Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro vs MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature (2026)
ICICI Bank's own upgrade question: ₹2,500 once to join against ₹5,000/yr for 0.7pp more headline earn.
Head to head
| Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro | Metric | MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature |
|---|---|---|
| #66 — wins this row | Our rank | #72 |
| ₹5,000/yr | Fee — joining · annual (+ GST) | ₹0/yr · ₹2,500 joining (one-time) — wins this row |
| None | Fee waiver | None |
| 3.5% + GST | Forex markup | 3.5% + GST |
| 3.75%/mo (45%/yr) | APR | 3.75%/mo (45%/yr) |
| 1.4% — wins this row | Headline earn rate | 0.6% |
| Emirates Skywards | Currency | MakeMyTrip myCash |
| ₹0.90/pt | House value | ₹1.00/pt |
| 5,000 Skywards Miles + Emirates Skywards Silver tier (first year; retain at ₹5L spend); 5,000 more on every renewal | Welcome benefit | MMTBLACK Platinum tier + a MakeMyTrip holiday voucher up to ₹2,500 — one-time, on joining. CLOSED TO NEW APPLICATIONS. |
| 726 of 789 | Lounge doors opened | 752 of 789 — wins this row |
Neither issuer publishes an income floor for these two. Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro is open to a direct application; MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature is closed to new applications, and only grandfathered holders still have it. How people actually get MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature is on its card page.
Gold marks the better side of a row. House value is our ₹-per-point mark for each card's currency — the full valuation index →
Ranking-value face-off
Everyday spend at each card's base rate plus a realistic ~20% at its best accelerator (less for narrow or capped boosters) — milestones, fee waivers and the redemption haircut all at our house ₹/point. That's why the biggest headline rate doesn't automatically win. This is the ranking model, the one that orders the board; each card page prints the earn-rate-only net annual value instead, which reads lower for any card with an accelerator (both models, side by side). Tune it to your own spend in the calculator.
It swings with spend: Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro at ₹1L/month, Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro at ₹3L/month, Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro at ₹5L/month.
Where the lead changes hands
The lead changes hands at ₹0.5L and ₹0.75L a month: Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro is ahead by ₹369 at ₹0.25L, Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹33,775 at ₹5L.
MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature pays 2 annual spend milestones, the first at ₹2,50,000 a year, and Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro pays none; Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro pays a renewal bonus whatever you spend, and MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature pays nothing to stay.
Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro draws above the line, MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature below · ₹0.25L to ₹5L a month, step by step
| Monthly spend | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro | MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature | In front |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹0.25L | ₹3,550 | ₹3,181 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹369 |
| ₹0.5L | ₹7,600 | ₹9,263 | MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature by ₹1,663 |
| ₹0.75L | ₹11,650 | ₹11,344 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹306 |
| ₹1L | ₹15,700 | ₹13,425 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹2,275 |
| ₹1.25L | ₹19,750 | ₹15,506 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹4,244 |
| ₹1.5L | ₹23,800 | ₹17,588 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹6,212 |
| ₹1.75L | ₹27,850 | ₹19,669 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹8,181 |
| ₹2L | ₹31,900 | ₹21,750 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹10,150 |
| ₹2.25L | ₹35,950 | ₹23,831 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹12,119 |
| ₹2.5L | ₹40,000 | ₹25,913 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹14,087 |
| ₹2.75L | ₹44,050 | ₹27,994 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹16,056 |
| ₹3L | ₹48,100 | ₹30,075 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹18,025 |
| ₹3.25L | ₹52,150 | ₹32,156 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹19,994 |
| ₹3.5L | ₹56,200 | ₹34,238 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹21,962 |
| ₹3.75L | ₹60,250 | ₹36,319 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹23,931 |
| ₹4L | ₹64,300 | ₹38,400 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹25,900 |
| ₹4.25L | ₹68,350 | ₹40,481 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹27,869 |
| ₹4.5L | ₹72,400 | ₹42,563 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹29,837 |
| ₹4.75L | ₹76,450 | ₹44,644 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹31,806 |
| ₹5L | ₹80,500 | ₹46,725 | Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro by ₹33,775 |
Transfer reach
Full route maps on each card page, best ₹/point routes on the optimizer →
What to watch out for
Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro · 3 more →
- Domestic lounges need ₹75k of prior-quarter spend; only 2 a quarter
- No fee waiver; 3.5% forex; single-airline currency
- 1.35% earn is thin for a ₹5,000 travel card
MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature · 3 more →
- Closed to new applications — ICICI's own page says so
- Everything earns per ₹200, not ₹100: base spends are 0.625%, MMT flights just 1%
- Milestone myCash needs ₹2.5L and ₹5L of spend on a card you shouldn't be spending on
The call
For the ₹1L/month spender, Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro nets ₹15,700 against ₹13,425 — a ₹2,275 gap. At ₹5L/month, Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro nets ₹80,500 against ₹46,725 — a ₹33,775 gap. Lounge chasers: MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature opens 752 of 789 tracked doors to Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro's 726.
Our standing verdicts: Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro — Downgrade; MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature — Keep. On our board, Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro sits at #66 to MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature's #72 — that's the overall call. Your spend pattern can overrule us: run your exact numbers →
Straight answers
Which is better, Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro or MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature?
Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro. It sits at #66 on our board to MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature's #72. Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro takes 5 of the 7 rounds we can score. It swings with spend: Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro at ₹1L/month, Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro at ₹3L/month, Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro at ₹5L/month.
Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro or MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature — which earns more at ₹3L a month?
At ₹3L a month, Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro nets ₹48,100 against ₹30,075 — a ₹18,025 gap. Those are ranking-value figures: everyday spend at the card's base rate plus a realistic slice at its best accelerator, net of the fee.
Which costs less to hold, Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro or MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature?
MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature — ₹0/yr · ₹2,500 joining (one-time) against ₹5,000/yr. Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro waives its fee at no spend level — there is no waiver; MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature at no spend level — there is no waiver.
Which gets you into more airport lounges, Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro or MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature?
Lounge chasers: MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature opens 752 of 789 tracked doors to Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro's 726. Visit quotas, guest charges and spend gates are per card — the lounge map carries each one.
How current is this comparison?
Card records last re-verified against their issuers' own documents: Emirates Skywards ICICI Bank Sapphiro on 2026-08-05, MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature on 2026-07-26. Every figure on this page — the ranking values, the fee rows, the lounge counts, the transfer ratios — is recomputed from those records each time the site builds, so a devaluation changes the call the day we log it.