ICICI Bank Credit Cards 2026: Spend Rules, Fees and Which Card to Pick

ICICI cards matched to what you spend on

For each need below we name the card and the single number that settle the choice. Fees are yearly and before GST.

Lifetime free

The Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card charge no joining or annual fee and pays 5% on Amazon for Prime members, 3% for others, 2% on bill payments through Amazon Pay and at Amazon Pay partners, and 1% elsewhere, all credited as Amazon Pay balance with no cap stated. The decider is Prime membership: on ₹10,000 a month at Amazon, a Prime member earns ₹500 and a non-member ₹300. Its forex mark-up has came down to 1.99% on 1 October 2025. You need an invitation and a monthly income of ₹30,000.

Platinum Chip is the plain free card with 2 points per ₹100 and no lounges, and older cards sourced with a ₹99 fee stays on that fee. ICICI's MITC also says cards without a joining or annual fee get no joining or annual benefits.

Fuel at HPCL

HPCL Super Saver (₹500) gives 4% cashback at HPCL pumps and the HP Pay app, the 1% surcharge waiver on ₹400 to ₹4,000 transactions, and an extra 1.5% as Happy Coins when you pay through HP Pay. The decider is the ₹200 monthly cashback cap, which you reach at ₹5,000 of fuel (₹200 divided by 4%). Groceries, telecom and departmental stores earn 20 points per ₹100, which ICICI calls a 5% benefit, but only up to 400 points a statement cycle.

Travel bookings and airlines

The MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Credit Card (₹999) gives 6% myCash on MakeMyTrip hotels and 3% on flights, holidays, cabs and buses, and 1 myCash equals ₹1. Its forex mark-up is 0.99% till 9 November 2026 and nil from 10 November 2026. On that same date, spends abroad outside MakeMyTrip stop earning myCash, and new myCash starts expiring after 24 months. The decider is where you book: the card pay well only inside MakeMyTrip.

Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro (₹5,000) earns 1.5 Skywards Miles per ₹100 since 15 January 2026, cut from 2, and has no spend-based fee waiver at all. Adani One Signature (₹5,000) suit people who fly through Adani-run airports, with 7 Adani OneApp Rewards per ₹100 in the Adani ecosystem, Pranaam meet-and-greet and 16 lounge upgrades a year, and a fee waiver from the second year at ₹6 lakh of spend.

Everyday rewards and lounges

ICICI Bank Coral (₹500) is the entry rewards card, issued as RuPay so it works on UPI: 2 points per ₹100, 1 per ₹100 on utilities and insurance, and one domestic lounge visit a quarter if you spent ₹75,000 in the quarter before. The fee is reversed for that year when you spend ₹1.5 lakh, though the card page words it as a waiver for the next year. Rubyx (₹3,000 to join, ₹2,000 a year) doubles international spend to 4 points per ₹100 and gives 2 lounge visits a quarter on the same ₹75,000 rule.

ICICI Bank Sapphiro (₹6,500 to join, ₹3,500 a year) is the lounge card of the middle range: 4 domestic visits a quarter after ₹75,000 of spend and 2 Priority Pass visits abroad a year, welcome vouchers ICICI values at over ₹13,000 and a fee waiver at ₹6 lakh. Requires a monthly income of ₹75,000, same as Rubyx. The decider for both is the ₹75,000 quarterly spend; below it, the lounge benefit simply doesn't switch on.

Premium and super-premium

Emeralde Private Metal (₹12,499, invite only) and Times Black (₹20,000) give unlimited domestic and international lounge access for primary and add-on cardholders without the ₹75,000 rule, and no cash advance fee. Times Black earns 2% in reward points on domestic spends and 2.5% abroad with a 1.49% forex mark-up, and asks for ₹2,00,000 a month of income. Emeralde Private Metal earns 6 points per ₹200 and charge 2% on forex. The fee comes back only at ₹10 lakh of yearly spend on Emeralde Private Metal and ₹25 lakh on Times Black, so most holder should expect to pay it.

Secured cards and UPI

Without a salary, ICICI may ask for a fixed deposit. Instant Platinum has no fees and is issued against an ICICI FD. The general terms say at least ₹50,000 for 180 days with a limit of 90% of the FD (₹45,000 to ₹5 lakh), but another ICICI document gives ₹20,000 and 85%, so confirm at the branch before booking of the deposit. It charges the same 3.75% a month as unsecured cards. If a limit equal to the whole deposit matters more, IDFC FIRST's WOW! card gives 100% of the FD, which our IDFC FIRST Bank hub covers. For UPI, the RuPay versions of Sapphiro, Rubyx, Coral, HPCL Super Saver and MakeMyTrip work for merchant payments only and earn points as per the card.

ICICI charges and what they cost you

Every amount here is before 18% GST, which ICICI adds on all fees, interest and surcharges. The figures come from ICICI's common MITC for credit cards.

Usage fees

In rupees, ₹25,000 of rent paid by card costs ₹250 plus ₹45 GST (18% of ₹250), and ₹5,000 of gaming top-ups cost ₹100 plus GST. A ₹5,000 wallet load attracts ₹50, but a ₹4,000 one attract nothing. Rent, government and education payments also doesn't count towards fee reversal or milestones, and neither do EMIs, fees or interest.

Late payment

The late fee is worked out on what's still outstanding after the due date, once the 3-day grace has passed and the minimum due is unpaid: nil below ₹100, ₹100 for ₹100 to ₹500, ₹500 up to ₹1,000, ₹600 up to ₹5,000, ₹750 up to ₹10,000, ₹900 up to ₹25,000, ₹1,100 up to ₹50,000 and ₹1,300 above. So ₹4,000 left unpaid means ₹600, and ₹20,000 means ₹900. Emeralde Private Metal sit outside this table.

Interest, cash and over-limit

Interest is 3.75% a month (45% a year) from 15 November 2024, though ICICI says it may be as low as 1.25% a month (15% a year) depending on your profile, and the 1838 Reserve card has 1.67% (20% a year). Purchases get 18 to 48 interest-free days. Cash costs 2.5% with a ₹500 minimum and interest from the day of withdrawal, and for the first 180 days cash is held to 10% of your limit, up to ₹20,000. The cash fee is nil on Emeralde Private Metal, Emeralde, Times Black and 1838 Reserve. Going over the limit, only if you opted in, cost 2.5% with a ₹550 minimum.

Forex and currency conversion

The default foreign currency mark-up is 3.5%. The exceptions are the Emeralde range at 2%, Times Black at 1.49%, Amazon Pay at 1.99% and MakeMyTrip, nil from 10 November 2026. Since 15 January 2026 the same 3.5% (up from 1%) also applies when you pay in rupees abroad or to a merchant registered overseas, so choosing rupees on a foreign site no longer save anything on most cards. On ₹50,000 spent abroad that is ₹1,750 on a default card (3.5% of ₹50,000) against ₹995 on Amazon Pay (1.99% of ₹50,000), before GST.

Smaller charges

• Add-on card: ₹199 a year on most cards (nil on Amazon Pay), or ₹3,500 one time on Times Black and Emeralde Private Metal.
• Paying the bill in cash at a branch: ₹150 since 15 January 2026, up from ₹100.
• Card replacement: ₹200, rising to ₹300 from 11 December 2026.
• Redeeming points through ICICI Bank Rewards cost ₹99 plus GST each times.
• Cheque or auto-debit return: 2% of the total due with a ₹500 minimum, plus ₹50 and GST from your savings account.
• Railway bookings: 1.80% surcharge online and 2.50% at other counters.

ICICI card changes, 2024 to 2026

2024

From 5 February 2024 rent and e-wallet loading stopped earning points on cards like Coral, Rubyx and Sapphiro, and government payments began to be counted as utility. Amazon Pay followed on rent from 18 June 2024. The big reset came on 15 November 2024: interest fixed at 3.75% a month, new 1% fees on fuel above ₹10,000, utilities above ₹50,000 and third-party education payments, new late fee slabs, a ₹199 add-on fee, and rent, government and education taken out of fee-reversal and milestone counts. Point earning on utilities, insurance and groceries got capped per statement cycle on the same day. For a cardholder it mean the easy points on big bills was mostly gone.

2025

From 1 January 2025 most cards needs ₹75,000 of spend in the previous quarter before a free domestic lounge visit. Instant EMI picked up a processing fee of 2.99%, capped at ₹299, from 1 September 2025. Amazon Pay's forex mark-up fell from 3.5% to 1.99% on 1 October 2025, and from 11 October 2025 education, international and non-Amazon utility spends on that card stopped earning. Emeralde cards with monthly plans was closed to new sourcing from 24 July 2025.

2026

• 15 January: DCC fee up to 3.5% from 1%, new fees on transport, gaming and wallet loads, branch cash payment ₹150, Emirates Skywards Sapphiro earn cut to 1.5 miles per ₹100, and Emeralde Private Metal add-on at ₹3,500.
• 1 February: points capped on transport spends in each cycle.
• 1 March: a new minimum amount due formula, where finance charges count in full once they exceed 5% of retail, cash and finance charges together.
• 1 April: BookMyShow offers need ₹25,000 of spend in the previous quarter.
• 1 July: Adani One and MakeMyTrip cards lose their lounge exemption and come under the ₹75,000 rule.
• 10 November: MakeMyTrip forex and DCC go to nil, no myCash on spends abroad outside MakeMyTrip, and new myCash valid for 24 months.
• 11 December: card replacement fee goes to ₹300.

If you hold the MakeMyTrip card and travel abroad often, the November change are mostly good news, since nil mark-up beats any points. If you used it to earn myCash on shopping abroad, that part ends. Coral and Rubyx holders mainly feel the lounge rule: in a quarter they spends less than ₹75,000, the next quarter's visit is gone.

How to apply for an ICICI card, and who qualifies

Most cards are applied for online from the card's page, where Apply Now take you to ICICI's buying journey and you upload KYC and income documents. Existing customers can also look in the iMobile app under Pre Approved Loans/Offers, then Loan & Card Offers, then Cards. FD-backed cards go through iMobile, Net Banking or a branch, and the invite-only cards come only by invitation.

Published eligibility

ICICI's listing asks for Indian citizens above 21, with at least ₹20,000 a month if salaried or ₹2,40,000 a year if self-employed, and says credit score and repayment history may be considered. A lower section of the same page, for its instant card, says ₹2,40,000 a year for salaried and ₹3,60,000 for self-employed as per ITR, so the bank's own page give two set of figures. Card pages go higher:

• Coral, HPCL Super Saver, MakeMyTrip and Platinum Chip: ₹20,000 a month.
• Amazon Pay: ₹30,000 a month, by invitation.
• Rubyx, Sapphiro and Adani One Signature: ₹75,000 a month, or ₹9,00,000 a year if self-employed.
• Emirates Skywards Sapphiro: ₹1,50,000 a month.
• Times Black: ₹2,00,000 a month, or ₹24,00,000 a year if self-employed.

Several card FAQs put the age band at 21 to 65. You'll need proof of identity, address and income, and Times Black use Video KYC with PAN and Aadhaar. If you have no salary, the listing FAQ says ICICI may ask you for a fixed deposit as collateral.

Your rights while applying

ICICI follow the RBI's 2025 Directions for commercial banks, and a few of them matter at the application stage:

• A card is issued only with your explicit consent, in writing or digitally with multi-factor checks. Consent can't be assumed.
• You get a one-page Key Fact Statement with the application. If ICICI rejects you, it must give the specific reasons in writing.
• A new card can't be reported to credit bureaus before you activate it, and ICICI can't upgrade it or raise its limit without your consent.
• You can pick a different billing cycle date at least once.
• When you ask to close the card, ICICI has 7 working days once dues are cleared, and pays you ₹500 for every calendar day of delay after that.

Whatever the income line says, the decision are ICICI's, and meeting the figure is only the start of it.

ICICI customer care and complaints

ICICI's customer care number is 1800 1080, toll free. If you are abroad, call +91-22-33667777, and for fraud there is a separate line, 1800 2662. Billing disputes has to be raised within 60 days of the statement date, so don't sit on a wrong charge.

For complaints, the MITC names a Principal Nodal Officer at ICICI Bank, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai, reachable on 022-39337979 from Monday to Friday, 10 am to 5 pm. If 30 days pass without a reply or the answer is unsatisfactory, the RBI Ombudsman is next step. Wealth management customers have their own number, 1800 103 8181. Our ICICI Bank customer care page puts more numbers in one place, and you has to keep your complaint reference handy when you escalate.

Two RBI rules help when you dispute a charge. The issuer have to explain a disputed bill, with documents where needed, within 30 days, and it cannot levy charges on a transaction you have disputed as fraud until the dispute is resolved. And if a recovery agent ever calls about dues, the rules bar threats, harassment and public shaming, and say you must be given that agent's contact details.