AU Tejas Credit Card Review 2026: 10% Cashback on Partner Merchants — But the Cap Is Not Published
AU Tejas costs ₹500 and advertises 10% cashback on movies, food delivery, cabs and bill payments via the AU 0101 app. AU does not publish the cap. What that means, plus rates and FAQs.
AU Tejas is a ₹500 card whose headline is 10% cashback at partner merchants — movies, grocery and food delivery, cab bookings and bill payments made through the AU 0101 app.
10% is a very high rate. On a ₹500 card, the cap is what determines whether it means anything, and AU does not publish it.
AU Tejas Credit Card Quick Overview
| **Card type** | Entry cashback and rewards hybrid |
|---|---|
| **Best for** | Someone who uses the AU 0101 app and orders in often |
| **Joining / renewal fee** | ₹500 + GST, same on renewal — renewal waived at ₹1.5 lakh of annual spend |
| **Network** | Visa, RuPay |
| **Base reward rate** | **0.25%** |
| **Top reward rate** | **10.0%** — entertainment |
| **Reward currency** | AU Reward Points, valued at ₹0.25 each |
| **Welcome benefit** | A choice of 2,000 Reward Points or a ₹500 brand voucher, on card activation and first transaction. |
| **Lounge access** | None published |
| **Forex markup** | 3.49% |
Reward Structure: How You Earn
AU Reward Points are worth ₹0.25 each when redeemed through AU Rewardz. That figure is not a guess — AU's Card Member Agreement states it, and AU's reward-points revision notice confirms it by setting a lower rate of ₹0.20 for gift cards and vouchers while leaving 'all other categories of redemption' unchanged. Every percentage in this review uses ₹0.25.
10% cashback at partner merchants — movies, grocery delivery, food delivery, cab bookings and bill payments through the AU 0101 app.
Up to 5 Reward Points per ₹100 on accelerated categories — 1.25%.
1 Reward Point per ₹100 on all other categories — 0.25%.
| Spend | Effective rate |
|---|---|
| entertainment | **10.0%** |
| dining | **10.0%** |
| travel | **10.0%** |
| Everything else | 0.25% |
| Fuel, rent, wallet loads, government, gaming | **0%** |
A 10% rate with an unpublished ceiling
AU's page indicates the partner cashback carries a maximum, but the figure does not appear in the scraped page. This is the single most important number on the card and it is missing.
The difference is not academic. At a ₹200 monthly cap the band is worth ₹2,400 a year; at ₹500 it is ₹6,000; uncapped it would be extraordinary and almost certainly is not. Anyone choosing this card for the 10% should confirm the cap with AU first.
The welcome benefit is a choice, and one option is strictly better
AU offers either 2,000 Reward Points or a ₹500 brand voucher on activation and first transaction. These are not equivalent:
| Option | Face value | After redemption fee |
|---|---|---|
| 2,000 Reward Points (general) | ₹500 | ₹383 |
| 2,000 Reward Points (vouchers) | ₹400 | ₹283 |
| ₹500 brand voucher | ₹500 | **₹500** |
Take the voucher. The points are worth ₹500 at best and carry the ₹99 + GST redemption fee, which the voucher does not.
The ₹99 redemption fee nobody mentions
AU charges ₹99 + GST on every successful redemption, on every card variant it issues. That is ₹116.82 a time, and it is worth 467 Reward Points. It appears in AU's Schedule of Charges and in its reward-points revision notice; it appears on no card page.
The practical effect is that small redemptions are not worth making. Cash out 500 points — ₹125 of value — and the fee takes almost all of it. The programme quietly rewards hoarding points and redeeming in large blocks, which is the opposite of what the card pages suggest.
Fair usage charges: the most important thing about any AU card
AU levies 1% 'fair usage charges' on five categories of spending. These are charges, not merely the absence of rewards — money leaves your account for using the card.
| Category | MCCs | When the 1% applies |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | 5172, 5541, 5542, 5552, 5983 | Monthly aggregate above 50% of your credit limit or ₹50,000, whichever is **lower**. If a single transaction also exceeds ₹10,000, the 1% hits the **entire** aggregate, not just the excess. |
| Utility | 4900 | Monthly aggregate above ₹50,000 |
| Education & government | 8211, 8220, 8241, 8244, 8249, 8299 | Paid through third-party apps (CRED, PhonePe, Paytm, MobiKwik, Freecharge) or internationally. Minimum ₹99 per transaction. Paying the institution directly is free. |
| Rent | 6513 | All domestic rent. Minimum ₹99 per transaction. |
| Transportation | 4111, 4112, 4784 | Monthly aggregate above 50% of your limit or ₹25,000, whichever is lower — then 1% on the **entire** aggregate. |
Two exemptions are worth knowing: the AU Corporate and Purchase cards are exempt from all five, and the ixigo AU co-brand is exempt from the transportation charge. Nothing applies to international transactions.
The fuel rule deserves a second look. Fuel earns no reward points on any AU card, and above the threshold it costs 1%. It is the only category in this dataset that is penalised twice.
Category Restrictions: Where You Won't Earn
- Where you earn nothing: Earns nothing at all: AU excludes fuel, cash withdrawals and quasi-cash from Reward Points across the range. Note that fuel is doubly penalised: it earns nothing AND, above the fair-usage threshold, attracts a 1% charge.
- Point expiry: Reward Points remain valid for 24 months from the date of accrual, per AU's Card Member Agreement. Points are credited on the statement generation date and only where the transaction has settled and has not been reversed, disputed, cancelled, refunded or charged back.
- Redemption fee: ₹99 per redemption.
Fees and Charges
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Joining fee | ₹500 + GST |
| Renewal fee | ₹500 + GST |
| Finance charges | 3.75% per month (45% per annum) on all AU retail credit cards. Two exceptions: Zenith+ at 1.99% per month (23.88% per annum) and AU CA and AU CS at 2.99% per month (35.88% per annum). Commercial cards — Corporate, Purchase and Business — are charged up to 3.49% per month (41.88% per annum). |
| Interest-free period | Up to 50 days on retail cards and up to 48 days on commercial cards, and not applicable to cash withdrawals. The period is lost entirely if the previous month's dues were not paid in full. |
| Minimum amount due | 5% of principal outstanding + 100% of fees and charges + 100% of interest + due EMIs + 100% of the annual membership fee + 100% of GST, for customers who paid the previous statement's Total Amount Due in full and on time. For customers who did NOT, the principal component drops to 2% — a lower minimum that lets the balance revolve for longer. The result is rounded up to the next multiple of ₹10, and any unpaid MAD from previous statements is added on. |
| Cash advance fee | 2.5% of the amount withdrawn or ₹500, whichever is higher. Zenith+ and Traverse (NRI) have NO cash withdrawal fee. |
| Cash advance interest | Charged at the card's revolving rate from the date of withdrawal, with no interest-free period. |
| Forex markup | Varies by card: 0% on ixigo AU; 0.99% on Zenith+, NOMO and Traverse (NRI); 1.99% on Zenith, AU CA and AU CS; 2.99% on Vetta; and 3.49% on the rest of the range. |
| Dynamic currency conversion | Charged at the card's cross-currency markup rate — AU applies the same rate to dynamic and static currency conversion transactions as to foreign currency transactions. |
| Late payment | 15% of the Total Amount Due, subject to a minimum of ₹10 and a maximum of ₹1,300. AU's late fee is PERCENTAGE-BASED, which is unusual — most Indian issuers use a flat slab table. On a ₹2,000 balance the charge is ₹300 where a slab-based issuer would charge ₹400–₹500; on a ₹20,000 balance it is ₹1,300 against a typical ₹950–₹1,000. AU's own MITC works the ₹2,000 example. The charge is levied on the amount outstanding after the due date, not on the total amount due, and applies equally if you pay less than the minimum amount due. |
| Overlimit | 2.5% of the over-limit amount, subject to a minimum of ₹500. |
| Payment return | 2% of the Total Amount Due or ₹500, whichever is higher, on the return or failure of a payment — cheque, ECS/NACH or autopay alike. |
| Rent payment | 1% of the transaction value, minimum ₹99 per transaction, on domestic rent (MCC 6513). International rental transactions are not charged. |
| Utility payments | No charge while aggregate utility spend (MCC 4900) stays at or under ₹50,000 in a calendar month; 1% on the amount above ₹50,000. |
| Education payments | 1% of the transaction value, minimum ₹99 per transaction, on education and government payments (MCC 8211, 8220, 8241, 8244, 8249, 8299) made through third-party apps such as CRED, PhonePe, Paytm, MobiKwik and Freecharge, and on international education transactions. Payments made directly to a school or college — on its own website or at its POS terminal — are NOT charged. |
| Fuel transactions | Revised w.e.f. 1 July 2026. No charge while aggregate monthly fuel spend (MCC 5172, 5541, 5542, 5552, 5983) stays under 50% of the credit limit or ₹50,000, whichever is lower. Above that threshold, 1% on the excess — but where a single transaction ALSO exceeds ₹10,000, the 1% is charged on the entire aggregate rather than on the excess alone. |
| Add-on card | AU levies the same joining and annual membership fee schedule on add-on cardholders as on primary cardholders. |
| Reward redemption | ₹99 + GST on EVERY successful redemption, applicable to all AU Bank Credit Card variants. At the ₹0.25 general redemption rate that fee is worth 467 Reward Points. |
| EMI processing | Xpress EMI: 1% of the amount converted, minimum ₹99 + GST — but zero on Laksya, AU CA and AU CS. Instant EMI: ₹199 + GST on every EMI transaction at a point of sale or through a payment gateway. |
| GST | 18% on all fees, interest and other charges. |
Is the AU Tejas Credit Card Worth It?
The 10% band is the reason to hold this card and the reason to check the terms first. Without the cap, the card cannot be evaluated properly.
The ₹1,50,000 waiver threshold is 300 times the ₹500 fee, which is steep for an entry card.
The base rate is 0.25% — Tejas is not a general-purpose card. It is a card for a specific pattern of app-based spending.
AU's late payment charge is 15% of the total amount due, with a floor of ₹10 and a ceiling of ₹1,300. That is unusual — almost every Indian issuer uses a flat slab table. It works out cheaper than the market on small balances (₹300 on ₹2,000, where a slab issuer charges ₹400 to ₹500) and at the ceiling on large ones.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the cap on AU Tejas 10% cashback? AU's page indicates a maximum applies but the figure is not published in the material reviewed here. On a 10% rate the cap determines the card's entire value, so confirm it with AU before applying.
Which AU Tejas welcome benefit should I choose? The ₹500 brand voucher. The alternative — 2,000 Reward Points — is worth ₹500 at AU's general redemption rate, ₹400 if taken as vouchers, and carries a ₹99 + GST redemption fee that the brand voucher does not.
What is an AU Reward Point worth? ₹0.25 when redeemed through AU Rewardz, and ₹0.20 if redeemed against gift cards, vouchers or e-vouchers. Both rates are published by AU. Points are valid for 24 months from the date they are earned.
Is there a fee to redeem AU reward points? Yes — ₹99 plus GST on every successful redemption, on every AU card variant. At ₹0.25 a point that fee is worth 467 Reward Points, so redeeming small balances is rarely worth it.
Does this card earn rewards on fuel? No. Fuel earns no reward points on any AU credit card. Above 50% of your credit limit or ₹50,000 a month, whichever is lower, fuel spending also attracts a 1% fair usage charge.
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