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AXIS ACE vs AU CheQ

Side-by-side comparison of the Axis Bank ACE and the AU Small Finance Bank CheQ. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

ACE
CheQ

The short answer

Pick CheQ for UPI payments.

CheQ costs ₹499 less a year.

Head-to-head

  • Annual fee Annual fee outcome: tie.
    ACE ₹499 Waivable at ₹2,00,000 spend
    CheQ ₹0
    ₹499/yr apart · waiver gates differ
  • Forex markup Forex markup outcome: tie.
    ACE 3.5%
    CheQ 3.49%
    Tie
  • Domestic lounge Domestic lounge outcome: insufficient data to compare.
    ACE 4/year Conditional · Domestic: 4/year · requires ₹50,000 spend in the previous 3 calendar months
    CheQ Not specified
  • Rewards Rewards outcome: insufficient data to compare.
    ACE ~1.5%
    CheQ Not safely INR-comparable
    conservative base value
    ACE: Strong data CheQ: Strong data
  • UPI payments UPI payments outcome: CheQ wins.
    ACE No UPI support
    CheQ Supports UPI

Reward earning explained

ACE

1.5% · Up to 5% on Google Pay

Strong data
CheQ

1 pt / ₹100 on domestic spend

Strong data

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

  • ACE: ~₹750/month at base rate
  • CheQ AU: Base earn not clearly specified

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

All fields

Field ACE Axis Bank CheQ AU Small Finance Bank
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits
spend-gated on some cards — see caveats
Only available for ACE
4/year Not specified
International lounge visits
Only available for ACE
No international lounge access Not specified
Forex / International Use
Forex markup
Source agreement differs — verify both.
3.5% vs 3.49%
3.5% 3.49%
Fees
Recurring annual fee
₹499 vs ₹0
₹499 ₹0
Annual-fee waiver
Only available for ACE
₹2,00,000 Not specified
Interest-free period
Only available for ACE
Up to 50 days Not specified
Monthly interest rate 3.75% / month 3.75% / month
Fuel benefit
1% surcharge waiver · ₹400–₹4,000 transactions · ₹500/month waiver cap vs Surcharge waiver available · ₹500–₹5,000 transactions · ₹150/month waiver cap
1% surcharge waiver · ₹400–₹4,000 transactions · ₹500/month waiver cap Surcharge waiver available · ₹500–₹5,000 transactions · ₹150/month waiver cap
Rewards
Base earn
Some reward lanes are unsupported — base rate only for comparison.
1.5% vs 1 pt / ₹100 on domestic spend
1.5% 1 pt / ₹100 on domestic spend
Conservative base value
~1.5% vs Not safely INR-comparable
~1.5% Not safely INR-comparable
Earn ceiling
₹500 per statement cycle — shared across Google Pay (domestic), Ola (domestic), Swiggy (domestic) & Zomato (domestic) vs Not stated
₹500 per statement cycle — shared across Google Pay (domestic), Ola (domestic), Swiggy (domestic) & Zomato (domestic) Not stated
Point value (headline channel)
Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid.
Only available for ACE
₹1 Not specified

Notes

  • Axis Bank ACE Credit Card: Condition: ₹50,000 spend in the previous 3 calendar months
  • Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.