Is the AU CS Credit Card Worth It?
Enter what you spend where this card pays more, and the benefits you would use. See what it is worth to you in rupees, after its fee.
- 207Cards to check
- FreeCost
- Dining card
- No annual fee
- 0.5% base, up to 2% on dining
- 8 lounge visits a year
- Pays in reward points
- online shopping only at Software purchases: 2% back, up to ₹1,250 a month
- dining: 2% back, up to ₹1,250 a month
- anyone who wants no annual fee, ever
- flyers: 8 airport lounge visits a year
- spending abroad: 1.99% markup, most cards add 3.5%
- most of your spending is fuel, rent, education or wallet top-ups: those earn nothing on this card
- you pay mostly by UPI: a Visa or Mastercard card cannot pay by UPI
- you spend a lot on government payments: the card's terms do not state a rate there, so we count nothing
- you rarely spend on Software purchases, dining, travel or Tax payments: the 2% rate applies only there, everything else earns 0.5%
- you sometimes pay only the minimum due: interest of 2.99% a month (35.88% a year) outweighs any reward
Your spend a month, by kind
Terms on the normal rate: 2 reward points per ₹100 on other/retail spends (~0.5%)
Also earns nothing on: BBPS via au 0101 app, Quasi-cash, Transportation MCCs (Apr 2026), Govt MCCs except tax payments.
Total on the card: ₹0 a month
Abroad and benefits
Every rate on this card, and what your spend earns
| Spend category | Rate | Monthly cap | Where it applies | Your spend earns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPI payments (scan and pay) | Earns nothing | - | a Visa or Mastercard card cannot pay by UPI | - |
| Online shopping | 0.5% | No cap | Anywhere else in the category | - |
| Online shopping, only at listed merchants | 2% | ₹1,250, shared with other bonus rates | Only at: Software purchasesTerms: 8 reward points per ₹100 on software purchases (~2%), inside the 5,000-point statement-cycle cap shared with dining, travel and tax | - |
| Dining and food delivery | 2% | ₹1,250 | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 8 reward points per ₹100 on dining (~2%), capped at 5,000 points per statement cycle combined with travel, tax and software | - |
| Groceries | 0.5% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Travel: flights, hotels, trains | 2% | ₹1,250, shared with other bonus rates | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 8 reward points per ₹100 on travel (~2%), airlines & OTA air/hotel bookings; direct hotel bookings earn the base retail rate. One 5,000-point statement-cycle cap shared with dining, tax and software | - |
| Fuel | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Bills and recharges | 0.25% | No cap | All merchants in the categoryTerms: 1 reward point per ₹100 on utility, telecom and insurance spends (~0.25%), capped at 100 points per transaction | - |
| Rent | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Insurance premiums | 0.5% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| School and college fees | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Wallet top-ups | Earns nothing | - | earns nothing on this card | - |
| Taxes and government payments | Not stated | - | the card's terms state no rate here; many cards pay nothing on these | - |
| Taxes and government payments, only at listed merchants | 2% | ₹1,250, shared with other bonus rates | Only at: Tax paymentsTerms: 8 reward points per ₹100 on tax payments (~2%), inside the 5,000-point statement-cycle cap shared with dining, travel and software. AU pays nothing on other government payments | - |
| Spend abroad or in a foreign currency | 0.5% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
| Everything else | 0.5% | No cap | The card's normal rate | - |
Card data sourced via CardAdvisor.in, India Credit Card Facts, CC BY 4.0, adapted by SkyloFin.
Common Questions
When is a credit card worth its annual fee?
When the rewards you actually earn in a year are more than the fee plus 18% GST, or when you spend enough for the bank to waive the fee. This calculator works out both from the card's own published terms.
Why is GST added to the fee?
Card fees carry 18% GST, so a ₹1,000 fee costs ₹1,180. Where the bank already quotes the fee with GST, it is not added twice.
What does 'capped' mean?
Many cards limit the reward you can earn in a month in a category. Spending above the cap earns nothing extra, so the calculator stops counting there.
Is a lifetime free card always better?
Not always. A paid card with higher rewards can leave you with more once you spend enough. The break-even line shows the monthly spend where that starts.
