M16S / ICICI Bank / ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card
premium · rewards, travel
ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card
The ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card costs Rs 3,500 a year, waived if you spend Rs 6,00,000 in a year. Its base return is 0.5% (2 RP per Rs 100 domestic). Accelerated earn: 4 RP per Rs 100 international; 1 RP per Rs 100 on utility and insurance. The forex markup is 3.5%. Lounge visits in India: 4 per quarter (2 per variant per quarter on dual cards). Abroad: 2 per year via Priority Pass, primary only. Read from the issuer's documents and an aggregator on 31 Oct 2026.
- Annual fee
- Rs 3,500+ GST
- Fee waived at
- Rs 6,00,000annual spend
- Base return
- 0.5%
- Forex markup
- 3.5%
- 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 ties domestic lounge access to Rs 75,000 quarterly spend, Jan 2025
From 1 Jan 2025 complimentary domestic lounge access on these cards needs Rs 75,000 of spend in the previous calendar quarter. Rent, government, education and EMI spends do not count. 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 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 6,500 |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | Rs 3,500 |
| Annual spend that waives the fee | Rs 6,00,000 |
| Fee notes | Add-on card Rs 199 a year. Issued as dual-network pairs (Mastercard + Amex, or Visa + RuPay). |
Rewards
| Welcome benefit | Vouchers worth Rs 13,000+: Tata CLiQ Rs 3,000, EaseMyTrip Rs 4,000, Da Milano Rs 5,000, Croma Rs 1,500, 3-month EazyDiner Prime |
|---|---|
| Reward currency | ICICI Bank Reward Points |
| Base earn | 2 RP per Rs 100 domestic |
| Base returnunverified | 0.5% |
| Point valueunverified | Rs 0.25 per point (Card Insider) |
| Accelerated earn | 4 RP per Rs 100 international; 1 RP per Rs 100 on utility and insurance |
| 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. Milestone bonus capped at 20,000 points a year. |
| 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 | 4,000 RP on Rs 4 lakh annual spend, then 2,000 RP per extra Rs 1 lakh, max 20,000 RP a year |
| 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 = 2/100 x Rs 0.25 = 0.5%. |
Travel and perks
| Domestic lounge | 4 per quarter (2 per variant per quarter on dual cards) |
|---|---|
| International lounge | 2 per year via Priority Pass, primary only |
| Lounge conditions | Spend of Rs 75,000 in the preceding spends quarter unlocks access for the next calendar quarter; ICICI's illustration runs the spend window from the 26th to the 25th, for example 26 Sep to 25 Dec for Jan to Mar (rent, government, education, EMI spends excluded). Primary cardholder only. Rs 2 authorisation at entry. International visits carry no stated spend condition. |
| Forex markup | 3.5% |
| Fuel surcharge waiver | 1% on fuel txns up to Rs 4,000 at any pump |
| Other freebies | Golf: 1 round per Rs 50,000 spend in prior month, max 4 a month; BookMyShow buy-one-get-one up to Rs 500, twice a month (BookMyShow offer needs Rs 25,000 spend in the preceding quarter (from 1 Apr 2026); each add-on card must qualify separately); air accident cover up to Rs 3 crore; Rs 2 lakh personal accident cover on RuPay; 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 | 2.5% min Rs 500 |
| Eligibility | Age 21-65; salaried Rs 75,000 a month; self-employed Rs 9,00,000 a year |
| Fine-print notes | UPI spends on the RuPay variant earn at the card rate (P2M only). 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 Sapphiro Credit Card?
- Rs 3,500 a year, before GST. It is waived if you spend Rs 6,00,000 in a year.
- Does the ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card give airport lounge access?
- Yes. In India: 4 per quarter (2 per variant per quarter on dual cards). Outside India: 2 per year via Priority Pass, primary only. Conditions: Spend of Rs 75,000 in the preceding spends quarter unlocks access for the next calendar quarter; ICICI's illustration runs the spend window from the 26th to the 25th, for example 26 Sep to 25 Dec for Jan to Mar (rent, government, education, EMI spends excluded). Primary cardholder only. Rs 2 authorisation at entry. International visits carry no stated spend condition.
- What is the forex markup on the ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card?
- 3.5% of each foreign-currency transaction, before GST.
- Which spends earn no rewards on the ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card?
- No points on fuel, rent (MCC 6513), e-wallet loads, cash; EMI and fees excluded. Government payments treated as utility.