In-depth review
AU Prathama Credit Card
A genuine ₹100 starter card built around one honest idea — rewarding the recurring payments and contactless spends of someone taking their first credit card. It earns modestly (1 point per ₹100 base, 2 points on contactless Tap & Pay and on spend above ₹5,000 a cycle), and hands out a one-time 500-point bonus per merchant when you first set up an auto-pay. Treat it as a credit-building tool, not a rewards engine: take it, build a repayment record, and upgrade when your spending grows.
Read the full review →Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
0.25% on Other
1 reward point per ₹100 base (~0.25%); 2 points per ₹100 on contactless (Tap & Pay) and on the incremental portion of spend above ₹5,000 in a statement cycle
Annual Fee Waiver
Fee of ₹100 + 18% GST (₹118 all-in)/yr fully waived when you spend ₹75,000/year
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% waiver on fuel transactions, capped at ₹100/month
Milestone Bonus
500 bonus reward points per merchant on the first successful Standing Instruction (SI) setup — a one-time benefit, once per merchant in the card's lifetime
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.
For first-time credit users who want a very cheap card to build a credit history, automate recurring bills, and pick up modest points on everyday and contactless spends.
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 | reward points | 0.25%1 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
Other: 1 reward point per ₹100 base (~0.25%); 2 points per ₹100 on contactless (Tap & Pay) and on the incremental portion of spend above ₹5,000 in a statement cycle
Earns nothing on: Fuel · Rent · Education · Government & Tax · EMI Conversions · Cash Advances · BBPS · Transportation MCCs (Apr 2026) · Quasi-cash
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) | ₹118 |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹118 |
| Finance charge (APR) | 3.75% p.m. |
| Forex markup | 3.49% |
| Fuel surcharge waiver | 1%, cap ₹100 |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹500/yr in total.
1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions between ₹400 and ₹5,000, capped ₹100 per cycle
500 bonus reward points per merchant on the first successful Standing Instruction (SI) setup — a one-time benefit, once per merchant in the card's lifetime
Should you get it?
- Best for: First-time credit users, People automating recurring bill payments
- Entry tier — great for first-time and lower-spend users.
- Strongest value if you spend heavily on everyday spends (0.25% back).
Pros & cons
✓ Pros
- Very low ₹100 fee — an accessible first card
- Double points on contactless Tap & Pay spends
- One-time SI-setup bonus with a 1% fuel surcharge waiver
✕ Cons
- Entry-level earn rates — a credit-building card, not a rewards engine
- No lounge access or premium perks
- Fee waiver needs ₹75,000 of annual spend
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.
- 🎁Online rewards catalogue (vouchers, merchandise)
- 🎁Statement credit / cashback adjustment
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
Earn rates are entry-level and capped in practice by low spend; it is a stepping-stone card, not a long-term primary.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the AU Prathama for?
What does it earn?
Does it support contactless payments?
How has the AU Prathama Credit Card changed over time?
Has the AU Prathama Credit Card been devalued recently?
When did the AU Prathama Credit Card's fees last change?
How did the AU Prathama Credit Card change in 2026?
The bottom line
A genuine starter card. At ₹100 it is almost free, the one-time recurring-payment bonus is a smart nudge toward building a repayment record, and contactless Tap & Pay earns double points day to day. It is a credit-building tool, not a rewards engine — take it, build your score, and upgrade when your spending grows.
How this page was built
Counted from this card’s own record: 1 earn rule, 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 Prathama 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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Read more
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 2026-05-04 · last change Jul 2026
2026
- ▼ 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
- ◆ LaunchEffective 4 May 2026
AU Prathama launches as AU's cheapest first card
AU Bank launched Prathama alongside Ananta, Laksya and Tejas as a four-card cluster spanning entry to mid-tier. Prathama is the entry point: ₹100+GST joining/annual fee (waived on ₹75,000 retail spend/year), up to 2 reward points per ₹100 including on contactless/Tap&Pay, and 500 bonus points for every recurring payment set up on the card — positioned as a credit-building first card, not a rewards engine.
Verification: AU Small Finance Bank ↗ · 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-prathama#value-timeline">AU Prathama Credit Card value timeline</a>, CardAdvisor (CC BY 4.0).
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