ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card Review

The ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card is a premium credit card that comes with a lot of perks in a premium card range of this category.

The card comes in 2 variants – MasterCard and American Express. Earlier, the card came in the VISA variant as well. However, the VISA variant is no longer offered by the bank. Both ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card variants have their own set of perks and we will review in detail the perks offered by each. But let us first see what defines a premium credit card.

A premium credit card comes with a higher joining fee, a higher annual fee, and hosts of benefits that compensate for the higher fee structure. Made for higher earning and higher spending individuals, a premium credit card has a higher credit limit, and is usually loaded with services related to travel, food and shopping among others. Also, perks come in the form of cashback, miles or discounts, and offers.

Discussed below are the various benefits of the ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit card, as well as special benefits pertaining to each variant – MasterCard and American Express variants. Check out the fee and eligibility criteria too, and our verdict of the card. Here we go : 

Benefits of ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card

WELCOME BENEFIT

The MasterCard and Amex (short for American Express) variants offer Gift Vouchers of ₹ 10,000 as a welcome benefit. This is subject to payment of the joining fee. The vouchers are dispersed within 45 days of joining.

The vouchers are from the following brands and of the following values :

Brand	Voucher Value
Shoppers Stop	₹ 3000
Yatra	4 vouchers each ₹ 1000 | Total value ₹ 4000
Ola	4 vouchers each ₹ 250 | Total value  ₹ 1000
Speciality Chain of Restaurants	₹ 1000
Croma	₹ 1000

AIRPORT LOUNGE BENEFITS

• Dreamfolks DragonPass Membership worth USD 99, approximately ₹ 7250.
  The DragonPass membership consists of the following privileges –
  • 2 complimentary international airport lounge visits per calendar year at select airports.
  • 2 complimentary domestic airport spa visits per calendar year at select airports.
• 2 complimentary access each quarter to select airport lounges in India on a spend of ₹ 5,000 or above in each calendar quarter. 

FUEL SURCHARGE BENEFIT

The ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card offers a 1% fuel surcharge waived off on fuel transactions at all fuel outlets, with no upper cap on fuel spend in a month. 

MILESTONE BENEFITS 

On a minimum spend of ₹ 4,00,000, you earn 4,000 Payback Points. Thereafter, on every additional ₹ 1,00,000 spend (5 lakh spending onwards), you earn 2,000 Payback points. You can earn a maximum of 20,000 payback points per calendar year through the milestone rewards benefit. 

OTHER BENEFITS 

• On purchase of one movie ticket or event ticket through Book My Show, you will get up to ₹ 500 off on the second ticket. This offer is applicable twice every month. Perfect for that weekend movie binge I would say. 
• Through the ICICI Bank Culinary Treats Programme, you get exclusive offers and discounts on dining. You can also save a minimum of 15% on dining bills across a whooping 2500+ restaurants throughout the country. 
• You get a complimentary Golf Tee Time or Lesson on every ₹ 50,000 spend in a month. The maximum number of Golf rounds or lessons per month is 4. 
• Card members get access to i-Assist, the bank’s 24×7 concierge service. The concierge service assists with the following broad categories :
  
  • Restaurant referral and reservation
  • Flower and gift assistance
  • Hotel referral and reservation
  • Flight referral and reservation
  • Car rental and limousine service
  • Booking and delivery of movie tickets
  • Medical concierge privileges
  • Emergency auto assistance across India
  • Comprehensive insurance cover
  • Counterfeit Card Liability
  • Account Takeover Cover
  • Chip and Pin Card

• AMEX ONLY BENEFITS

  • Through the American Express Connect program, members get special offers on Travel, Lodging, Dining, Retail and Online Shopping. There is a wide range of offers to select from. 
  • Members can avail benefits of American Express ezeClick, an online payment solution offered by Amex. ezeClick provides users with one unique ID that eliminates the need to enter credit card details for every online purchase. It is also a faster and more secure way of online shopping. 
  • You also get access to  American Express EPAY which enables hassle-free paying of utility bills through its ‘Autopay’ feature. You need no longer worry about due dates for bill payment. Autopay takes care of paying bills on time.

• MASTERCARD ONLY BENEFITS

  • With the ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card MasterCard variant, you get access to the signature MasterCard Moments program. It offers discounts and offers across the following broad categories :
    • Travel
    • Culinary
    • Arts and Culture
    • Sports
    • Shopping
    • Entertainment
    • Advance Medical – Expert Medical Opinion

Reward/PAYBACK Points of ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card

The ICICI Bank gives rewards in the form of PAYBACK points. PAYBACK is a multi-brand loyalty program, and also the largest in India. Some of the very best known brands like Big Bazaar and ClearTrip are also brand partners of PAYBACK. 

PAYBACK POINTS FOR DOMESTIC SPENDS (FUEL EXCLUDED)

Amex ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card : 3 PAYBACK points for every ₹ 100 spent.
MasterCard ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card: 2 PAYBACK points for every ₹ 100 spent.

PAYBACK POINTS FOR INTERNATIONAL SPENDS

Amex ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card: 6 PAYBACK points for every ₹ 100 spent.
MasterCard ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card: 4 PAYBACK points for every ₹ 100 spent.

In terms of rewards, the Amex variant of the card offers more PAYBACK points on spends.

Having PAYBACK as their loyalty partner benefits you as an ICICI bank credit cardholder. You not only earn PAYBACK points from your credit card spends, but also when you buy from any of PAYBACK’s partner brands. For example, if you purchase an air ticket from ClearTrip using your ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card, you earn 2 PAYBACK points for every ₹ 100 from your Credit Card as well as up to 3 PAYBACK points from ClearTrip. A win-win for you!

PAYBACK POINTS CAN BE REDEEMED FOR

• Merchandise from the Rewards Catalogue of PAYBACK.
• Vouchers and E-Vouchers of numerous brands in food, fashion, electronics, grocery, entertainment and much more. 
• Purchases at PAYBACK In-store and online partners. 
• Air Miles.

Fees & Charges

JOINING FEE

The joining fee is ₹ 6,500 + taxes.

ANNUAL FEE/RENEWAL FEE

The annual fee is ₹ 3,500 + taxes, waived off on a spend of over ₹ 6,00,000  in the previous year.

CASH ADVANCE CHARGES

2.5% of the amount advanced or ₹ 300, whichever is higher.

CHEQUE AND CASH PICK-UP CHARGES

₹ 100 per pick-up.

RE-ISSUANCE OF LOST, STOLEN OR DAMAGED CARD

₹ 100.

STATEMENT RETRIEVAL CHARGE

₹ 100 each for retrieval of statements more than 3 months old. 

LATE PAYMENT CHARGES

Statement Balance	Late Payment Charges
Less than ₹ 100	No charge
₹ 100 – ₹ 500	₹ 100
₹ 501 – ₹ 10,000	₹ 500
₹ 10,000 and above	₹ 750

OVER LIMIT FEE

3.40% of the extended credit.

REDEMPTION HANDLING FEE  

For Catalogue based Redemptions on PAYBACK: ₹ 99
For Online and in-store redemptions at PAYBACK: ₹ 25

CASH REPAYMENT FEE

₹ 100 per transaction.

RAILWAY BOOKING SURCHARGE

1.80% of the transaction amount for online ticket booking and 2.50% for counter ticket bookings.
For Amex variant – 1.80% of transaction value or ₹ 10 whichever is higher for all railway ticket bookings. 

OTHER MISCELLANEOUS FEE

Drafts	3% of the draft amount or ₹ 300, whichever is higher.
Return of cheque	2% of total amount due or ₹ 450, whichever is higher.
Outstation cheque processing fee	1% of the cheque amount or ₹ 100, whichever is higher.
Charge slip request	₹ 100 per charge slip.
Foreign currency transactions	3.5% markup

Eligibility for ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card

The ICICI Bank official site does not state the eligibility criteria for the Sapphiro Credit Card. However, we can safely conclude that for an individual to qualify for a premium card of this range, the annual income must be 9.5 lakhs and above.

PLACE OF RESIDENCE

Metro Cities, Urban Areas and Townships. 

OTHER ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Apart from annual income, preference is given if you have  : 

• a good credit score
• premium card/s from another bank

Our Verdict on the ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card

This Card is best for frequent flying professionals and business-people who can take the privilege of the airport facilities provided by the card. 

ICICI Sapphiro is also best for heavy spending, except probably on fuel. The milestone benefits earn decent PAYBACK points that can be redeemed for exclusive vouchers, dining, merchandise and others. 

For people who would like to unwind and relax during flight commute, and during weekends, this card is best suited. If you go by the dictum “Relax, Refresh, Recharge” this card is for you. With discounts, benefits and rewards on movie tickets to spa visits, dining to shopping, this card spells savings in all that you do to unwind and relax.

To apply for the credit card, please visit the official webpage here.