Times Black ICICI Bank Credit Card
ICICI Bank
The super-premium pick for high-income frequent travellers — the lowest forex markup in the catalog.
₹20,000
Joining fee
₹20,000, waived at ₹25L spend
Annual fee
Automatically waived from year 2 onward if the prior year's spend exceeded Rs 25,00,000.
1.49%
Forex markup
4.7 / 5
Rating
Eligibility
Estimated minimum income: ₹2,00,000+/month
Estimated — not officially confirmed by the bank.
Estimated minimum CIBIL score: 800+
Estimated — not officially confirmed by the bank.
Age: 21+
Salaried min Rs 2,00,000/month or self-employed min Rs 24,00,000/year
Lounge access
Unlimited domestic & international lounge visits
Key features
- Unlimited domestic & international lounges
- 2% domestic / 2.5% international reward rate
- Lowest forex on this list at 1.49%
Reward details
2% reward points on domestic spend
- 2.5% reward points on International spend
- Up to 12X points on Hotel bookings via iShop (aggregator-sourced)
- Unspecified thresholds: Milestone benefits reportedly worth up to Rs 70,000 total (aggregator-sourced), described as brand-specific rather than freely redeemable
Category caps
- Utilities, insurance, education, government payments: Max 5,000 points per billing cycle
Redemption
1 point = Rs 1 for products/vouchers, or Rs 0.40 for cashback against statement (aggregator flags the cashback rate as low).
Ratio: Rs1 (products/vouchers) or Rs0.40 (cashback)
Caps: Max 5,000 points per billing cycle for utilities, insurance, education, government payments
Excluded from rewards: fuel, rent, EMI conversions
Real-world feedback
Sourced from user reviews and comparison sites (aggregator/user-sourced), not confirmed by the bank.
Praise
- Multiple milestone benefits said to be worth up to Rs 70,000 — Paisabazaar
- Welcome benefits reported to exceed the annual fee — Paisabazaar
- No cash withdrawal charges — Paisabazaar
- Rewards extend to categories often excluded elsewhere (utilities, insurance) — Paisabazaar
Complaints
- Low cashback redemption value (Rs 0.40/point) — Paisabazaar
- Milestone benefits are brand-specific, limiting flexibility — Paisabazaar
- Lifestyle benefits seen as limited relative to competitors — Paisabazaar
- High Rs 20,000 annual fee compared to similar cards — Paisabazaar
Sources
- Official — fees, eligibility, forex, lounge, rewards
- Aggregator — sentiment, milestone valuation