What are the annual fees for ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card and ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card?

ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card has ₹12,000 + GST. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card has ₹3,500 + GST. Fees are shown before 18% GST, which is added on the bill.

What base reward rate does each card earn?

ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card earns about 1% on general spends; ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card earns about 0.5%. Category and partner rates may differ — see the table above.

What is the forex markup on each card?

ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card: 2%. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card: 3.5% (plus 18% GST on the markup).

Do both cards include airport lounge access?

ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card: yes — see the lounge row above for limits. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card: yes — see the lounge row above for limits.

Card Comparison

ICICI Emeralde vs ICICI Sapphiro

The key difference: 1% effective rate vs 0.5%. ICICI Emeralde vs ICICI Sapphirocompared side by side on fees, reward rates, caps, exclusions, and eligibility — weigh each against how you actually spend.

ICICI Bank Emeralde

ICICI Bank

Fee₹12,000+GST

Eff. rate1%

CapNone

Fee

₹12,000+GST

Eff. rate

Cap

None

ICICI Bank Sapphiro

ICICI Bank

Fee₹3,500+GST

Eff. rate0.5%

CapNone

Fee

₹3,500+GST

Eff. rate

0.5%

Cap

None

Quick take

How they compare

ICICI Emeralde and ICICI Sapphirosuit different spending patterns, so the right pick depends on where and how much you spend — the headline difference is called out at the top. Use the table below to weigh fees, reward rates, caps, and exclusions against your own usage.

At a glance

ICICI Emeralde

Annual fee: ₹12,000 + GST
Everyday rate: 1%
Monthly cap: No cap

Notable strengths

No monthly reward cap

ICICI Sapphiro

Annual fee: ₹3,500 + GST
Everyday rate: 0.5%
Monthly cap: No cap

Notable strengths

No monthly reward cap

Each card's own strengths — not a ranking. Weigh them against where you actually spend.

49 specs · 13 sections

ICICI Bank Emeralde

ICICI Bank Sapphiro

Feature

ICICI Bank Emeralde

ICICI Bank Sapphiro

Annual Fee

₹12,000

₹3,500

Joining Fee

₹12,000

₹6,500

Fee Waiver Spend

₹10,00,000

₹6,00,000

Forex Markup

3.5%

Reward Type

Reward Points

Base Rate

0.5%

Effective Base Rate

0.5%

Point Value

₹0.25

Redemption Quality

MEDIUM

Best Redemption

₹0.35

Worst Redemption

₹0.15

Grocery / Supermarkets

0.5%

Fuel / Petrol / Diesel / CNG

0% (Excluded)

Restaurants / Dine-in

0.5%

Flights, Hotels, OTAs, Tour Operators

0.5%

Other Retail / Catch-all

0.5%

Monthly Cap

No cap

Est. Annual Cap

No cap

Total Excluded

0 categories

6 categories

Fuel / Petrol / Diesel / CNG

Earns rewards

Excluded

Education / School / College Fees

Earns rewards

Excluded

Rent Payments

Earns rewards

Excluded

Government / Tax Payments

Earns rewards

Excluded

Domestic Visits/Year

-1

International Visits/Year

-1

Priority Pass

Yes

Est. Annual Value

₹10,230

₹8,690

Forex Markup

3.5%

International Rate

Yes

Description

—

Vouchers worth over ₹13,000: Tata CLiQ ₹3,000, EaseMyTrip ₹4,000 (4×₹1,000), Da Milano ₹5,000, Croma ₹1,500 (3×₹500), EazyDiner Prime 3-month membership

Estimated Value

—

₹10,800

Fuel Surcharge Waiver

Yes

Best Suited For

Movies, Travel, Shopping

Travel, Shopping

Min Income

₹1,50,000/month

₹75,000/month

Income Proof

Required

Secured FD

Accepting Applications

Yes

Network

Visa, Mastercard, American Express

Mastercard, American Express

Card Tier

Signature

Premium

Gaming platforms (Dream11, MPL, Rummy Culture, Junglee Games)

2% surcharge

Third-party wallet loads > ₹5,000

1% surcharge

Transport > ₹50,000

1% surcharge

Still weighing your options?

Other popular matchups to line up against your shortlist.

Frequently asked questions

What are the annual fees for ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card and ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card?: ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card has ₹12,000 + GST. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card has ₹3,500 + GST. Fees are shown before 18% GST, which is added on the bill.
What base reward rate does each card earn?: ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card earns about 1% on general spends; ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card earns about 0.5%. Category and partner rates may differ — see the table above.
What is the forex markup on each card?: ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card: 2%. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card: 3.5% (plus 18% GST on the markup).
Do both cards include airport lounge access?: ICICI Bank Emeralde Credit Card: yes — see the lounge row above for limits. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card: yes — see the lounge row above for limits.

Reviewed by WhichWise Editorial Team. Each card's data is verified against the issuer's official terms.

Sources: ICICI Bank - ICICI Emeralde · ICICI Bank - ICICI Sapphiro