ICICI Emeralde Credit Card Review & Eligibility

ICICI bank launched one of its super-premium credit cards a few years back, the ICICI Emeralde Credit Card.

This premium and luxury lifestyle credit card suits high-net individuals keen on availing of luxury benefits and bonuses through their cards.

The card is known to be one of the most sought-after and best cards for international travel due to several added benefits that we’ll be covering in our ICICI Emeralde Credit card review.

Features

Extreme extravagance

The card is truly made for people who love the luxury benefits while shopping, traveling, eating, and basically everything. Here’s what everything the card offers to provide you with an extravagant experience –

• All-year-round offers on events and movies
• Birthday celebrations at Trident Hotels with Rs. 7500-word vouchers
• Complimentary golf rounds every month

Immaculate indulgence

The ICICI Emeralde Credit card is also known for its immaculate indulgence as it brings its users an end-to-end servicing with respect to holistic wellness combined with activities that they would heartily enjoy.

Here’s what everything the card offers to provide you with an indulgence experience –

• Anytime Fitness gym membership discounts
• Talwalkar’s gym memberships and discounts of up to 30%
• Unlimited complimentary airport spa access (domestic)
• Discounts on Kaya clinic, True Fitt n Hill, Richfeel
• All VLCC services are discounted

Compelling convenience

Convenience and the ICICI Emeralde Credit card are almost synonyms. This is because, by using this card, users can access a lot of things seamlessly.

Here’s everything the card offers to provide you with a convenient experience –

• Complimentary in-flight and airport WiFi access
• Unlimited international lounge access for free
• Unlimited domestic lounge access for free

Indispensable independence

Using the ICICI Emeralde Credit card surely adds to your independent lifestyle by providing you with services that make your traveling and recreational experiences seamless.

Here’s what everything the card offers to provide you with an independent experience –

• One-card internal travel
• Flexibility to select membership plans across different services
• No cancelation charges on hotel and travel bookings, ever

Who is eligible for the ICICI Emeralde Credit card?

1. People earning equal to or more than Rs. 300,000 every month.
2. People filling equal to or more than Rs. 3,000,000 income tax returns.
3. Existing ICICI Bank Global Private Client customers.

At least one of the above three eligibility criteria is necessary for a person to apply for the ICICI Emeralde Credit card.

Additionally, the applicant must be 21 years old as a minimum age criterion with a minimum CIBIL score of 700.

ICICI Emeralde Credit Card Privileges

The ICICI Emeralde Credit card comes with tons of privileges for its users, from rewards, savings, concierge to bank, Mastercard, and AmEx privileges.

REWARDS AND SAVINGS

With the ICICI Emeralde Credit card, the user enjoys unlimited savings and reward-related benefits that come with the card and are extended as you start spending through the card.

• Offers payback points on all transactions.
• Payback point redemption for movie, travel, lifestyle, appliances, mobile and more products.
• Saves almost 2.5 lakh rupees annually by providing you with reward points, complimentary accesses, free spa sessions, visits to lounges, and much more.
• A fee of Rs. 12,000+GST is reversed if you spend equal to or above Rs. 15 lakhs annually with the card.
• It comes with a low markup fee for international transactions, only 1.5%.
• The annual percentage rate is reduced to 1.99% on all ATM cash withdrawals.
• It does not come with an over-limit fee.
• Dal Milano vouchers on spending over Rs. 2 lakhs.
• Book my show benefits of receiving Rs. 750 off on the second ticket, 4 times every month.

CONCIERGE

The card comes with an all-time concierge service provider that takes care of all your recreational needs.

From finding gifts to making a restaurant reservation and traveling abroad, everything is taken care of by the ICICI Emeralde Credit card privileges team.

• Offers, restaurant referrals and priority reservations.
• Helps in purchasing gifts, movie tickets, etc.
• Provides hotel referrals and priority reservations.
• Books and delivers timely movie tickets at your convenience.
• Car and limousine rental services.
• Gift referrals and priority reservations.
• Emergency auto assistance anywhere in the country.
• Mexican concierge privileges.
• Complete assistance on the Golf program.

BANK PRIVILEGES

The ICICI Emeralde Credit card also has several bank privileges that the card users can enjoy.

• Saves at least 15% on the dining bills through its Culinary Treats Program.
• Provides waving off the 1% fuel surcharge on all fuel transactions at any outlet.
• Provides an air accident insurance cover of Rs. 3 crores.
• Comes with a credit shield of Rs. 50,000.
• Baggage insurance up to Rs. 25,000.
• Lost card liability, delay in the flight, plane hijacking, missing flights due to trans-shipment, loss of check-in baggage/travel documents, and more also come under insurance coverage by the card.
• Provides services with respect to counterfeit card liability, account takeover, chip, and pin card safety.

AMERICAN EXPRESS PRIVILEGES

With the ICICI Emeralde Credit card, you can also enjoy several benefits through your AmEx cards.

• 15% off on all O2 Spa services when you use the ICICI Emeralde American Express Credit card
• 20% off on gold making charges across India at all Joyalukkas stores
• Up to 50% off on dining, accommodation, and other traveling expenses when you travel domestic or international
• AmEx connect offers across categories like dining, lodging, travel, online shopping, retail, and much more
• Provide a secure payment solution at no additional cost. – AmEx ezeClick

MASTERCARD PRIVELEGES

Finally, in the privileges segment of the ICICI Emeralde Credit card, there are a lot of Mastercard privileges you can enjoy if you apply for the ICICI Emeralde Credit card.

• Discounts and privileges on business, corporate and prepaid Mastercards
• Unlimited travel, culinary, shopping, sports, and entertainment offers
• Discounts on medical packages from top global hospitals
• Save on car rentals
• Enjoy 15% off hotel and resort room rates across the country

ICICI Emeralde Credit card fees and charges

1. Joining fee: You can apply for an ICICI Emeralde Credit card by either paying Rs. 12,000 per year upfront, or Rs. 1,000 every month.
2. Annual fee: Annual plan for the yearly credit card fees is the same as the joining fee, Rs. 12,000 every year upfront or Rs. 1,000 every month, whatever suits you best.
3. Finance charges: The bank charges 3.4% per month or 40.8% per annum on borrowings/credit
4. Late payment charges:

• If you have a statement balance below Rs. 100, there are no charges for the same.
• Charge of Rs. 100 for a balance between Rs. 100-Rs. 500.
• Charge of Rs. 500 for a balance between Rs. 501-Rs. 5000.
• Charge of Rs. 750 for a balance between Rs. 5001-Rs. 10000.
• Charge of Rs. 900 for a balance between Rs. 10001-Rs. 25,000.
• Charge of Rs. 1000 for a balance between Rs. 25001-Rs. 50,000.
• Charge of Rs. 1200 for a balance above Rs. 50000.

Documents needed to apply for the ICICI Emeralde Credit Card

1. Photo proof of identity
2. Proof of address
3. Proof of income through latest one or two salary slips that aren’t more than 3 months old or latest form 16 or last 3 months’ bank statement

Process for upgrading your existing ICICI, AmEx, or Mastercard to ICICI Emeralde Credit card

If you meet the eligibility requirements, it’s easy to upgrade from your existing relevant card to the ICICI Emeralde Credit card.

Since the card is open to both salaried and self-employed, you only need to [provide bank statements and ID proofs to confirm the upgrade.

Once you apply, the upper team contacts you in a few ways to confirm the request, and after checking through all the documents, the card will be delivered in the coming few weeks.

The first year for the card is absolutely free if you are getting an upgrade, so you can let the support team know to convert the card into an FYF (First Year Free) card.

Eligibility for the FYF program also includes a few financial statements of yours to be presented, which your ICICI Wealth Management relationship manager can confirm.

To apply as a first-time user, you can visit the ICICI bank’s website or SMS ‘EMERALDE’ at 5676766 to get a revert from the team.

Apply for ICICI Emeralde Credit Card →

Conclusion – is ICICI Emeralde Credit card really worth it?

In short, if you are someone who enjoys luxury and premium benefits – it is a big yes!

With an ICICI Emeralde Credit card, you can enjoy unlimited traveling, dining, and recreational benefits from the topmost brands in the world and save a lot of money every year.

Form unlimited lounge access to a voucher from premium brands like Da Milano; the card has an array of services to offer that also includes covering insurances and fee reimbursements.

New user or old, the card is definitely one of the best top-tier cards to exist in India with promising rewards. You’d also like to read our list of best cashback credit cards and how to pay credit card bills using another credit card in India.