TBM Staff - Mumbai AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB) and ixigo have joined hands to launch a 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-II and III 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 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 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 1,000 reward points and ixigo money worth INR 1,000 on their first successful transaction within the initial 30 days of card issuance.
Speaking about the launch, 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. Recognising 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, added, “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 per cent fuel surcharge waiver on transactions, making every drive cost-effective. The card has a nominal annual fee of INR 999 + GST, waived with just INR 1,000 spending in the initial 30 days. Furthermore, the annual fee for the following year is also waived off with a minimum spend of INR 1 lakh in the preceding year.
