ABP Your Money Your Life: ICICI Bank has announced a wide-ranging overhaul of charges, reward structures and card benefits that will affect millions of its retail credit card users from January 2026.
The revisions, which will be rolled out in phases through January and February, signal a clear shift in how the lender wants customers to use its cards, especially for high-value travel spends, wallet loading and premium benefits.
The bank has said the changes will apply across its retail credit card portfolio, and cardholders have been advised to study the revised schedule of charges carefully to avoid surprises.
Over the past few years, credit card usage in India has expanded rapidly, particularly for travel bookings, digital wallets, gaming platforms and cross-border transactions. Banks, including ICICI Bank, have been recalibrating fees and rewards to balance rising costs, curb misuse and align benefits more closely with high-spending behaviour.
Higher Charges on High-Value Transportation Spends
One of the most notable changes affects transportation-related transactions. A 1 per cent charge will be levied on transportation spends exceeding Rs 50,000 under select merchant category codes. This change is expected to impact customers making high-value bookings related to travel, including certain rail and bus transactions.
In addition to the new charge, the bank is also revising how reward points are earned on transportation spends.
Reward Point Caps on Travel Transactions
ICICI Bank will introduce monthly caps on reward point accrual for transportation spends across most of its cards.
For premium cards such as Emeralde, Emeralde Private, Sapphiro and Rubyx, reward points will be earned only on transportation spends of up to Rs 20,000 per month. For mid-tier cards, including Coral, Platinum, Manchester United, CSK, Expressions and similar variants, the cap will be lower at Rs 10,000 per month.
These limits will mainly affect customers who frequently book railway tickets and bus journeys using their credit cards.
BookMyShow Offer Gets Tighter
The popular BookMyShow Buy-One-Get-One movie ticket offer is also being tightened. Going forward, cardholders will need to meet a minimum quarterly spend to unlock the benefit.
To be eligible, customers must spend Rs 25,000 in the previous calendar quarter to access the offer in the current quarter. From February 2026, Instant Platinum credit card holders will no longer be eligible for the BookMyShow benefit at all. Other eligible ICICI Bank cards will continue to offer the perk, subject to the quarterly spend condition.
Changes to Super-Premium Emeralde Cards
Holders of ICICI Bank’s super-premium Emeralde cards will see several important changes. The Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) fee on Emeralde Metal, Emeralde Private and Emeralde (PVC) cards has been increased to 2 per cent.
In addition, Emeralde Metal cardholders will no longer earn reward points on spending related to government services, fuel, rent and property management, tax payments, or third-party wallet transactions.
New add-on cards issued on the Emeralde Metal variant will also attract a one-time fee of Rs 3,500.
Revised Foreign Currency and DCC Charges
ICICI Bank has also updated DCC fees across its card portfolio, with rates now varying by card category. MakeMyTrip Travel cards will attract a DCC fee of 0.99 per cent, while Times Black cards will be charged 1.49 per cent. Amazon Pay ICICI credit cards will have a DCC fee of 1.99 per cent.
For several other cards, including MMT Signature and Platinum variants, DCC charges can go up to 3.5 per cent.
New Fee on Online Gaming Transactions
From 2026, online gaming transactions will attract a 2 per cent fee. This will apply to payments made on platforms such as Dream11, Rummy Culture, Junglee Games and MPL. The charge will also extend to similar gaming-related merchant category codes that may be introduced in the future, and will cover deposits and comparable transactions.
ICICI Bank is also introducing a 1 per cent fee on third-party wallet loading transactions of Rs 5,000 or more. This applies to popular wallets including Amazon Pay, Paytm, MobiKwik, Freecharge and OlaMoney.
Other Changes Cardholders Should Note
Branch cash payment charges have been increased, and foreclosure charges will now apply on cancelled Instant EMIs. Meanwhile, HPCL Super Saver Credit Card holders will continue to earn reward points on insurance payments only up to Rs 40,000 per month at the existing earn rate.
Most of the revised charges and conditions will take effect from January 15, 2026, while certain reward caps and benefit withdrawals will come into force from February 1, 2026.
With these changes, ICICI Bank is clearly nudging customers towards more selective spending and higher thresholds for premium benefits. Cardholders would be well advised to review their monthly spending patterns, reassess the value they derive from their cards, and decide whether existing cards still align with their usage habits before the new rules kick in.