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Credit CardsComparisons

AU Bank iXIGO Credit Card vs ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card

A head-to-head comparison of AU Bank iXIGO Credit Card and ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card across fees, rewards, and spending categories to help you decide which card suits your wallet better.

TravelCard A

AU Bank iXIGO Credit Card

ixigo Loyalists & Zero-Forex Travel

Annual Fee
Lifetime Free
Reward Rate
5 RP per ₹200 (~0.6-1.25% depending on redemption route)
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TravelCard B

ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card

Mid-Premium Travellers

Annual Fee
₹3,500
Reward Rate
2 RP per ₹100 domestic (0.5% value)
Apply Now Read full review →

Feature comparison

FeatureAU BankICICI Sapphiro
Annual FeeLifetime Free (official fee ₹999 + GST waived via ixigo app channel)₹3,500 + GST; Joining ₹6,500 + GST (Waived on ₹6L annual spend)
Reward Rate5 RP per ₹200 (~0.6-1.25% depending on redemption route)2 RP per ₹100 domestic (0.5% value)
Best Forixigo Loyalists & Zero-Forex TravelMid-Premium Travellers
First-Card Friendly
Lounge Access
Zero Forex Markup

Spending category coverage

Which categories does each card reward?

CategoryAU BankICICI Sapphiro
Domestic travel
International travel
Airport lounge access
Zero forex markup

Quick verdict

Choose AU Bank iXIGO Credit Card if:

  • Lower annual fee (₹Nil vs ₹3,500)
  • You spend heavily on international travel
  • You spend heavily on zero forex markup

Choose ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card if:

    Full pros & cons

    AU Bank iXIGO Credit Card

    What's good
    • 0% forex markup on all international transactions — saves ~4.13% vs standard cards for overseas spend
    • 8 complimentary domestic airport lounge visits/year (2/quarter) on ₹50,000+ quarterly spend
    • 8 complimentary railway lounge visits/year (no spend trigger)
    • Monthly ixigo travel discounts: 10% off flights (capped ₹1,000), 10% off buses (₹300), 5% off hotels (₹1,000)
    • Welcome benefit: ~₹1,500 in ixigo money vouchers on activation + first spend
    Watch out for
    • April 2026 devaluation: all domestic spends now earn a flat 5 RP per ₹200 — eliminated higher rates for ixigo bookings specifically
    • Zero rewards on international transactions (post-April 2026) — 0% forex saves money but earns nothing
    • Airport lounge access is spend-gated — requires ₹50,000 in the previous calendar quarter
    • RP value drops sharply outside ixigo: ₹0.25/point as statement credit vs ₹0.50 only as ixigo money
    • 10,000 RP monthly cap limits high-volume earners

    ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card

    What's good
    • 4 domestic lounge visits per quarter + 2 international visits per year via DreamFolks
    • 4X reward points on international spends (4 RP per ₹100, worth 1% back)
    • Welcome vouchers worth ₹9,500+ (Tata CLiQ, Croma, EaseMyTrip, Uber) and up to 20,000 milestone RPs annually
    Watch out for
    • Domestic lounge access requires ₹75,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter to unlock
    • Low domestic reward rate — 2 RP per ₹100 at ₹0.25/point is just 0.5% back
    • Annual RP cap of 20,000 points (worth ₹5,000) limits heavy spenders