AU Small Finance Bank & ixigo unveil premium co-branded Travel Credit Card for modern travellers

 by Prashant Kapadia/NHN

• The partnership marks a major milestone of two Bharat focussed brands coming together to enhance travel experiences for customers in semi-urban regions

• ixigo-AU co-branded credit card is a first of its kind value proposition across all modes of travel; flights, trains, buses & hotels

• Only OTA travel credit card to give 8 railway & 8 domestic airport lounge access per year (without any spend criteria)

New Delhi, 2nd November 2023 – AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB), India’s largest SFB, and ixigo, India’s leading travel platform known for its commitment to innovation and customer-centric solutions, today announced the launch of their premium co-branded credit card for modern travellers. This strategic partnership combines the strengths of AU SFB’s financial expertise with ixigo’s deep penetration in tier 2 and tier 3 markets, aiming to offer their customers a seamless blend of premium financial rewards with unparalleled travel benefits.

The ixigo-AU co-branded credit card will empower customers to enjoy a seamless, rewarding, and memorable travel experience across all travel verticals, flights, trains, buses & hotels. The co-branded credit card provides a range of exclusive benefits designed to cater to the requirements of both frequent and occasional travellers.  It is designed to address the evolving needs of modern travellers, who seek flexibility, convenience, and value.

With this co-branded card, travellers can enjoy substantial discounts of up to 10% on flight, bus & hotel bookings made through the ixigo platform. The USPs of the ixigo-AU co-branded credit card are the exclusive benefits tailored for train travellers to make their travel more rewarding. The card offers the convenience of zero payment gateway charges for train bookings twice a month along with best-in-class reward points on all offline and online spends. Moreover, it is the only OTA travel credit card to give access to up to 8 railway lounge and 8 domestic airport lounges per calendar year (without any spend criteria) along with one international lounge access per year (Priority Pass available on request).

As a joining bonus, customers will also receive 1000 reward points and ixigo money worth Rs 1000 on their first successful transaction within the initial 30 days of card issuance.

Speaking on the launch of ixigo-AU SFB’s first co-branded credit card, Sanjay Agarwal, Founder and MD & CEO, AU Small Finance Bank, said, “Research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) suggests that the travel sector is poised for a significant rebound, with an expected 20.7% year-on-year growth in 2024, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. This growth indicates a robust spending trend among Indian tourists in 2023. Recognizing this, AU Small Finance Bank has partnered with ixigo, India’s foremost travel platform catering to the next billion users, to offer unparalleled banking services to travel enthusiasts. The ixigo-AU Credit Card showcases AU’s banking innovation and ixigo’s travel expertise, ushering in a new era of rewards and convenience.”

Rajnish Kumar & Aloke Bajpai, Co-founders, ixigo said, ”At ixigo, our emphasis has always been on building product innovations & offering services that make travel a seamless experience. We are thrilled to partner with AU Small Finance Bank for the launch of our co-branded credit card. This collaboration marks a significant step in our mission to offer travellers a seamless, rewarding, and memorable journey. With this innovative card, we aim to redefine the travel experience, providing customers with access to credit along with unmatched benefits.”

Customers can also enjoy a 1 percent fuel surcharge waiver on transactions, making every drive cost-effective. The card has a nominal annual fee of Rs. 999 + GST, waived with just Rs.1000 spending in the initial 30 days. Furthermore, the annual fee for the following year is also waived with a minimum spend of Rs. 1 Lakh in the preceding year.

About AU Small Finance Bank: AU Small Finance Bank Limited is a scheduled commercial bank and a Fortune India 500 Company. Starting its journey from the hinterlands of Rajasthan, today AU SFB is the largest Small Finance Bank with a deep understanding of the rural and semi-urban markets that has enabled it to build robust business models facilitating inclusive growth. With 28 years legacy of being a retail focused and customer-centric institution, AU SFB started its banking operations in April 2017 and as on 30th Sep 2023, it has established operations across 1,042 banking touchpoints while serving 44.3 Lac+ customers in 21 States & 3 Union Territories with an employee base of 28,523 employees. As on 30th Sep 2023, the Bank has a net worth of ₹ 11,763 Crore, deposit base of ₹ 75,743 Crore, Gross Advance of ₹ 65,029 Crore and a Balance sheet size of ₹ 95,977 Crore. AU SFB enjoys the trust of marquee investors and is listed at both the leading stock exchanges viz. NSE and BSE. It has consistently maintained high external credit Rating from all major rating agencies like CRISIL, CARE Ratings and India Ratings.