ICICI Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card offers up to 12X reward points – Is it the best card?news24

ICICI Bank launched the Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card in the second half of 2023. It had good features and benefits. However, with the introduction of the iShop portal in February 2025, the value proposition of the Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card has further improved significantly. On using the card for the iShop portal transactions, the cardholder can earn up to 12X reward points. In this article, we will understand the features and benefits of this card and whether it is the best card.

Features and benefits of the Emeralde Private Metal credit card

The Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card is the most premium credit card from ICICI Bank. The card symbolises exclusivity and luxury for the cardholders. It offers access to exclusive benefits like premium dining experiences, luxurious gold courses, etc.

Joining benefits

The Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card offers the following joining benefits.

Taj Epicure membership

The one-year Taj Epicure Membership comes with a complimentary night stay at participating Taj properties. The membership provides other benefits like 25% off on food and beverages, 20% off on Qmin App orders, Spa usage at hotels, salon services, etc. You get vouchers for 20% off on rooms/suites at select hotels, Taj Palaces, Taj Safaris, etc.

Joining bonus reward points

On payment of the joining fee and card activation, the cardholder will get 12,500 reward points as a joining bonus. The value of each reward point is up to Rs. 1.

Complimentary EazyDiner Prime membership

The card provides a complimentary EazyDiner Prime Membership every year. The membership provides guaranteed 25% to 50% discounts at 3000+ top restaurants across India.

Reward points

You will earn 6 reward points for every Rs. 200 spent on retail transactions, except for excluded categories. When you spend Rs. 4 lakhs in a card anniversary year, you will get a milestone benefit of Rs. 3,000 EaseMyTrip air travel vouchers. When you spend Rs. 8 lakhs in a card anniversary year, you will get a second milestone benefit of Rs. 3,000 EaseMyTrip air travel vouchers. So, you can earn a total of Rs. 6,000 EaseMyTrip air travel vouchers (Rs. 3000 voucher X 2 denominations) in a card anniversary year on achieving the two milestones.

Other benefits

Some other benefits you can enjoy with the Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card include the following.

Lounge access

The primary and supplementary cardholders can enjoy unlimited complimentary domestic and international lounge access.

No cancellation charges

The cardholder can avail of zero cancellation charges on hotel, flight, travel, and movie ticket bookings. The offer can be availed for a maximum of 2 transactions every year for a refund of up to Rs. 12,000. The benefit applies to bookings made with the Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card only.

BOGO offer on BookMyShow

The cardholder can buy one ticket and get up to Rs. 750 off on the second ticket up to two times a month. The offer can be availed on movies, sports, theatre, concerts, etc., tickets booked through BookMyShow.

Golf

The card gives you access to unlimited complimentary golf rounds or lessons every month.

The card has a low 2% mark-up fee on foreign currency transactions. The 1% fuel surcharge is waived at all petrol pumps. The maximum waiver is Rs. 1,000 per statement cycle.

Limits and exclusions

Reward points on insurance transactions will be capped at 5,000 reward points per statement cycle. Reward points on grocery, utility, and education transactions will be capped at 1,000 reward points per category per statement cycle. You will not earn any reward points on transactions in the following categories: Government services, tax, rent, fuel, etc.

Redemption of reward points

The reward points can be redeemed against various categories as follows.

The redemption of reward points for statement credit (cashback) is capped at 50,000 reward points per statement cycle.

iShop portal

The iShop portal has been recently introduced by ICICI Bank in February 2025. The portal offers accelerated reward points on spends in categories like flight ticket booking, hotel accommodation, bus ticket booking, gift vouchers, etc. While ICICI Bank offers accelerated reward points on most credit cards, the Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card takes the cake with up to 12X rewards.

The Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card provides a base reward rate of 6 reward points for every Rs. 200 spent. The accelerated reward rate for the card for spends in various categories on the iShop portal is as follows.

The above table shows how the Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card provides 72 reward points for every Rs. 200 spent on hotel bookings through the iShop portal. It translates into 36 reward points for every Rs. 100 spent. There is a capping of 18,000 accelerated reward points that can be earned in a calendar month through the iShop portal.

The reward points can be redeemed on the iShop portal for flights booking, hotel accommodation, buying shopping vouchers, etc. The value per point and the percentage of the transaction amount you can pay through reward points are as follows.

The above table shows you can pay up to the specified percentage of the transaction amount with reward points. For example, if you are booking a hotel room worth Rs. 10,000, you can pay 90% of the transaction value, i.e. Rs. 9,000 with reward points. The remaining 10%, in this case, Rs. 1,000, has to be paid with the Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card.

In the earlier section, we saw how you can earn 36 reward points for every Rs. 100 spent on hotel bookings through the iShop portal. These reward points can be redeemed at the rate of Rs. 1 per reward point for booking hotels through the iShop portal. Thus, you can earn a value back of a huge 36% for hotel booking transactions on the iShop portal.

Similarly, when you book flight tickets or buy shopping vouchers through the iShop portal, you earn 36 reward points for every Rs. 200 spent (it translates into 18 reward points for every Rs. 100 spent). These reward points can be redeemed at the rate of Rs. 1 per reward point for booking hotels through the iShop portal. Thus, you can earn a value back of a good 18% for flight booking and buying shopping vouchers through the iShop portal.

Fees and eligibility

The Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card has a joining fee of Rs. 12,499 + Taxes. The welcome benefits a cardholder gets on payment of the joining fee have been discussed in the earlier section.

The card has an annual fee of Rs. 12,499 + Taxes. The annual fee is reversed if the cardholder spends Rs. 10 lakh or above in a card anniversary year. The cardholder gets 12,500 reward points as an annual bonus and a complimentary EazyDiner Prime Membership every year.

The Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card is an invite-only card. There is no eligibility criteria mentioned on the ICICI Bank website. You must get in touch with your Relationship Manager for information on how you can get the card.

Should you go for this card?

The excellent value back of up to 36% is one of the best, if not the best, in the credit card industry. It is this excellent reward rate that makes the Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card one of the most sought-after credit cards today. However, the credit card is an invite-only card. So, if you have an invitation from ICICI Bank for the Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card, you may go for it.

Gopal Gidwani is a freelance personal finance content writer with 15+ years of experience. He can be reached at LinkedIn.