ICICI Bank credit card changes 2026
If you hold any ICICI Bank credit card — not just a premium one — some part of this affects you. ICICI rolled out what several independent trackers describe as one of its most extensive portfolio-wide overhauls in years, touching fees, reward structures, and benefits across super-premium, mid-tier, entry-level, and co-branded cards alike.
The changes rolled out in two phases: most fee-related revisions took effect January 15, 2026, with reward caps and benefit eligibility changes following on February 1, 2026. I’ve already covered the specific impact on the ICICI Emeralde and ICICI Rubyx in detail elsewhere — this piece is the wider map, showing how far the changes actually reach and where your specific card fits.
What Changed in ICICI Bank Credit Cards in 2026?
ICICI’s own stated rationale, according to reporting, centers on managing high-risk and high-volume transaction categories — specifically gaming platforms and third-party wallet loads — amid rising fraud exposure and losses in those categories. This framing matters: unlike a pure cost-cutting devaluation, several of these changes specifically target speculative or high-fraud-risk spending patterns rather than everyday transactions.
ICICI Credit Card Fee Changes Effective January 15, 2026
Applies Across Nearly The Entire ICICI Portfolio
| Change | Detail |
| Gaming platform fee | 2% on Dream11, Rummy Culture, Junglee Games, MPL — and future gaming MCCs |
| Wallet load fee | 1% on loads ≥₹5,000 to Paytm, Amazon Pay, MobiKwik, Freecharge, OlaMoney |
| Branch cash bill payment fee | ₹100 → ₹150 per transaction |
| DCC (Dynamic Currency Conversion) fee | Tiered — 0.99% (MakeMyTrip cards) up to 2% (Emeralde variants), varies by card |
The wallet load and gaming fees apply broadly across the portfolio — if you hold virtually any current ICICI credit card and use it to top up a digital wallet or fund a fantasy sports or rummy platform, expect these charges regardless of which specific card you carry.
ICICI Credit Card Changes by Card: Emeralde, Rubyx, Sapphiro & More
Emeralde Metal, Emeralde Private, Emeralde (PVC) — the deepest cuts in this overhaul. DCC fee raised to 2%. Emeralde Metal specifically loses reward points entirely on government services, fuel, rent, property management, tax payments, and third-party wallet transactions. New add-on cards on Emeralde Metal now cost ₹3,500 one-time. I’ve covered this card’s full devaluation timeline, including this change, in my ICICI Emeralde review.
Sapphiro and Rubyx — transportation spending now capped at ₹20,000 monthly for reward-earning purposes, alongside the portfolio-wide gaming and wallet fees. I’ve detailed Rubyx’s specific structure and this exact cap in my ICICI Rubyx review.
Coral, Platinum, and co-branded cards (Manchester United, CSK) — these entry and mid-tier cards see somewhat gentler treatment on transport reward caps compared to the premium tier, though they’re not exempt from the portfolio-wide gaming and wallet fees.
MakeMyTrip Credit Cards — carry the lowest DCC fee in the entire revised structure at 0.99%, a notably better rate than every other ICICI card affected by this overhaul — worth knowing if forex spending matters to you and you’re choosing between ICICI cards specifically.
HPCL Super Saver Card — a narrower, card-specific change: insurance-related reward earnings capped at ₹40,000 monthly, effective February 1, 2026, with other earn rates on this card left unchanged.
Instant Platinum cards — lose an unspecified benefit entirely from February 1, 2026, according to reporting, though the exact benefit being discontinued wasn’t detailed consistently across sources — check your specific card’s updated terms directly if you hold this variant.
The BookMyShow change worth knowing regardless of card
Several ICICI cards that previously offered an unconditional Buy-One-Get-One movie ticket benefit through BookMyShow now require a minimum ₹25,000 quarterly spend to remain eligible, with eligibility reviewed every quarter rather than granted automatically. If you’ve been relying on this specific perk, check whether your card’s quarterly spend clears that threshold before assuming the benefit still applies.
When Did the ICICI Bank Credit Card Changes Take Effect?
📅 Two-Phase Rollout
| Phase | Date | What Changed |
| Phase 1 | Jan 15, 2026 | Fee structure — gaming, wallet loads, DCC, cash payments, add-on cards |
| Phase 2 | Feb 1, 2026 | Reward caps and benefit eligibility — BookMyShow, HPCL insurance rewards, Instant Platinum benefit |
If you checked your card’s terms in mid-January and saw only fee changes, that’s expected — the reward-cap and benefit-eligibility side of this overhaul landed two weeks later. Review your specific card’s current terms directly on ICICI’s site rather than assuming everything changed on a single date.
How the 2026 ICICI Credit Card Changes Affect Cardholders
If you use your ICICI card for fantasy sports or online gaming platforms, expect a 2% fee on those transactions going forward — factor this into whether those platforms remain worth funding via credit card versus another payment method.
If you regularly top up digital wallets — Paytm, Amazon Pay, MobiKwik — in amounts of ₹5,000 or more, a 1% fee now applies. Splitting loads into smaller amounts under ₹5,000 avoids the fee, though that’s obviously more manual effort for regular top-ups.
If you pay your credit card bill in cash at an ICICI branch, that now costs ₹150 instead of ₹100 per transaction — a small but real increase if you’ve relied on branch cash payment as your regular method.
If forex spending is a significant part of your usage and you’re deciding between ICICI cards, the MakeMyTrip Credit Card’s 0.99% DCC fee is now meaningfully cheaper than the 2% rate on Emeralde variants — worth factoring into which ICICI card you actually carry abroad.
Looking for a card unaffected by this overhaul?
Compare against cards outside ICICI’s 2026 revision cycle
🔒 See full reviews linked throughout this article
ICICI Bank Credit Card Changes 2026: FAQs
Which ICICI credit cards are affected by the 2026 changes?
Nearly the entire retail portfolio, according to reporting — Emeralde variants, Sapphiro, Rubyx, Coral, Platinum, MakeMyTrip cards, HPCL Super Saver, Instant Platinum, and co-branded cards including Manchester United and CSK editions. The severity of impact varies significantly by card tier, with Emeralde Metal facing the deepest changes.
When did ICICI Bank’s 2026 credit card changes take effect?
In two phases. Most fee-related changes — gaming platform fees, wallet load charges, DCC revisions, cash payment fees, add-on card charges — took effect January 15, 2026. Reward caps and benefit eligibility changes, including the BookMyShow BOGO condition and HPCL insurance reward cap, followed on February 1, 2026.
Does the 2% gaming fee apply to all ICICI credit cards?
Yes, broadly — the fee applies to transactions on platforms like Dream11, Rummy Culture, Junglee Games, and MPL across the affected portfolio, and ICICI has stated it will extend to future merchant category codes classified for gaming as they’re identified.
Which ICICI card has the lowest forex fee after the 2026 changes?
The MakeMyTrip Credit Card, at 0.99% DCC fee — notably lower than the 2% rate applied to Emeralde variants and most other cards affected by this revision. Worth considering specifically for international spending if you’re choosing between ICICI cards.
Why did ICICI Bank make these changes?
According to reporting, ICICI cited high-risk transaction categories — specifically gaming platforms and third-party wallet loads — as the primary driver, framing the changes as a response to rising fraud exposure and losses in those specific spending categories, rather than a broad cost-cutting measure alone.
How does this affect my specific ICICI Emeralde or Rubyx card?
For the complete, card-specific breakdown of exactly how these changes affect Emeralde and Rubyx — including detailed real math on the impact — see my dedicated ICICI Emeralde review and ICICI Rubyx review, both updated to reflect this overhaul in full.