In-depth review
AU Altura Plus Credit Card
A ₹499 RuPay card that pays 1.5% cashback on offline retail (capped ₹100 per statement cycle) and 2X reward points (2 per ₹100) online, with a recurring 500-point monthly milestone for steady spenders. It's a sensible second rung above the entry Altura, not a rewards engine — and the one thing to get right before applying is that the lounge access is railway, not airport.
Read the full review →Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
1.5% on Other
1.5% cashback on offline retail spends, capped ₹100 per statement cycle; beyond the cap, offline POS spends earn 1 reward point per ₹100 (except fuel)
0.5% on Online Shopping
2X reward points (2 per ₹100) on online spends
Annual Fee Waiver
Fee of ₹499 + 18% GST (₹589 all-in)/yr fully waived when you spend ₹80,000/year
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% waiver on fuel transactions, capped at ₹100/month
Milestone Bonus
~₹1,500 in bonus rewards on hitting annual spend milestones
UPI Linked
Pay UPI QR codes from your credit line. What UPI payments earn can depend on the app you pay through, so check the rewards details.
💰 CASHBACK STRUCTURE
How much you earn back on each type of spend — no points math required.
1.5%
Base rate (all other spends)
- 1.5% on all other spends — no restrictions
For AU account holders who have outgrown the entry Altura and want a slightly richer everyday card — a mix of flat cashback offline and points online — without moving to a fee-bearing rewards card.
Full reward structure
What you earn on every rupee, per spend category — as of 11 Oct 2026. Rates assume 1 pt = ₹0.25. How we value points →
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other | cashback | 1.5% | ₹100 |
| Online Shopping | reward points | 0.5%2 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
| Insurance | reward points | 0.25%1 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
| Utility Bills | reward points | 0.25%1 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
Other: 1.5% cashback on offline retail spends, capped ₹100 per statement cycle; beyond the cap, offline POS spends earn 1 reward point per ₹100 (except fuel)
Online Shopping: 2X reward points (2 per ₹100) on online spends
Insurance: 1 reward point per ₹100 (~0.25%) on insurance spends — these do not earn the offline cashback
Utility Bills: 1 reward point per ₹100 (~0.25%) on utility and telecom spends — max 100 reward points per transaction; these spends do not earn the offline cashback
Earns nothing on: Rent · Education · Government & Tax · EMI Conversions · Fuel · Cash Advances · BBPS · Quasi-cash · Transportation MCCs (Apr 2026)
These spends earn no rewards at all — not a reduced rate, and not the base rate. They are also normally left out of any milestone or fee-waiver calculation.
Fees & charges
The numbers that matter beyond rewards — verify on the issuer site before applying. Fees below are shown inclusive of 18% GST, as of 11 Oct 2026.
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹589 |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹589 |
| Finance charge (APR) | 3.75% p.m. |
| Forex markup | 3.49% |
| Fuel surcharge waiver | 1%, cap ₹100 |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹2,100/yr in total.
500 bonus reward points on retail spends of ₹20,000 or more in a calendar month — annual equivalent up to ~₹1,500 in points if hit monthly; fuel spends and cash withdrawals do not count toward the threshold
1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions between ₹400 and ₹5,000, capped ₹100 per statement cycle since 1 October 2026 (₹150 before)
Should you get it?
- Best for: Everyday RuPay/UPI spenders, AU customers upgrading from the entry Altura
- Entry tier — great for first-time and lower-spend users.
- Strongest value if you spend heavily on everyday spends (1.5% back).
Pros & cons
✓ Pros
- 1.5% cashback on offline retail (up to ₹100 per cycle)
- Monthly milestone rewards steady spenders
- RuPay/UPI-linkable with 8 railway lounge visits a year
✕ Cons
- Split cashback/points structure — the headline rate depends on where you spend
- The 1.5% offline cashback is capped at ₹100 per statement cycle
- Utility, telecom and insurance spends earn only 1 point per ₹100, not the cashback
- Railway lounge access only, not airport
- Fee is not waived unless you spend ₹80,000 a year
Eligibility & documents
Documents required
- 📄PAN card
- 📄Aadhaar / valid address proof
- 📄Latest 3 months bank statement
- 📄Income proof — salary slips (salaried) or ITR (self-employed)
- 📄Recent passport-size photograph
How to redeem rewards
Ways to convert what you earn into real value.
- 🎁Statement credit / cashback adjustment
- 🎁Online rewards catalogue (vouchers, merchandise)
- 🎁Flight & hotel bookings via the issuer rewards portal
What your AU Reward Points are worth
Realistic value per point by redemption route — the difference is what most people leave on the table.
Standard redemption
Brand & e-gift vouchers
The reward structure splits cashback (offline) and points (online), so the headline rate is only realised if your spend matches — and railway, not airport, lounge access.
Frequently asked questions
Is the AU Altura Plus lifetime free?
What does the Altura Plus earn?
Does it offer airport lounge access?
Can it be linked to UPI?
How has the AU Altura Plus Credit Card changed over time?
Has the AU Altura Plus Credit Card been devalued recently?
When did the AU Altura Plus Credit Card's fees last change?
How did the AU Altura Plus Credit Card change in 2026?
The bottom line
A sensible second rung on the AU ladder. The 1.5% offline cashback is useful on everyday spends up to its ₹100-a-cycle cap, and the monthly milestone rewards consistency. It is still an everyday card, not a rewards engine, but it earns its modest fee for a regular RuPay/UPI spender.
How this page was built
Counted from this card’s own record: 4 earn rules, 1 of them capped, the spends listed as earning nothing and 2 recorded perks. The renewal fee is conditional — it is waived on a published spend target, so the fee you pay depends on what you spend.
Last updated 11 Oct 2026.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the AU Altura Plus Credit Card are taken from AU Small Finance Bank's official Most Important Terms & Conditions (MITC) and fee schedule — see the card's official page. Last updated 11 Oct 2026. Reviewed by Devchandra Sah. Always confirm current details on the issuer's site before applying. How we research →
Independence. CardAdvisor is an independent editorial publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorised to act for AU Small Finance Bank. All issuer names, product names, and payment-network marks are the property of their respective owners and appear here for identification and comparison only. Card faces shown on this site are our own original illustrations — we do not display or host issuer card artwork or logos.
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Guides and reviews related to this card.
Value timeline
Every real-world change to this card's rewards, fees and benefits we've tracked — newest first, each linked to its source.
Tracking since 2021 · last change Oct 2026
2026
- ▼ FeeEffective 1 Oct 2026
Fuel surcharge waiver cap cut from ₹150 to ₹100 a month
1% waiver, capped at ₹150 per statement month→1% waiver, capped at ₹100 per statement month
From 1 October 2026 the Altura Plus's 1% fuel surcharge waiver (on fills of ₹400 to ₹5,000) is capped at ₹100 per statement month, down from ₹150, so the most it can save in a year falls from ₹1,800 to ₹1,200. AU announced it on the card's own page ("Effective 1st October 2026, Fuel Surcharge Waiver will be up to ₹100 per statement cycle") and moved the card into the ₹100 row of its MITC dated 30 September 2026.
Verification: AU Small Finance Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
- ▼ FeeEffective 1 Jul 2026
Fuel fair-usage terms tightened — trigger halved, levy on the whole aggregate
1% fair-usage charge once monthly fuel spends exceeded 50% of the credit limit or ₹50,000→1% on the entire aggregate once a single fuel transaction exceeds ₹10,000 or monthly fuel spends exceed ₹25,000
From 1 July 2026 AU tightened its fuel fair-usage charge: the trigger dropped from ₹50,000 of aggregate fuel spend in a calendar month to ₹25,000 (or a single fuel transaction above ₹10,000), and the 1% charge is now levied on the entire aggregate fuel spend for the month rather than the portion above the threshold. Fair-usage charges do not apply to international transactions. The complimentary fuel-surcharge waiver bands are unchanged.
Verification: AU Small Finance Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
- ▼ FeeEffective 14 Jun 2026
New 1% fair-usage charge on transportation spends
No transportation fair-usage charge→1% on the entire aggregate once monthly transportation spends exceed 50% of the credit limit or ₹25,000, whichever is lower
From 14 June 2026 AU levies a 1% fair-usage charge when aggregate transportation spends (MCC 4111, 4112 and 4784 — local commuter transport, passenger rail and tolls) in a calendar month exceed 50% of the credit limit or ₹25,000, whichever is lower. The charge applies to the entire aggregate transportation spend for the month, not just the excess. IRCTC and select marquee travel partners are excluded, international transactions are out of scope, and AU exempts the ixigo AU co-brand variants entirely. This charge is separate from (and adds to) the April 2026 removal of reward-point earning on transportation MCCs.
Verification: AU Small Finance Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
- ▼ RewardEffective 10 Apr 2026
Transportation spends stop earning rewards
Transportation spends earned cashback/points→No rewards on transportation MCCs
From 10 April 2026 AU stopped awarding rewards on transportation merchant categories (MCC 4011/4111/4121/4784/7523 and similar) across its credit cards, so Altura Plus no longer earns its 1.5% cashback or 2X points on rail, transit, toll and similar spends. The same notice raised the airport-lounge quarterly spend bar to ₹50,000, which does not affect Altura Plus — it carries railway-lounge access only, never gated on spend. (Dating note, 2026-08-06: AU's own surfaces carry both 1 April and 10 April 2026 as the effective date of the transportation change, and the bank-wide revision PDF originally cited for it now serves a lounge-only notice at the same URL; both dates are disclosed rather than silently picking one.)
Verification: AU Small Finance Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2024
- ▼ FeeEffective 15 Aug 2024
Fair-usage charges on fuel and utility spends
No fair-usage fee→1% fee above threshold (+18% GST)
A 1% fee (plus 18% GST) now applies to fuel spend exceeding 50% of the credit limit or ₹50,000/month (whichever is lower), and to utility spend exceeding ₹50,000/month, on Altura Plus and nearly all other personal AU cards (Zenith Plus is the sole exclusion).
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: High
Each change links to the issuer's own document — bank T&C, MITC, notice, press release or product page — where one is public. Where the bank published nothing, it's marked CardAdvisor Research and verified against the card's current terms. Independent of the live terms shown above. This timeline is one card's slice of our market-wide change record across every tracked card.
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Source: <a href="https://cardadvisor.in/cards/au-altura-plus#value-timeline">AU Altura Plus Credit Card value timeline</a>, CardAdvisor (CC BY 4.0).
Terms & reward changes
Tracked updates to this card's fees, rewards and benefits — newest first.
- 💳 Fee changeEffective 1 Oct 2026
From 1 October 2026 AU caps this card's fuel-surcharge waiver at ₹100 per statement cycle.
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Applications are submitted to and decided by AU Small Finance Bank. CardAdvisor does not issue cards or process applications.