This is the same product on a different payment network. Everything on this page applies to both rails — the differences are below. Pick the rail you want; you apply for it directly with the bank.
Same rewards, lounge and golf perks and fee, on RuPay - so it can be linked to UPI apps.
In-depth review
ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card
Still a sensible mid-premium card — modest reward points but enough lounge access for a monthly flyer, golf, and a fee that waives at ₹6 lakh. But ICICI has wrapped nearly every benefit in a spend condition: lounges have needed ₹75k/quarter since January 2025, and the 2026 devaluation added a ₹25k gate on movies and stopped several categories earning. Great for the consistent spender; frustrating for the occasional one.
Read the full review →Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
Welcome Benefit
~₹3,500 in vouchers, points or cashback in year one — usually conditional on a first spend within 30–90 days
1% on International
4 ICICI Reward Points per ₹100 on international spends (~1%)
0.5% on Other
2 ICICI Reward Points per ₹100 domestic (~0.5%); fuel, rent, third-party wallet loads and cash earn nothing. Government spend is billed as a utility payment and earns the halved 1 RP rate
Airport Lounge Access
4 domestic visits a quarter, unlocked by ₹75,000 of spend in the previous calendar quarter, plus 2 international visits a year on the Priority Pass membership
Annual Fee Waiver
Fee of ₹3,500 + 18% GST (₹4,130 all-in)/yr fully waived when you spend ₹6,00,000/year
Golf Privileges
Up to 4 complimentary golf rounds a month — one round for every ₹50,000 of retail spend in the previous calendar month
Movie Ticket Benefit
BookMyShow — buy one ticket and get up to ₹500 off the second, twice a month; needs ₹25,000 of spend in the preceding quarter
Milestone Bonus
~₹1,000 in bonus rewards on hitting annual spend milestones
✈️ TRAVEL BENEFITS
Lounge access, miles, forex rates and travel perks at a glance.
AIRPORT LOUNGE ACCESS
16 visits/yr
Domestic lounges
Priority Pass
International lounges
₹10,000
Estimated annual value
3.5%
Forex markup
- Domestic + international airport lounge access (16 domestic visits/yr, worth ~₹10,000)
👑 PREMIUM LIFESTYLE BENEFITS
Concierge, golf, hotel membership and high-value perks for premium cardholders.
₹4,000
Golf perk value
₹1,000
Milestone bonus value
- Complimentary golf access at premium courses
- 4,000 Reward Points at ₹4L of annual spend, then 2,000 RP per additional ₹1L, up to 20,000 RP in an anniversary year
🎬 ENTERTAINMENT BENEFITS
Movies, OTT subscriptions and entertainment perks.
- BookMyShow — buy one ticket and get up to ₹500 off the second, twice a month; needs ₹25,000 of spend in the preceding quarter
For ICICI customers who travel domestically for work and will clear ₹75,000/quarter to keep the lounge access live. Not for occasional spenders, who will trip every threshold.
Full reward structure
What you earn on every rupee, per spend category — as of 11 Oct 2026. Rates assume 1 pt = ₹0.25. How we value points →
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| International | reward points | 1%4 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
| Other | reward points | 0.5%2 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
| Groceries | reward points | 0.5%2 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | ₹200 |
| Insurance | reward points | 0.25%1 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | ₹200 |
| Utility Bills | reward points | 0.25%1 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | ₹200 |
International: 4 ICICI Reward Points per ₹100 on international spends (~1%)
Other: 2 ICICI Reward Points per ₹100 domestic (~0.5%); fuel, rent, third-party wallet loads and cash earn nothing. Government spend is billed as a utility payment and earns the halved 1 RP rate
Groceries: Grocery and departmental store spends earn the standard 2 RP per ₹100 retail rate, but are capped at 800 RP a statement cycle — reached at ₹40,000 of grocery spend, after which they earn nothing until the cycle turns
Insurance: 1 ICICI Reward Point per ₹100 on insurance premiums (~0.25%) — half the retail rate; capped at 800 RP a statement cycle, reached at ₹80,000 of insurance spend
Utility Bills: 1 ICICI Reward Point per ₹100 on utility bills (~0.25%) — half the retail rate; government payments are billed as utilities and earn at this rate. Capped at 800 RP a statement cycle, reached at ₹80,000 of utility spend
Earns nothing on: Fuel · Rent · Cash Advances · Wallet Loads
These spends earn no rewards at all — not a reduced rate, and not the base rate. They are also normally left out of any milestone or fee-waiver calculation.
Fees & charges
The numbers that matter beyond rewards — verify on the issuer site before applying. Fees below are shown inclusive of 18% GST, as of 11 Oct 2026.
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹4,130 |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | ₹7,670 |
| Finance charge (APR) | 3.75% p.m. |
| Forex markup | 3.5% |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹18,600/yr in total.
Up to 4 complimentary golf rounds a month — one round for every ₹50,000 of retail spend in the previous calendar month
4 domestic visits a quarter, unlocked by ₹75,000 of spend in the previous calendar quarter, plus 2 international visits a year on the Priority Pass membership
BookMyShow — buy one ticket and get up to ₹500 off the second, twice a month; needs ₹25,000 of spend in the preceding quarter
1% fuel surcharge waiver on transactions up to ₹4,000 at any fuel outlet
4,000 Reward Points at ₹4L of annual spend, then 2,000 RP per additional ₹1L, up to 20,000 RP in an anniversary year
Spend milestone
- ₹4,00,000 a year₹1,000 of value
Should you get it?
- Best for: Frequent travellers, Higher spenders
- Premium tier — a solid all-rounder for steady monthly spend.
- Strongest value if you spend heavily on International (1% back).
- Frequent travellers benefit from the included airport lounge access.
Pros & cons
✓ Pros
- Strong rewards that can offset the annual fee for the right spender
- Premium lifestyle perks (lounge, concierge, milestone benefits)
✕ Cons
- Annual fee applies unless the spend-based waiver is met
- Higher income / eligibility bar
- Utility, insurance and grocery earning is capped every statement cycle
Eligibility & documents
This is the figure for salaried applicants. Where ICICI Bank sets a separate one for the self-employed, its own eligibility page gives it.
Documents required
- 📄PAN card
- 📄Aadhaar / valid address proof
- 📄Latest 3 months bank statement
- 📄Income proof — salary slips (salaried) or ITR (self-employed)
- 📄Recent passport-size photograph
How to redeem rewards
Ways to convert what you earn into real value.
- 🎁Statement credit / cashback adjustment
- 🎁Online rewards catalogue (vouchers, merchandise)
- 🎁Flight & hotel bookings via the issuer rewards portal
- 🎁Airline / hotel partner point transfers (on eligible cards)
What your ICICI Reward Points are worth
Realistic value per point by redemption route — the difference is what most people leave on the table.
1 RP = ₹0.40 against the statement — ICICI's only published rate
Voucher store; ICICI publishes only an 'up to ₹1' ceiling, never a realised rate
iShop travel; rate is set per card at checkout, so the ₹1 ceiling is not a value
Air India is ICICI's only transfer partner, and the ratio splits 6x by card: Emeralde Private Metal and Times Black convert 1:1 (⇒ ₹1/pt), every other eligible card 6:1 (⇒ ₹0.17/pt — worse than the ₹0.40 voucher route, so on those cards transferring destroys value). Min 2,000 points; credited in up to 5 working days.
✈ Transfer partners
Direct transfers from this card only, ranked by what a point is worth in the destination programme. Full calculator, every currency →
Almost every benefit now carries a quarterly spend gate, and the base earn is only ~0.5% — miss the thresholds and you are paying ₹3,500 for very little.
Frequently asked questions
How does lounge access compare to Emeralde?
Which spends earn the highest rate?
What golf benefit is included?
What is the annual fee waiver?
Are reward points capped on any category?
Should I get Sapphiro or Rubyx?
How has the ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card changed over time?
Has the ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card been devalued recently?
When did the ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card's fees last change?
How did the ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card change in 2026?
The bottom line
Sapphiro is still the sensible ICICI premium card for a consistent spender — enough lounge quota for monthly flyers and a fee that disappears at ₹6 lakh. But the 2026 devaluation gated the lounges (₹75k/quarter) and movies (₹25k/quarter), stripped earning from fuel, rent and wallet loads, and caps utility, insurance and grocery earning every statement cycle, so the occasional user gets far less than the brochure suggests.
How this page was built
Counted from this card’s own record: 5 earn rules, 3 of them capped, the spends listed as earning nothing and 5 recorded perks. The renewal fee is conditional — it is waived on a published spend target, so the fee you pay depends on what you spend.
Last updated 11 Oct 2026.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card are taken from ICICI Bank's official Most Important Terms & Conditions (MITC) and fee schedule — see the card's official page. Last updated 11 Oct 2026. Reviewed by Devchandra Sah. Always confirm current details on the issuer's site before applying. How we research →
Independence. CardAdvisor is an independent editorial publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorised to act for ICICI Bank. All issuer names, product names, and payment-network marks are the property of their respective owners and appear here for identification and comparison only. Card faces shown on this site are our own original illustrations — we do not display or host issuer card artwork or logos.
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Guides and reviews related to this card.
ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card
Still a sensible mid-premium card — modest reward points but enough lounge access for a monthly flyer, golf, and a fee that waives at ₹6 lakh. But ICICI has wrapped nearly every benefit in a spend condition: lounges have needed ₹75k/quarter since January 2025, and the 2026 devaluation added a ₹25k gate on movies and stopped several categories earning. Great for the consistent spender; frustrating for the occasional one.
ICICI Bank Rubyx Credit Card
A dual-network card (Visa/Mastercard + Amex) that gives you two lounge programmes, two offer ecosystems, golf and concierge on one bill for ₹2,000 (waivable at ₹3 lakh). The perk bundle is the genuine draw; the rewards are middling and 2026 added spend gates and exclusions. Lean on the Visa side for everyday acceptance and buy it for the lounges, not the earn.
ICICI Bank Credit Card Ladder 2026: Platinum → Coral → Sapphiro → Emeralde
ICICI Bank's card ladder runs from the entry Platinum through Coral and Sapphiro up to the Emeralde and invite-only Emeralde Private. This guide maps the reward programme at each tier, explains the common reward point pitfalls, and tells you where the ICICI ecosystem delivers genuine value.
Adani One ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card
The premium tier of the Adani One co-brand. It earns 7 Adani Reward Points per ₹100 at ICICI's listed participating merchants — the shops and restaurants inside Adani-managed airports — 2 on international spends and 1.5 on everything else. An Adani Reward Point redeems at about ₹1, so ICICI's 'up to 7%' headline is literal and the base is a real 1.5%. Add Pranaam, valet, 16 lounge visits and ₹7,000 of joining vouchers and the ₹5,000 fee is defensible. The catch is that every point is trapped inside one app.
Times Black ICICI Bank Credit Card
A super-premium metal card built around entertainment access — movies, concerts, events without the ticket counter — wrapped in unlimited lounges and concierge. It is issued to ICICI's HNW relationship customers rather than on the open market. Genuinely brilliant for the person attending ticketed events most weeks; a ₹20,000 indulgence for everyone else. The ₹25 lakh fee waiver and modest rewards mean you should hold it for the access, at volume.
ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card (Metal)
ICICI's 'almost-flagship' metal card — 4 reward points per ₹100, unlimited domestic lounges and a 2% forex markup, for a ₹12,000 fee waived at ₹10 lakh. It sits one rung below the invite-only Emeralde Private Metal, and ICICI's trimming reached it too: per-cycle spend caps on utility, insurance and grocery, and a spend-gated BookMyShow benefit. Solid for the ICICI customer who'll clear the waiver, though the return is a flat ~1.6% however you redeem — ICICI's 'up to ₹1 a point' is a ceiling it publishes no way to reach on this card. The Private Metal is the better card if you can get invited.
ICICI Bank Coral Credit Card
The bank's long-standing starter card — a movie discount, modest dining earn, a quarterly lounge visit for ₹500. The 2026 ICICI-wide devaluation reached even here, gating the movie benefit behind ₹25,000 and lounge access behind ₹75,000 of quarterly spend — thresholds that the lighter spenders a starter card targets will struggle to clear. ICICI's own free Amazon Pay card out-earns it for most people.
ICICI Bank Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card
A flat ~3% earner with Taj Epicure membership, unlimited lounges and a competitive 2% forex markup — genuinely premium for the ICICI wealth customer. The asterisk is the trajectory: two devaluations in 15 months stripped out rent, fuel, tax and government earning and squeezed utilities, grocery and education to about ₹33,000 of spend a cycle each, and the trimming may not be over. Buy the 2026 version, not the 2023 legend.
Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card
The middle tier of ICICI's Emirates co-brand, sitting between the entry Rubyx and the super-premium Emeralde. It earns a flat 1.5 Emirates Skywards Miles per ₹100 straight to your Emirates account — roughly 1.5% at the ₹1/mile airline baseline, cut from 2 miles on 15 January 2026 — and welcomes you with 5,000 miles plus complimentary Skywards Silver status. A sensible pick for the regular Emirates flyer; a niche buy for everyone else, with no fee waiver on the ₹5,000 fee.
Airport Lounge Access Guide 2026: Priority Pass, Airport Apps and Bank-Direct Explained
Indian credit cards offer lounge access through several routes — Priority Pass (international), domestic airport lounges, bank-direct tie-ups, and RuPay Lounge. The big 2025 change: Dreamfolks, long the domestic aggregator, exited domestic lounge access on 16 September 2025, and that layer is now served by airport-operator apps (Adani One, Encalm's HOI), EliteAssist and direct bank deals. This guide maps 25+ cards to their programmes, explains the boarding-pass requirement and the cost-per-visit math, and tells you exactly which card to carry at which airport.
Value timeline
Every real-world change to this card's rewards, fees and benefits we've tracked — newest first, each linked to its source.
Tracking since 2013 · last change Apr 2026
2026
- ▼ BenefitObserved 17 Dec 2025 · Effective 1 Apr 2026
BookMyShow movie benefit becomes spend-gated
Complimentary buy-one-get-one, twice a month→Requires ₹25,000 spend in the previous quarter
From 1 Apr 2026 the Sapphiro BookMyShow buy-one-get-one movie benefit is unlocked only if the cardholder spent at least ₹25,000 in the preceding calendar quarter — a shift from an unconditional perk to a spend-gated one.
Verification: ICICI Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
- ▼ FeeObserved 19 Feb 2026 · Effective 1 Mar 2026
Minimum Amount Due rebuilt as a two-branch formula
5% of the outstanding amount, plus instalments, the over-limit amount, fee GST and any unpaid previous MAD→100% of GST, EMI principal and interest, fees, the over-limit amount and unpaid MAD, plus 5% of retail spends, cash advances and the finance charge — the finance charge taken in full whenever that 5% falls short of it
From the 1 March 2026 statement onwards ICICI stopped deriving the Minimum Amount Due from a single 5%-of-outstanding line and began building it component by component: GST, EMI principal and interest, fees and charges, the over-limit amount and any unpaid previous MAD are all taken at 100%, and 5% is applied to retail spends, cash advances and the finance charge. Where 5% of those three comes to less than the finance charge alone, the whole finance charge is added instead and only retail and cash are taken at 5%. ICICI illustrates both branches itself — a minimum of ₹11,210 on a ₹37,830 total due, and ₹21,620 on a ₹1,15,810 total due where finance charges dominate. Paying the statement in full is unaffected; the minimum rises only for people carrying a balance or taking cash.
Verification: ICICI Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
- ▼ RewardObserved 17 Dec 2025 · Effective 1 Feb 2026
Transport-category earning capped
Transport spends earned uncapped→Transport rewards capped at ₹20,000 per statement cycle
From 1 February 2026 ICICI capped the reward points earned on transport-category spends — rail, bus, taxi, tolls and similar — at ₹20,000 of spend per statement cycle on its Gemstone-tier cards. Spend above the cap still posts to the card, it simply stops earning. The cap is per statement cycle, not per month, so a long cycle does not buy extra headroom.
Verification: ICICI Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
- ▼ RewardObserved 17 Dec 2025 · Effective 15 Jan 2026
Fuel, rent and wallet loads stripped of rewards; government re-bucketed into utilities
Wider earning base; government spend earned at the 2 RP/₹100 retail rate→Fuel, rent & third-party wallet loads excluded; government billed as utilities at 1 RP/₹100
ICICI's 2026 round stopped fuel, rent and third-party wallet loads from earning reward points on the Sapphiro. Government spends were not stripped — a point often got wrong — because ICICI reclassified them as utility transactions back in Feb 2024, so they continue to earn at the halved utility rate of 1 RP per ₹100 rather than the 2 RP per ₹100 retail rate, and count against the ₹80,000 utility cap. Property management remains an exclusion only on the Emeralde Private Metal, not on the Sapphiro. Everyday retail continued to earn 2 RP per ₹100.
Verification: ICICI Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
- ▼ FeeObserved 22 Dec 2025 · Effective 15 Jan 2026
New wallet, gaming and transport transaction fees
No such fees→1% wallet loads >₹5k/mo; 2% online gaming; 1% transport >₹50k/mo
As part of ICICI's portfolio-wide 2026 revision, Sapphiro added a 1% fee on third-party wallet loads (Amazon Pay/Paytm/Freecharge) above ₹5,000/month, a 2% fee on online-gaming spends, and a 1% fee on transport spends above ₹50,000/month.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: High
Each change links to the issuer's own document — bank T&C, MITC, notice, press release or product page — where one is public. Where the bank published nothing, it's marked CardAdvisor Research and verified against the card's current terms. Independent of the live terms shown above. This timeline is one card's slice of our market-wide change record across every tracked card.
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Source: <a href="https://cardadvisor.in/cards/icici-sapphiro#value-timeline">ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card value timeline</a>, CardAdvisor (CC BY 4.0).
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