ICICI Bank Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card Launched

ICICI Bank has launched the Emerald Private Metal Credit Card, which offers all the benefits of the ICICI Emerald Credit Card along with a few additional benefits.

Welcome Benefits:

1. Taj Epicure membership for the first year. [You'll get one stay voucher with this]
2. Receive 12,500 bonus reward points after annual fee payment each year.
3. EazyDiner Prime membership (renewed annually).

Main Benefits:

1. Unlimited golf games/lessons for the primary cardholder.
2. Unlimited domestic airport lounge access using the Emerald Private Metal Credit Card for both the primary and add-on cardholders.
3. Unlimited international airport lounge access using Priority Pass for both the primary and add-on cardholders.
4. Buy one, get one free movie/event ticket from BookMyShow twice per month. Maximum Discount: Rs. 750 per ticket.
5. Up to Rs. 12,000 refund for a maximum of 2 transactions per year on tickets booked exclusively with the Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card.
6. Discounted markup fees: 2%.
7. 1% fuel surcharge waiver for all transactions up to Rs. 4000. Maximum surcharges waiver - Rs. 1000 per statement cycle.
8. No Extra Charges/Penalty For: Cash Withdrawal, Over limit, Late payment.
9. You can get 3 complimentary add-on cards

Reward System:
Earn 6 reward points for every Rs. 200 spent.
No reward points on Tax Payment, Rent payments, EMI and Fuel purchases.

Reward Points Value:
Flight/Hotel Booking: 1 reward point = Rs. 1
Gift Vouchers*: 1 reward point = Rs. 1
Rewards Catalogue [other products]: 1 reward point = Rs. 0.60
Statement Credit: 1 reward point = Rs. 0.40

*Brands' Gift Vouchers available under the 1:1 redemption ratio include:

• Travel Category: MakeMyTrip, EaseMyTrip, Yatra, ClearTrip, Hyaat, Marriott International, ITC Hotels, Taj Hotels.
  
  View attachment 36109
• Electronics: Apple
• Luxury Brands: Tanishq, Mothercare [Luxe], G-Star Raw [Luxe], Giorgio Armani [Luxe], Emporio Armani [Luxe], Canali [Luxe], Coach [Luxe], Tumi [Luxe], Scotch & Soda [Luxe], Jimmy Choo [Luxe]

There are lots of other brand vouchers available, but for those, you'll get a value of 1 reward point = Rs. 0.60. I think you have a decent option available under the 1:1 redemption category. ITC, Hyatt, Marriott, Taj, and other travel-related vouchers are worth considering. So, in terms of redemption options, I must say this is a decent card. And I think this is better than HDFC SmartBuy portal flight or hotel booking redemption system. The main downside of SmartBuy portal flight or hotel booking redemption is that you can't use 100% reward points. However, in the case of ICICI Emeralde Private Metal Card, you can just get an MMT voucher or any other travel voucher and book your flights or hotels.

Reward Rate:
Flight/Hotel Booking: 3%
Gift Vouchers: 3%
Rewards Catalogue: 1.8%
Statement Credit: 1.2%

Reward Redemption:
You can redeem your ICICI Bank Reward Points across Catalogues, from movie and travel vouchers to lifestyle products, mobiles, appliances, statement credit and more.
Redemption of Reward Points against statement balance (cashback redemption) is capped at 50,000 Reward Points per Statement cycle.

Reward Capping:

• Reward Points earned on Insurance transaction will be capped at 5,000 Reward Points per statement cycle. [Spends required to reach maximum reward- Rs. 1,66,800]
• Reward Points earned on grocery transaction will be capped at 1,000 Reward Points per statement cycle. [Spends required to reach maximum reward- Rs. 33,400]
• Reward Points earned on Utilities transaction will be capped at 1,000 Reward Points per statement cycle. [Spends required to reach maximum reward- Rs. 33,400]
• Reward Points earned on Education transaction will be capped at 1,000 Reward Points per statement cycle. [Spends required to reach maximum reward- Rs. 33,400]

Milestone Benefits:
Spend Rs. 8 lakhs per year and receive 2 air travel vouchers worth Rs. 3000 each (total Rs. 6000) from EaseMyTrip. Reward Rate: 0.75%.

Spends 4 Lakhs and get first EaseMyTrip voucher worth Rs. 3000/-​

Spends 8 Lakhs and get your second EaseMyTrip voucher worth Rs. 3000/-​

Charges:
Joining Fee: Rs. 12,499 + GST.
Annual Fee: Rs. 12,499 + GST.
Annual Fee Reversal Criteria: Spend Rs. 10 lakhs in the next card membership year to have your annual fee reversed.

Card Replacement Fees: Rs. 3500/-

Opinion:
The ICICI Bank Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card is the flagship credit card of ICICI Bank. When considering the reward rate, I must say this card offers decent value back on spending. The main drawback is that ICICI Bank does not offer a reward points transfer feature like HDFC Bank or Axis Bank.
Typically, credit cards of this nature provide the option to transfer points. However, in this case, we can only redeem our reward points for brand gift vouchers. I hope ICICI Bank will address this issue and introduce some transfer partners soon. You'll receive 12,500 reward points worth Rs. 12,500 on joining, so mathematically you'll only need to pay the GST (Approx. Rs. 2250/-) each year, similar to the SC Ultimate credit card. Additionally, you'll receive Taj Epicure membership for the first year with this card, allowing you to enjoy a complimentary stay at a Taj hotel. This benefit can help offset your card's joining fees effectively.
Overall, this is a good credit card, unlike other gemstone cards, as it offers a better reward rate. If you are seeking a premium credit card but don't plan to redeem your reward points for airline miles and instead prefer gift vouchers, then this credit card is for you.

 

[Mars_rover]

Do we get joining and renewal benefits with this card?
Is this card worth to take if spends are not much?

 

[Mars_rover]

Also I have a pre approved offer of emerald card ( not the metal one)
How to get the metal card? I don’t have RM assigned to me (no savings acc)

 

[denisjos]

Also I have a pre approved offer of emerald card ( not the metal one)
How to get the metal card? I don’t have RM assigned to me (no savings acc)

If your offer shows in net banking or the app, follow the links, card will auto generated once you accept the tnc's.
But why bother, anyways for metal you can get it until you have a metal specific invite
No RM involved in this approach

 

[Mars_rover]

If your offer shows in net banking or the app, follow the links, card will auto generated once you accept the tnc's.
But why bother, anyways for metal you can get it until you have a metal specific invite
No RM involved in this approach

For metal one, they give some points on paying the joining/ renewal fee, but they don’t in normal one
Also metal one has much higher benefits, so why to pay for normal Emerald card

 

[theglobalinvestor]

For metal one, they give some points on paying the joining/ renewal fee, but they don’t in normal one
Also metal one has much higher benefits, so why to pay for normal Emerald card

Forex markup is better with the pvc.
PVC 1.5%
Metal 2%

 

[Mars_rover]

Forex markup is better with the pvc.
PVC 1.5%
Metal 2%

But I don’t want to use it for forex 😂

 

[SmartyAadi]

Mostly for HNI's, as invite only, or if you have Wealth Management with ICICI, greater than 25 Lac, they might make you eligible

25L as in SB + Demat + FD ? or SB only ? SB=Svaings balance

 

[callsignmaverick]

If your monthly salary is 4L, then it will be LTF. That's what my RM told me.
For getting the paid version, again you need to contact your branch/RM.

I have been offered this card yesterday and I have decided to take up the offer (paid version).

This is what my wealth banking RM said - They are not offering it FYF/LTF to anyone & there is no salary criteria for FYF. As per him anyone asking for a FYF for this card is not their target audience. The annual fees is taken care by the points, only GST has to be paid from the pocket.

Personally, I don't think ICICI will give this away as FYF easily, simply because its comes with a Taj Epicure membership (comparable to Preferred which roughly retails for 30k). I don't think people at ICICI are as dumb or short-sighted as Axis bank to roll it out to everyone because there is a cost involved here (in addition to points)

 

[cardio_guy]

I have been offered this card yesterday and I have decided to take up the offer (paid version).

This is what my wealth banking RM said - They are not offering it FYF/LTF to anyone & there is no salary criteria for FYF. As per him anyone asking for a FYF for this card is not their target audience. The annual fees is taken care by the points, only GST has to be paid from the pocket.

Personally, I don't think ICICI will give this away as FYF easily, simply because its comes with a Taj Epicure membership (comparable to Preferred which roughly retails for 30k). I don't think people at ICICI are as dumb or short-sighted as Axis bank to roll it out to everyone because there is a cost involved here (in addition to points)

Good to know. Thanks. Yes, the benefits are good compared to the fees you pay.
I have not taken it only because I am not an avid traveler or hotel stayer. For me, Sapphiro fits well with my lifestyle now.
But as you said above, if someone travels more and can make use of the Taj membership and other benefits, then definitely, taking Emeralde paid version is good. At the end of the day, our lifestyle matters a lot here. And I believe once we cross a particular income, 12k per year won't be a big concern. I am hoping to be there soon. Very sensible reply. Thanks.

 

[callsignmaverick]

Good to know. Thanks. Yes, the benefits are good compared to the fees you pay.
I have not taken it only because I am not an avid traveler or hotel stayer. For me, Sapphiro fits well with my lifestyle now.
But as you said above, if someone travels more and can make use of the Taj membership and other benefits, then definitely, taking Emeralde paid version is good. At the end of the day, our lifestyle matters a lot here. And I believe once we cross a particular income, 12k per year won't be a big concern. I am hoping to be there soon. Very sensible reply. Thanks.

I have a very okish experience of Taj epicure, while it was good as a novelty factor initially for me because after all Taj is the epitome of aspiration for every middle class person like me. However I have started noticing a trend of late. I feel the service and overall behaviour of the reception staff changes slightly when they know you are redeeming an epicure voucher night. First of all availability is very limited in most hotels and then on top inspite of staying in so many Taj hotels I have never received any special treatment like an early checkin, extra amenity etc. Only exception to this was Gateway Ambad Nashik. My stays in last 2 years have been a mix of complimentary nights and lots of paid nights too.

On the other hand with Accor group of hotels my experience has been nothing short of exceptional. Early checkins, complimentary amenities, room upgrades without asking. I don’t believe that most Taj hotels are worth their asking price (20-30k/night) for the service that they provide. That was the reason I didn’t renew my Epicure privileged membership this year after using it for last 3-4 years. Luckily, I’ll get a complimentary night with this card but frankly I’m not that excited about it at all. If you are someone who’s starting to get into the hotel game, I would suggest go for the Accor Plus membership. It’s superb value for money.

 

[Desu Sarath]

I have been offered this card yesterday and I have decided to take up the offer (paid version).

This is what my wealth banking RM said - They are not offering it FYF/LTF to anyone & there is no salary criteria for FYF. As per him anyone asking for a FYF for this card is not their target audience. The annual fees is taken care by the points, only GST has to be paid from the pocket.

Personally, I don't think ICICI will give this away as FYF easily, simply because its comes with a Taj Epicure membership (comparable to Preferred which roughly retails for 30k). I don't think people at ICICI are as dumb or short-sighted as Axis bank to roll it out to everyone because there is a cost involved here (in addition to points)

Sorry, Many employees got this as FYF in my company ( Salary> 3.5 lpa) few even got LTF ( salary more than 5 lpa).

 

[callsignmaverick]

Sorry, Many employees got this as FYF in my company ( Salary> 3.5 lpa) few even got LTF ( salary more than 5 lpa).

Are we talking about Emeralde Metal or just normal Emeralde? And more importantly do they get the points as well the complimentary night for free cards as well?

I easily surpass both the criteria’s you mentioned but the RM was very clear about it from the start. Anyways if what you are saying is true for Emeralde Metal then good for you and your colleagues. As I mentioned above, paying the fees isn’t a problem per se since it’s just the GST that I need to cover.

 

[Desu Sarath]

Are we talking about Emeralde Metal or just normal Emeralde? And more importantly do they get the points as well the complimentary night for free cards as well?

I easily surpass both the criteria’s you mentioned but the RM was very clear about it from the start. Anyways if what you are saying is true for Emeralde Metal then good for you and your colleagues. As I mentioned above, paying the fees isn’t a problem per se since it’s just the GST that I need to cover.

Ok, There is a micro site for our company maintained by ICICI, where they listed the cards and required salary criteria with benefits. In that I can see Emerald with FYF for salary > 3.5lpa, but they did not mention Whether it's plastic or metal. But, few of my colleagues got it as LTF ( may be plastic one).

 

[SSV]

Ok, There is a micro site for our company maintained by ICICI, where they listed the cards and required salary criteria with benefits. In that I can see Emerald with FYF for salary > 3.5lpa, but they did not mention Whether it's plastic or metal. But, few of my colleagues got it as LTF ( may be plastic one).

This must be a plastic one..
You can also tell this by the age of offering in your micro site, if it is anything more than 6 months.. it must be a plastic one

 

[BlueFlash]

No .. all coral one account

Are you sure that even co-branded coral cards like HPCL Coral also share the CIBIL credit account with the normal Coral and other Gemstone cards ?

 

[SSV]

Are you sure that even co-branded coral cards like HPCL Coral also share the CIBIL credit account with the normal Coral and other Gemstone cards ?

Yes, I have hpcl coral

 

[senasenthil]

Sorry, Many employees got this as FYF in my company ( Salary> 3.5 lpa) few even got LTF ( salary more than 5 lpa).

Is the salary mentioned by you per annum or month?

 

[SSV]

Is the salary mentioned by you per annum or month?

Pm . .

 

[Desu Sarath]

Is the salary mentioned by you per annum or month?

Sorry, it's monthly.

 

[arun4455]

Ok, There is a micro site for our company maintained by ICICI, where they listed the cards and required salary criteria with benefits. In that I can see Emerald with FYF for salary > 3.5lpa, but they did not mention Whether it's plastic or metal. But, few of my colleagues got it as LTF ( may be plastic one).

I have checked with my corporate RM and he told that currently there is no way to issue metal one as FYF/ LTF. Not sure whether he was right or not.

Could you please dm of your company name? I will check with him by giving the example.