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Credit CardsComparisons

ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card vs IDFC FIRST WOW

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

TravelCard A

ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card

Mid-Premium Travellers

Annual Fee
₹3,500
Reward Rate
2 RP per ₹100 domestic (0.5% value)
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TravelCard B

IDFC FIRST WOW

International Trips

Annual Fee
Lifetime Free
Reward Rate
Zero Forex Markup
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Feature comparison

FeatureICICI SapphiroIDFC FIRST
Annual Fee₹3,500 + GST; Joining ₹6,500 + GST (Waived on ₹6L annual spend)Lifetime Free
Reward Rate2 RP per ₹100 domestic (0.5% value)Zero Forex Markup
Best ForMid-Premium TravellersInternational Trips
First-Card Friendly
Lounge Access
Zero Forex Markup

Spending category coverage

Which categories does each card reward?

CategoryICICI SapphiroIDFC FIRST
Domestic travel
International travel
Airport lounge access
Zero forex markup

Quick verdict

Choose ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card if:

  • You spend heavily on domestic travel
  • You spend heavily on airport lounge access

Choose IDFC FIRST WOW if:

  • Lower annual fee (₹Nil vs ₹3,500)
  • You spend heavily on international travel
  • You spend heavily on zero forex markup
  • This is your first credit card

Full pros & cons

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
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IDFC FIRST WOW

What's good
  • 0% Forex Markup — saves ₹3,500+ on every lakh spent abroad
  • FD-backed with guaranteed approval
  • No minimum income criteria required
  • 3X reward points (~0.75% effective) on regular spends — 3 RP per ₹150 outside fuel/EMI/wallet
Watch out for
  • Credit limit is 100% tied to the FD amount blocked
  • Requires locking funds in a fixed deposit
  • Does not waive international ATM withdrawal charges
Apply Now
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