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

ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card has ₹3,500 + GST. SBI ELITE Credit Card has ₹4,999 + GST. Fees are shown before 18% GST, which is added on the bill.

What base reward rate does each card earn?

ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card earns about 0.5% on general spends; SBI ELITE 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 Sapphiro Credit Card: 3.5%. SBI ELITE Credit Card: 1.99% (plus 18% GST on the markup).

Do both cards include airport lounge access?

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

Card Comparison

ICICI Sapphiro vs SBI ELITE

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

ICICI Bank Sapphiro

ICICI Bank

Fee₹3,500+GST

Eff. rate0.5%

CapNone

Fee

₹3,500+GST

Eff. rate

0.5%

Cap

None

SBI ELITE

SBI Card

Fee₹4,999+GST

Eff. rate0.5%

Cap₹10,000

Fee

₹4,999+GST

Eff. rate

0.5%

Cap

₹10,000

Quick take

How they compare

ICICI Sapphiro and SBI ELITEsuit 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 Sapphiro

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

Notable strengths

No monthly reward cap

SBI ELITE

Annual fee: ₹4,999 + GST
Everyday rate: 0.5%
Monthly cap: ₹10,000/mo

Notable strengths

Low forex markup (2.0%)

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

47 specs · 13 sections

ICICI Bank Sapphiro

SBI ELITE

Feature

ICICI Bank Sapphiro

SBI ELITE

Annual Fee

₹3,500

₹4,999

Joining Fee

₹6,500

₹4,999

Fee Waiver Spend

₹6,00,000

₹10,00,000

Forex Markup

3.5%

1.99%

Reward Type

Reward Points

Base Rate

0.5%

Online Rate

—

0.5%

Offline Rate

—

0.5%

Effective Base Rate

0.5%

Point Value

₹0.25

Redemption Quality

MEDIUM

Best Redemption

₹0.35

₹0.25

Worst Redemption

₹0.15

Grocery / Supermarkets

0.5%

2.5%

Fuel / Petrol / Diesel / CNG

0% (Excluded)

Restaurants / Dine-in

0.5%

2.5%

Flights, Hotels, OTAs, Tour Operators

0.5%

Other Retail / Catch-all

0.5%

Monthly Cap

No cap

₹10,000

Est. Annual Cap

No cap

₹1,20,000

Total Excluded

6 categories

4 categories

Education / School / College Fees

Excluded

Earns rewards

Government / Tax Payments

Excluded

Earns rewards

Domestic Visits/Year

International Visits/Year

Priority Pass

Yes

Est. Annual Value

₹8,690

₹8,470

Forex Markup

3.5%

1.99%

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

E-gift vouchers worth â‚¹5,000 from Yatra, Aditya Birla Fashion, Hush Puppies/Bata, Pantaloons, or Shoppers Stop

Estimated Value

₹10,800

₹5,000

Fuel Surcharge Waiver

Yes

Best Suited For

Travel, Shopping

Movies, Travel, Dining, Grocery

Min Income

₹75,000/month

₹60,000/month

Income Proof

Required

Not required

Secured FD

Accepting Applications

Yes

Network

Mastercard, American Express

Visa, Mastercard

Card Tier

Premium

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

2% surcharge

None

Third-party wallet loads > ₹5,000

1% surcharge

None

Transport > ₹50,000

1% surcharge

None

Still weighing your options?

Other popular matchups to line up against your shortlist.

Frequently asked questions

What are the annual fees for ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card and SBI ELITE Credit Card?: ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card has ₹3,500 + GST. SBI ELITE Credit Card has ₹4,999 + GST. Fees are shown before 18% GST, which is added on the bill.
What base reward rate does each card earn?: ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card earns about 0.5% on general spends; SBI ELITE 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 Sapphiro Credit Card: 3.5%. SBI ELITE Credit Card: 1.99% (plus 18% GST on the markup).
Do both cards include airport lounge access?: ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card: yes — see the lounge row above for limits. SBI ELITE 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 Sapphiro · SBI Card - SBI ELITE