What are the annual fees for SBI ELITE Credit Card and ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card?

SBI ELITE Credit Card has ₹4,999 + GST. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card has ₹3,500 + GST. Fees are shown before 18% GST, which is added on the bill.

What base reward rate does each card earn?

SBI ELITE Credit Card earns about 0.5% on general spends; ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card earns about 0.5%. Category and partner rates may differ — see the table above.

What is the forex markup on each card?

SBI ELITE Credit Card: 1.99%. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card: 3.5% (plus 18% GST on the markup).

Do both cards include airport lounge access?

SBI ELITE Credit Card: yes — see the lounge row above for limits. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card: yes — see the lounge row above for limits.

Card Comparison

SBI ELITE vs ICICI Sapphiro

SBI ELITE vs ICICI Sapphirocompared side by side on fees, reward rates, caps, exclusions, and eligibility — weigh each against how you actually spend.

SBI ELITE

SBI Card

Fee₹4,999+GST

Eff. rate0.5%

Cap₹10,000

Fee

₹4,999+GST

Eff. rate

0.5%

Cap

₹10,000

ICICI Bank Sapphiro

ICICI Bank

Fee₹3,500+GST

Eff. rate0.5%

CapNone

Fee

₹3,500+GST

Eff. rate

0.5%

Cap

None

Quick take

How they compare

SBI ELITE and ICICI Sapphiro suit different spending patterns, so the right pick depends on where and how much you spend. The key difference: 0.5% vs 0.5% effective rate. Use the table below to weigh fees, reward rates, caps, and exclusions against your own usage.

At a glance

SBI ELITE

Annual fee: ₹4,999 + GST
Everyday rate: 0.5%
Monthly cap: ₹10,000/mo

Notable strengths

Low forex markup (2.0%)

ICICI Sapphiro

Annual fee: ₹3,500 + GST
Everyday rate: 0.5%
Monthly cap: No cap

Notable strengths

No monthly reward cap

Each card's own strengths — not a ranking. Weigh them against where you actually spend.

47 specs · 13 sections

SBI ELITE

ICICI Bank Sapphiro

Feature

SBI ELITE

ICICI Bank Sapphiro

Annual Fee

₹4,999

₹3,500

Joining Fee

₹4,999

₹6,500

Fee Waiver Spend

₹10,00,000

₹6,00,000

Forex Markup

1.99%

3.5%

Reward Type

Reward Points

Base Rate

0.5%

Online Rate

0.5%

—

Offline Rate

0.5%

—

Effective Base Rate

0.5%

Point Value

₹0.25

Redemption Quality

MEDIUM

Best Redemption

₹0.25

₹0.35

Worst Redemption

₹0.15

Grocery / Supermarkets

2.5%

0.5%

Fuel / Petrol / Diesel / CNG

0% (Excluded)

Restaurants / Dine-in

2.5%

0.5%

Flights, Hotels, OTAs, Tour Operators

0.5%

Other Retail / Catch-all

0.5%

Monthly Cap

₹10,000

No cap

Est. Annual Cap

₹1,20,000

No cap

Total Excluded

4 categories

6 categories

Education / School / College Fees

Earns rewards

Excluded

Government / Tax Payments

Earns rewards

Excluded

Domestic Visits/Year

International Visits/Year

Priority Pass

Yes

Est. Annual Value

₹8,470

₹8,690

Forex Markup

1.99%

3.5%

International Rate

Yes

Description

E-gift vouchers worth â‚¹5,000 from Yatra, Aditya Birla Fashion, Hush Puppies/Bata, Pantaloons, or Shoppers Stop

Vouchers worth over ₹13,000: Tata CLiQ ₹3,000, EaseMyTrip ₹4,000 (4×₹1,000), Da Milano ₹5,000, Croma ₹1,500 (3×₹500), EazyDiner Prime 3-month membership

Estimated Value

₹5,000

₹10,800

Fuel Surcharge Waiver

Yes

Best Suited For

Movies, Travel, Dining, Grocery

Travel, Shopping

Min Income

₹60,000/month

₹75,000/month

Income Proof

Not required

Required

Secured FD

Accepting Applications

Yes

Network

Visa, Mastercard

Mastercard, American Express

Card Tier

Premium

Gaming platforms (Dream11, MPL, Rummy Culture, Junglee Games)

None

2% surcharge

Third-party wallet loads > ₹5,000

None

1% surcharge

Transport > ₹50,000

None

1% surcharge

Still weighing your options?

Other popular matchups to line up against your shortlist.

Frequently asked questions

What are the annual fees for SBI ELITE Credit Card and ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card?: SBI ELITE Credit Card has ₹4,999 + GST. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card has ₹3,500 + GST. Fees are shown before 18% GST, which is added on the bill.
What base reward rate does each card earn?: SBI ELITE Credit Card earns about 0.5% on general spends; ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card earns about 0.5%. Category and partner rates may differ — see the table above.
What is the forex markup on each card?: SBI ELITE Credit Card: 1.99%. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card: 3.5% (plus 18% GST on the markup).
Do both cards include airport lounge access?: SBI ELITE Credit Card: yes — see the lounge row above for limits. ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card: yes — see the lounge row above for limits.

Reviewed by WhichWise Editorial Team. Each card's data is verified against the issuer's official terms.

Sources: SBI Card - SBI ELITE · ICICI Bank - ICICI Sapphiro