If you use an ICICI Bank credit card, this update is important for you. ICICI Bank has announced several major changes related to credit card charges, reward points, and popular card benefits.
These changes will apply to all retail credit card users and will come into effect starting January 2026.
The bank has clarified that these updates will not be implemented all at once. Instead, they will be rolled out in phases between January and February 2026, depending on the type of charge or benefit.
Changes in Travel Spending and Reward Points
High-value travel spending will now attract additional charges. If you spend more than ₹50,000 on transportation services such as train or bus tickets under select merchant categories, an extra 1% charge will be applied.
Along with this, ICICI Bank has also capped reward points on travel-related expenses.
Premium credit cards like Emeralde, Sapphiro, and Rubyx will now earn reward points only on travel spending up to ₹20,000 per month.
Mid-range cards such as Coral, Platinum, and similar variants will have a lower cap, with reward points limited to ₹10,000 per month on travel expenses.
Any travel spending beyond these limits will not earn reward points.
Changes to Entertainment Benefits and BookMyShow Offer
Entertainment-related benefits have also been revised. ICICI Bank’s popular BookMyShow Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO) movie ticket offer will no longer be available without conditions.
To qualify for the BOGO offer, cardholders must now spend at least ₹25,000 in the previous three months. If this spending condition is not met, the offer will not be available.
Additionally, the BookMyShow BOGO benefit will be completely discontinued for Instant Platinum credit card users from February 2026.
Major Impact on Emeralde and Emeralde Metal Card Users
Super-premium Emeralde credit card holders will face multiple changes.
The Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) fee on Emeralde cards has been increased to 2%, making international transactions costlier.
For Emeralde Metal card users, reward benefits have been further reduced. These cards will no longer earn reward points on:
Government services
Tax payments
Fuel transactions
Fare-related spending
Third-party wallet transactions
In addition, a one-time fee of ₹3,500 will now be charged for issuing new add-on cards under the Emeralde Metal category.
Higher Charges on Wallet Loading and Online Gaming
Adding money to digital wallets will also become more expensive. A 1% charge will be applied when loading ₹5,000 or more into wallets such as Amazon Pay, Paytm, and Mobikwik.
Spending on online gaming platforms like Dream11 and MPL will attract an even higher cost, with an additional 2% transaction fee.
When Will These Changes Take Effect?
Most of these revised charges and rules will come into effect from January 15, 2026. However, certain reward point reductions and benefit removals will begin later, starting February 1, 2026.
