Big ICICI Credit Card Shake-Up in 2026: Rewards, Fees, Forex & UPI Rules Are Changing

ICICI Bank has announced multiple updates to credit card features and charges, effective from January–February 2026. These changes impact reward points, transport spends, insurance spends, BookMyShow benefits, add-on card fees, forex charges, wallet loads, gaming transactions, cash payments, and UPI IDs.

Reward Points – What Continues & With Limits

ICICI Bank Emeralde Metal Credit Card

From Jan 15, 2026

  • Continue earning 6 reward points per ₹200 on retail spends
  • Excludes: Government services, fuel, property management, rent, tax payments, third-party wallets

Transportation Category (MCC 4111, 4112, 4784, 4131):taxi:

From Feb 1, 2026

Rewards up to ₹20,000/month

  • Rubyx
  • Secured Rubyx
  • Lead the New Rubyx
  • Sapphiro
  • Lead the New Sapphiro
  • Emeralde
  • Emeralde Private

Rewards up to ₹10,000/month

  • Platinum variants
  • HPCL variants
  • Coral variants
  • Manchester United cards
  • Chennai Super Kings card
  • Expressions cards
  • Parakram cards
    (Reward points depend on MCC)

:shield: Insurance Spends

From Feb 1, 2026

  • Rewards continue for insurance spends up to ₹40,000
  • Applicable MCCs: 5960, 6300, 6381, 6399
  • Card: ICICI Bank HPCL Super Saver Credit Card

BookMyShow Benefit Changes

Discontinued

From Feb 1, 2026

  • Complimentary BookMyShow benefit discontinued for:
    • ICICI Bank Instant Platinum Chip Credit Card
    • ICICI Bank Instant Platinum Credit Card

Spend-Based Eligibility

From Jan 15, 2026

  • To enjoy BookMyShow offers:
    • Spend ₹25,000 or more in the preceding quarter
  • Example:
    • For Apr–Jun 2026 benefits → spend ₹25,000 between Dec 26, 2025 – Mar 25, 2026
  • Applicable to multiple ICICI cards including Coral, Rubyx, Sapphiro, Emeralde, HPCL, Adani One, MakeMyTrip, Manchester United, CSK, Expressions, and more

Add-On Card Fee

From Jan 15, 2026

  • ₹3,500 one-time fee
  • Applicable to new Plus (Add-on) cards
  • Card: ICICI Bank Emeralde Metal Credit Card

Revised Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) Fees

From Jan 15, 2026

  • 1.49% – Times Black ICICI Bank Credit Card
  • 2.00% – Emeralde / Emeralde Metal / Emeralde Private
  • 0.99% – MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Travel Credit Card
  • 1.99% – Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card
  • 3.50% – All other ICICI credit cards

New Transaction Fees (All Retail Credit Cards)

  • 2% fee on gaming/fantasy platforms
    (Dream11, MPL, Rummy Culture, Junglee Games – MCC 5816)
  • 1% fee on wallet loading of ₹5,000 or more
    (Amazon Pay, Paytm, MobiKwik, Freecharge, OlaMoney – MCC 6540)
  • 1% fee on transport spends exceeding ₹50,000
    (MCC 4111, 4112, 4784, 4131)

Cash Payment at Branch

  • Fee revised from ₹100 → ₹150 per transaction

New UPI ID for Credit Card Payments

Old UPI ID discontinued.

New format:

ccpay.<10-digit mobile number><last 4 digits of card>@icici