Zen Signature

Joining ₹1,500 · Annual ₹1,500 · Waived on ₹1.5 lakh of retail spends in the year

Fee break-even: ≈₹1,80,723/yr through this card at its base rate. Below that, the fee eats the rewards.

Earns Zen points · assumed 0.25 ₹/point. 25 paise per point, Kotak's own MITC rate. Points accrue only on whole ₹150 multiples, residual amounts earn nothing

Verified 13 Aug 2026

Forex markup3.5%

EMI₹249 per conversion at a merchant, up to 3.5% of the amount converting a billed balance processing fee · A converted purchase stops earning rewards · Kotak's own two pages disagree here. The Instant EMI terms state a one time fee of ₹249 per conversion while the product page claims no processing fee at all, so expect ₹249 and check the charge slip. Converting a bill afterwards costs up to 3.5% of the amount. Gold cannot be converted. · EMI transactions earn no points under Kotak's MITC

Fuel surcharge1% waived on transactions between ₹500 and ₹5,000, capped ₹3,500 a year

Domestic lounge2 domestic visits per quarter, unlocked by ₹75,000 of spends in the previous quarter

International lounge3 a year. 3 Priority Pass visits a year outside India

Milestones

◆ Spend ₹3,00,000 per year → 7,500 bonus Zen points at ₹3 lakh of annual spends Worth ₹1,875
◆ Spend ₹6,00,000 per year → 15,000 bonus Zen points at ₹6 lakh, replacing the ₹3 lakh award Worth ₹3,750

Return by category

Category	Return	Notes
Online spend	0.83%	Base rate
Amazon	0.83%	Base rate
Flipkart	0.83%	Base rate
Subscriptions & OTT	0.83%	Base rate
Offline spend	1.67%	Shares the 6,500 point cycle cap · Applies to shopping spends, apparel and lifestyle goods per Kotak's MITC
UPI spending	0%	Kotak markets no RuPay variant of Zen, so treat UPI as unavailable
Dining	0.83%	Base rate
Swiggy	0.83%	Base rate
Zomato	0.83%	Base rate
Groceries	0.83%	Base rate
Quick commerce	0.83%	Base rate
Swiggy Instamart	0.83%	Base rate
Blinkit	0.83%	Base rate
BigBasket	0.83%	Base rate
Movies & shows	0.83%	Base rate
BookMyShow	0.83%	Base rate
PVR INOX	0.83%	Base rate
Fuel	0%	No points, the surcharge waiver stands in
Travel (general)	0.83%	Base rate
Flights	0.83%	Base rate
Hotels	0.83%	Base rate
MakeMyTrip	0.83%	Base rate
IRCTC rail	0.83%	Base rate
International	−2.67%	0.83% reward − 3.5% forex markup
Utilities & bills	0%	Restricted MCCs earn no points under Kotak's reward exclusion list
Rent	0%	Rent MCCs earn nothing
Education fees	0%	Education MCCs earn nothing
Insurance premiums	0%	Restricted MCCs earn no points
Government & tax	0%	Government MCCs earn nothing
Wallet loads	0%	Wallet loads earn nothing
Anything else	0.83%	Base rate
Jewellery	1.67%	The 10X special rate is capped at 6,500 points a billing cycle, about ₹97,500 of special category spends · Kotak names jewellery as a special category alongside apparel and lifestyle goods, one of the very few cards anywhere that accelerates it

Rates are the card's own published rates, before any spend profile. Add this card inMy cards to rank it against the rest of your wallet.

Also worth knowing

Welcome: 1,500 Zen points on payment of the joining fee

Other exclusions

EMI transactions earn no points under Kotak's MITC

Kotak Mahindra Bank Zen SignatureBest for Jewellery and lifestyle shopping3.6 / 5

What we liked

One of the only cards in India that accelerates jewellery, at 1.67% capped generously
Milestones add up to 15,000 points a year
The ₹1,500 fee waives at a modest ₹1.5 lakh

What to mind

0.83% on everything outside the special categories
Eight excluded categories including utilities and education
Points only accrue on full ₹150 multiples

Sources

Every figure above comes from the issuer's own pages and documents. Last verified 13 Aug 2026.

Spotted an outdated rate?