M16S / ICICI Bank / ICICI Emeralde Credit Card
super-premium · rewards, travel
ICICI Emeralde Credit Card
The ICICI Emeralde Credit Card costs Rs 12,000 a year, waived if you spend Rs 10,00,000 in a year. Its base return is 1% (4 RP per Rs 100 (domestic and international)). Accelerated earn: None; utility and insurance earn 1 RP per Rs 100. The forex markup is 2%. Lounge visits in India: Unlimited, primary cardholder. Abroad: Unlimited via Priority Pass. Read from the issuer's documents and an aggregator on 11 Oct 2026.
- Annual fee
- Rs 12,000+ GST
- Fee waived at
- Rs 10,00,000annual spend
- Base return
- 1%
- Forex markup
- 2%
- Interest
- 3.75%a month
What changed on this card
- ICICI cards lose air accident cover and INOX, fees rise, Dec 2026
From 15 December 2026, ICICI Bank ends air accident cover on 7 cards, CFAR cover on 4 and the INOX benefit on 9. Card replacement goes to Rs 300 plus GST from 11 December.
- ICICI Bank ties BookMyShow benefit to Rs 25,000 quarterly spend, Apr 2026
From 1 Apr 2026 the BookMyShow benefit on these cards needs Rs 25,000 of spend in the previous spends quarter. Spends from 26 Dec 2025 to 25 Mar 2026 unlock April to June 2026. Source: ICICI Bank, icici.bank.in, read 28 Oct 2026
- ICICI Bank caps transportation rewards per statement cycle, Feb 2026
From 1 Feb 2026 rewards on transportation transactions are capped per statement cycle at Rs 20,000 on Sapphiro, Rubyx and Emeralde, and at Rs 10,000 on Coral, HPCL and Manchester United cards. Source: ICICI Bank, icici.bank.in, read 28 Oct 2026
- ICICI Bank adds fees on wallet loads, gaming and transport, Jan 2026
From 15 Jan 2026 ICICI Bank charges 1% on wallet loads of Rs 5,000 or more, 2% on skill-based gaming and 1% on transportation transactions above Rs 50,000. Source: ICICI Bank, icici.bank.in, read 28 Oct 2026
- ICICI Bank raises Dynamic Currency Conversion fee, Jan 2026
From 15 Jan 2026 statements the DCC fee on rupee transactions abroad is 3.50% on most cards, up from 1%. It is 2.00% on Emeralde Private Metal and Emeralde, 1.99% on Amazon Pay and 1.49% on Times Black. Source: ICICI Bank, icici.bank.in, read 28 Oct 2026
- ICICI Bank ends the Emeralde monthly membership plan, Jul 2025
ICICI Bank stopped issuing the Emeralde Credit Card with a monthly membership plan from 24 Jul 2025. The same line covers the Emeralde Private Credit Card. Source: ICICI Bank, icici.bank.in, read 28 Oct 2026
- ICICI Bank drops rent, government and education spends from fee waiver, Nov 2024
From 15 Nov 2024 rent, government and education payments no longer count toward the spend threshold for annual fee reversal and milestone benefits. Source: ICICI Bank, icici.bank.in, read 28 Oct 2026
- ICICI Bank caps utility, insurance and grocery rewards on top cards, Nov 2024
From 15 Nov 2024 rewards on Emeralde, Sapphiro and Rubyx are capped per statement cycle at Rs 80,000 of utility spend, Rs 80,000 of insurance spend and Rs 40,000 of grocery and departmental store spend. Source: ICICI Bank, icici.bank.in, read 28 Oct 2026
- ICICI Bank adds 1% fee on fuel, utility and education payments, Nov 2024
From 15 Nov 2024 ICICI Bank charges 1% on fuel transactions above Rs 10,000, 1% on utility payments above Rs 50,000 and 1% on education payments made through third-party apps. Source: ICICI Bank, icici.bank.in, read 28 Oct 2026
- ICICI Bank sets 2% forex mark-up on Emeralde cards, Nov 2024
From 15 Nov 2024 the foreign currency mark-up is 2% on the Emeralde Private Metal and Emeralde cards. The standard ICICI Bank mark-up in the same document is 3.50%. Source: ICICI Bank, icici.bank.in, read 28 Oct 2026
- ICICI Bank stops reward points on rent and wallet loads, Feb 2024
From 5 Feb 2024 rent pay and e-wallet loading transactions earn no reward points on ICICI Bank credit cards. The Amazon Pay ICICI Bank card is exempt. Source: ICICI Bank, icici.bank.in, read 28 Oct 2026
- ICICI Bank moves government payments into the utility category, Feb 2024
From 5 Feb 2024 government transactions count as utility payment transactions on ICICI Bank credit cards, so they follow the utility earn rules and caps. The Amazon Pay ICICI Bank card is exempt. Source: ICICI Bank, icici.bank.in, read 28 Oct 2026
Each change is read from the bank's own notice or terms document, linked above. Every card's changes are on the change log.
Fees
| Joining fee | Rs 12,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | Rs 12,000 |
| Annual spend that waives the fee | Rs 10,00,000 |
| Fee notesunverified | Card Insider reports a Rs 1,000/month plan alternative; issuer page and MITC show Rs 12,000 only. Add-on card free. No cash advance or over-limit fee. |
Rewards
| Reward currency | ICICI Bank Reward Points |
|---|---|
| Base earn | 4 RP per Rs 100 (domestic and international) |
| Base returnunverified | 1% |
| Point valueunverified | Rs 0.25 per point (Card Insider) |
| Accelerated earn | None; utility and insurance earn 1 RP per Rs 100 |
| Caps | Per statement cycle, points accrue only on the first Rs 80,000 of utility spend, Rs 80,000 of insurance spend, Rs 40,000 of grocery spend and (from 1 Feb 2026) Rs 20,000 of transportation spend. |
| Spends that earn nothing | No points on fuel, rent (MCC 6513), e-wallet loads, cash; EMI and fees excluded. Government payments treated as utility. |
| Points expiry | 3 years from issuance |
| Milestone benefits | Birthday voucher worth Rs 5,000 (Tata CLiQ on Amex, PostCard Hotels on Mastercard) |
| Reward notes | Rs 0.25 per point is from Card Insider, not the issuer. Redemption handling fee Rs 99 + GST per request (Rs 25 for partner-brand online/in-store redemptions) per MITC. base_return_pct = 4/100 x Rs 0.25 = 1%. |
Travel and perks
| Domestic lounge | Unlimited, primary cardholder |
|---|---|
| International lounge | Unlimited via Priority Pass |
| Lounge conditions | No spend condition. Issuer page is unclear on whether add-on holders get Priority Pass. |
| Forex markup | 2% |
| Fuel surcharge waiver | 1% on fuel txns up to Rs 4,000 |
| Other freebies | Golf: 1 round per Rs 50,000 spend in prior month, max 4 a month; BookMyShow up to Rs 750 off second ticket, 4 times a month (BookMyShow offer needs Rs 25,000 spend in the preceding quarter (from 1 Apr 2026); each add-on card must qualify separately); cancellation cover up to Rs 12,000 twice a year; air accident cover up to Rs 3 crore; concierge |
Charges and eligibility
| Interest per month | 3.75% |
|---|---|
| Late payment fee | Nil <Rs 100; Rs 100 (Rs 100-500); Rs 500 (Rs 501-1,000); Rs 600 (Rs 1,001-5,000); Rs 750 (Rs 5,001-10,000); Rs 900 (Rs 10,001-25,000); Rs 1,100 (Rs 25,001-50,000); Rs 1,300 (>Rs 50,000) |
| Cash advance fee | Nil |
| Eligibility | Age 21-65; salaried Rs 1,50,000 a month; self-employed Rs 18,00,000 a year |
| Fine-print notes | Low point value makes the 4 RP rate worth about 1%. Bank-wide transaction fees (MITC): 1% on rent; 1% on fuel txns above Rs 10,000; 1% on utility txns above Rs 50,000; 1% on transportation above Rs 50,000; 1% on education paid via third-party apps; 1% on wallet loads of Rs 5,000+; 2% on skill-based gaming. DCC fee on INR transactions abroad equals the card's forex markup from 15 Jan 2026. Fee-waiver spend excludes rent, government and education payments; a fee reversal forfeits annual gifts. |
Questions
- What is the annual fee of the ICICI Emeralde Credit Card?
- Rs 12,000 a year, before GST. It is waived if you spend Rs 10,00,000 in a year.
- Does the ICICI Emeralde Credit Card give airport lounge access?
- Yes. In India: Unlimited, primary cardholder. Outside India: Unlimited via Priority Pass. Conditions: No spend condition. Issuer page is unclear on whether add-on holders get Priority Pass.
- What is the forex markup on the ICICI Emeralde Credit Card?
- 2% of each foreign-currency transaction, before GST.
- Which spends earn no rewards on the ICICI Emeralde Credit Card?
- No points on fuel, rent (MCC 6513), e-wallet loads, cash; EMI and fees excluded. Government payments treated as utility.