New fees, fewer perks? ICICI shakes up credit card rules
What's the story
ICICI Bank has announced changes to its credit card policies, effective from January 15, 2026. The changes mainly affect select credit cards and introduce new charges for certain transactions. The bank's latest move is likely to have an impact on customers' reward points, entertainment benefits, foreign currency spends and daily spending habits. Here's all you need to know about the changes.
Policy changes
Reward points and BookMyShow benefits
Under the new rules, holders of the ICICI Bank Emeralde Metal Credit card will continue to earn six reward points for every ₹200 spent on retail transactions. However, this does not include spending on government services, fuel, property management, rent payments and third-party wallets. To avail BookMyShow offer on your ICICI credit card, you will now need to spend at least ₹25,000 in the preceding quarter.
Additional fees
New charges for add-on cards and dynamic currency conversion
For new add-on ICICI Bank Emeralde Metal Credit Cards issued on or after January 15, a one-time fee of ₹3,500 will be applicable. The dynamic currency conversion fee has also been revised for different ICICI Bank credit cards. It is now 1.49% for Times Black ICICI Bank Credit Card and 2% each for ICICI Bank Emeralde Metal Credit Card, Emeralde Credit Card and Emeralde Private Credit Card.
Fee revisions
Transaction fees and cash payment charges
The dynamic currency conversion fee is 0.99% for MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Travel Credit Card and 1.99% for Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card. For all other credit cards, including MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card and Platinum Credit Card, the fee is 3.5%. A 2% transaction fee will be charged on transactions done on platforms like Dream11, Rummy Culture, Junglee Games and MPL from January 15.
Additional costs
New charges for 3rd-party wallets and cash payments
A 1% fee will be charged on transaction amounts of ₹5,000 or more when loading money into third-party wallets such as Amazon Pay, Paytm, MobiKwik, Freecharge and OlaMoney. The fee revision also extends to cash payments at ICICI Bank branches for clearing credit card dues. The charge has been revised from ₹100 per payment transaction to ₹150 per payment transaction.