AU Zenith Credit Card Devaluation

The AU Zenith Credit Card was earlier positioned as AU Bank’s most premium offering. That spot has now been taken by the newer AU Zenith+ Credit Card. With this shift, AU Bank has reduced the reward rate on the older AU Zenith Credit Card, clearly pushing customers towards the newer and more premium Zenith+ variant. These changes will come into effect from 1 January 2026.

Reward Rate Slashed

Discontinuation of Existing Milestone Benefit

From 1 January 2026, AU Bank will discontinue the existing milestone benefits on the card. Earlier, cardholders could earn a ₹1,000 brand voucher by spending ₹2 lakh in a quarter, and also get a Taj Epicure Membership on spending ₹8 lakh in a card anniversary year. Both these rewards will no longer be available.

Instead, a new and much simpler milestone benefit will be introduced. Going forward, if you spend ₹50,000 or more in a statement cycle, you will earn 1,000 bonus reward points. While this new structure is easier to understand and achieve, it is clearly less rewarding compared to the earlier milestone benefits.

Bottom Line

The AU Zenith Credit Card was once positioned as AU Bank’s top premium offering, but that status has now clearly shifted to the newer Zenith+ Credit Card. With the latest changes, the bank has further reduced the appeal of the older Zenith card by cutting reward rates and removing valuable milestone benefits. This makes it clear that AU Bank wants existing Zenith cardholders to move to the paid Zenith+ variant.

However, with this latest changes, the AU Zenith Credit Card now struggles to justify its premium tag. With lower rewards and fewer perks, it no longer matches what many other premium credit cards in the market currently offer.