SBI vs AU Small Finance Bank Credit Cards: Two Routes to a Cheap First Card

Both lineups are aimed at people choosing a card on a modest income, and both keep fees low. SBI Card pulls ahead with variety, while AU Small Finance Bank has an unusually cheap ladder and one surprisingly strong super-premium card. The choice is mostly about what you want to spend on.

The cheapest way in

AU Bank LIT lists no annual fee, a ₹15,000 monthly income floor, and 5% on dining and online spend, capped at ₹500 a month each. Altura is ₹199, waived at ₹40,000 of spend, with 4% on dining and 3% on groceries under a ₹1,000 cap and a ₹25,000 floor. Prathama is ₹100 with a ₹75,000 waiver. SBI's entries are Unnati and Shaurya (₹499 and ₹250 respectively, each with a ₹10,000 income floor), SimplyCLICK at ₹499 and SimplySAVE at ₹499. For minimum cost AU wins, and LIT in particular needs nothing to be waived. Our AU LIT review walks through the caps.

Shopping and online spend

SBI Cashback Card costs ₹999 (waived at ₹2 lakh) and pays 5% online up to ₹2,000 a month. SimplyCLICK lists 2.5% online and an Advantage version lists 5%, both ₹499. AU's Altura Plus is ₹499 (waived at ₹80,000) with 2% online. SBI is stronger here, with higher caps and many merchant-specific co-brands. Read the SimplyCLICK review and the SBI Cashback review.

Dining

AU LIT and Altura both lead on dining numbers: 5% and 4% respectively, with caps of ₹500 and ₹1,000 a month. SBI SimplySAVE lists 6.7% on dining and groceries, SBI Eternal lists 10% on dining capped at ₹2,000 a month, and PULSE lists 10% on dining at ₹1,499. SBI has higher percentages but charges more for them. Dining-heavy users with a modest budget can stay with AU; a bigger spender may find SBI's caps more generous.

RuPay and UPI

SBI offers the Unnati, Flipkart, IRCTC, Reliance, Apollo and PhonePe PURPLE RuPay cards, plus a SimplySAVE UPI version. AU has LIT, CheQ AU and the InstaPay RuPay card, with LIT being the one to take seriously. SBI has the longer list; AU's pick is the one with no fee at all. See the RuPay credit cards on UPI guide for how to link either type.

Lounges, premium and forex

AU Zenith Plus is the standout in the premium segment: ₹4,999 (waived at ₹8 lakh), 16 domestic and 16 international lounge visits, 0.99% forex and a ₹80,000 income floor. SBI Elite costs the same at ₹4,999 with 8 domestic and 6 international visits, 1.99% forex and a ₹60,000 floor. On paper Zenith Plus offers twice the lounge visits and half the forex cost for the same fee. Zenith (₹7,999) and Vetta (₹2,999) fill in the middle. AU is the winner at this level. Read the SBI Elite review to see what Elite adds in return.

AU's standard forex rate is 3.49%, so it offers no real saving except on Zenith Plus (0.99%), NOMO (0.99%) and ixigo (0%). SBI's rates are 3.5% on most cards, with 1.99% on Elite. Overseas, only the specific cards matter, and AU has more low-markup options in its small list.

Choosing between them

Take AU LIT if you want a no-fee card with dining and online rewards. Take SBI Cashback or SimplyCLICK if your shopping is mostly online and you can meet a spend waiver. For lounges at a ₹4,999 fee and an income near ₹80,000, AU Zenith Plus looks strongest. For a specific merchant or fuel brand, SBI has a card AU does not. Before applying, check live fee terms on the bank site, since the waiver thresholds above may change.

Guides to keep open

The SBI credit cards guide and AU Bank credit cards guide cover every card. If you are still deciding on a first card at all, how to choose your first credit card is worth a read.