99% | 2% |
| Fees | ||
| Recurring annual fee ₹7,999 vs ₹5,000 | ₹7,999 | ₹5,000 |
| Annual-fee waiver ₹5,00,000 vs Not offered | ₹5,00,000 | Not offered |
| Interest-free period Up to 50 days vs Up to 48 days | Up to 50 days | Up to 48 days |
| Monthly interest rate | 3.75% / month | 3.75% / month |
| Fuel benefit Only available for AU Zenith | Surcharge waiver available · ₹400–₹5,000 transactions · ₹1,000/month waiver cap | Not specified |
| Rewards | ||
| Base earn 3 pts / ₹100 vs 5 pts / ₹150 | 3 pts / ₹100 | 5 pts / ₹150 |
| Conservative base value Not safely INR-comparable vs ~3.3% | Not safely INR-comparable | ~3.3% |
| Earn ceiling 100 points per transaction; at 3 pts / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ~₹3,300 of eligible spend vs Not stated | 100 points per transaction; at 3 pts / ₹100, this lane reaches the cap at ~₹3,300 of eligible spend | Not stated |
| Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid. Only available for Standard Chartered Ultimate | Not specified | ₹1 |
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.
AU Small Finance Bank Zenith
Verify with issuer , opens external siteStandard Chartered Bank India Ultimate
Verify with issuer , opens external site