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ICICI Emeralde Private Metal vs SBI Card PRIME

A head-to-head comparison of ICICI Emeralde Private Metal and SBI Card PRIME across fees, rewards, and spending categories to help you decide which card suits your wallet better.

PremiumCard A
Annual Fee
₹12,499
Reward Rate
3% base (6 pts per ₹200) + Unlimited Lounge & Golf
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PremiumCard B

SBI Card PRIME

Dining & Lounge Lovers

Annual Fee
₹2,999
Reward Rate
10 RP per ₹100 on dining & movies
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Feature comparison

FeatureICICI EmeraldeSBI Card
Annual Fee₹12,499 (Waived on ₹10L spend)₹2,999 + GST (Waived on ₹3L annual spend)
Reward Rate3% base (6 pts per ₹200) + Unlimited Lounge & Golf10 RP per ₹100 on dining & movies
Best ForGolf EnthusiastsDining & Lounge Lovers
First-Card Friendly
Lounge Access
Zero Forex Markup

Spending category coverage

Which categories does each card reward?

CategoryICICI EmeraldeSBI Card
Groceries
Dining
Movies & entertainment
International travel
Airport lounge access

Quick verdict

Choose ICICI Emeralde Private Metal if:

  • You spend heavily on international travel
  • You spend heavily on concierge service

Choose SBI Card PRIME if:

  • Lower annual fee (₹2,999 vs ₹12,499)
  • You spend heavily on dining
  • You spend heavily on groceries
  • You spend heavily on movies & entertainment

Full pros & cons

ICICI Emeralde Private Metal

What's good
  • Unlimited airport lounge and spa access via Priority Pass globally
  • Low flight cancellation and rescheduling charges
  • Complimentary golf rounds at premium courses monthly
Watch out for
  • Reward point value is lower than HDFC Infinia
  • ₹3,500 one-time fee for new add-on cards (since January 2026)
  • DCC fee raised to 2% on international transactions using INR conversion
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SBI Card PRIME

What's good
  • 10 RP per ₹100 on dining, groceries, departmental stores & movies (2.5% effective value at ₹0.25/point)
  • 8 domestic lounge visits/year (max 2/quarter) + 4 international via Priority Pass (max 2/quarter)
  • Welcome e-gift vouchers worth ₹3,000 (Shoppers Stop, Bata, Pantaloons, Yatra, etc.)
Watch out for
  • Base earn rate on non-accelerated categories is only 2 RP per ₹100 (0.5% value)
  • Fuel transactions are completely excluded from earning reward points
  • Quarterly milestone Pizza Hut voucher (₹1,000 on ₹50K spend) requires consistent high spending
Apply Now
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