3 pts / ₹100 · Up to 5 pts / ₹100 on Dining
Strong data Pairwise comparison
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AU Zenith vs STANDARD CHARTERED Ultimate
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
Pick Ultimate for lounge access and spending abroad.
Ultimate costs ₹2,999 less a year but waives only at Not offered spend, Zenith at ₹5,00,000.
Head-to-head
- Annual fee Annual fee outcome: tie. ₹2,999/yr apart · waiver gates differZenith ₹7,999 Waivable at ₹5,00,000 spendUltimate ₹5,000 Annual-fee waiver not offered
- Forex markup Forex markup outcome: Ultimate wins. Ultimate saves ~₹1,490 per ₹1L abroadZenith 3.49%Ultimate 2%
- Domestic lounge Domestic lounge outcome: Ultimate wins. Zenith 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)
- Rewards Rewards outcome: insufficient data to compare. conservative base valueZenith Not safely INR-comparableUltimate ~3.3%
Reward earning explained
5 pts / ₹150
Strong dataExample 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.
All fields
| 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) |
| Railway lounge visits Only available for AU Zenith | 8 railway lounge visits per year (max 2/quarter) | Not specified |
| 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. 3.49% vs 2% | 3.49% | 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