ICICI Times Black vs HDFC Infinia Metal
HDFC Infinia Metal by ₹11,300 a year at ₹75,000 a month
ICICI Times Black vs 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card
ICICI Bank
1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card vs ICICI Times Black: which should you pick?
ICICI Times Black and 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card both earn ICICI Reward Points, so the transfer partners are the same; what separates them is how fast each earns and what each costs. ICICI Times Black stays about ₹1,59,700 a year ahead of 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card whatever you spend, from ₹25,000 to ₹5 lakh a month. At ₹75,000 a month much of ICICI Times Black's edge is the fee: it costs ₹20,000 a year, while 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card charges ₹1,75,000. Pick 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card instead if you spend abroad: its forex markup is 0% against 1.5% on ICICI Times Black, 1.5 percentage points less on every rupee spent in another currency.
1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card's ongoing earn stops at ₹30,00,000 of spend a month, where ICICI Times Black's doesn't; ICICI Times Black pays 4 annual spend milestones, the first at ₹2,00,000 a year, and 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card pays none.
ICICI Times Black review 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card review
Side by side
| Fact | ICICI Times Black | 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Can you get it | Open to apply✓ Better | By invitation only |
| Fee (joining · annual, + GST) | ₹20,000/yr✓ Better | ₹1,75,000/yr |
| Fee waiver | Spend ₹25,00,000 a year | None |
| Reward rate on everyday spend | 2.0% | 3.0%✓ Better |
| Points | ICICI Reward Points | ICICI Reward Points |
| Our value per point | ₹1.00 | ₹1.00 † |
| Transfer partners | 2 | 1 |
| Lounges it gets you into | 719 of 792✓ Better | 0 of 792 |
| Forex markup | 1.49% + GST | Nil✓ Better |
| Welcome benefit | ₹12,000 Lohono / ₹10,000 EaseMyTrip stay voucher + ₹10,000 visa-services wallet (Atlys/OneVasco) + Toni&Guy ₹3,000 + Interflora ₹1,000 + Zomato Gold — application windows via timesblack.com | A night at a Lohono Stays Platinum Villa (₹50,000), a Marshall, Smeg or Le Creuset gift from Tata CLiQ Luxury (₹25,000) and a Klook museum experience for two (₹7,500), per ICICI's product page — claimed in the 1838 Reserve app after the joining fee is paid. |
✓ Better marks the side that wins a row; rows that compare unlike things are not scored. ICICI Times Black is ahead on 9 of the 11 rows we can call.
More facts 8 rows
| Fact | ICICI Times Black | 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Our rank | #30 | Not ranked (invite-only) |
| Our verdict | Keep | Keep |
| Lounge visits in India | Unlimited at the 71 rooms on ICICI's consolidated domestic list, plus the 5 asterisked rooms reserved for Diamant, Emeralde Private Metal and Times Black | None — ICICI's MITC states that domestic lounge access is not available on this card |
| Lounge visits abroad | Unlimited (Priority Pass) | None — the same MITC line covers international lounges; the card's only airport benefit is two fast-track security entries |
| Forex, in the bank’s words | 1.49% + GST (card-specific carve-out in the MITC; standard ICICI rate is 3.5%) | Nil — "No Mark-up fee will be levied on 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card"; no DCC fee either |
| Interest (APR) | 3.75%/mo (45%/yr) | 1.67%/mo (20%/yr) on revolving credit and cash advances — a card-specific carve-out from the standard 3.75%/mo (45%/yr) |
| Income needed (salaried) | ₹2,00,000+/month (official product page, seen 2026-08-01 — was community-reported only) | not published |
| Income needed (self-employed) | ₹24,00,000+/yr (official product page) | not published |
† 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card: ICICI prints this card's return as a percentage — 3% at home, 2% abroad — and lists the rewards catalogue as the way to spend it (health and beauty, travel and luggage, shopping vouchers, electronics, home appliances, fashion). We carry the points at ICICI Reward Points' ₹1.00 house value, which is what makes ICICI's 3% a 3%. The one airline exit is Air India Maharaja Club at 6:1 (minimum 2,000 points), about ₹0.17 a point against the ₹1.00 house value — the 1:1 rate is Emeralde Private Metal and Times Black only — and no hotel transfer is published.
Our value per point is what we think a point is worth when you use it well; every currency's figure and its reasoning is on points values.
What each is worth to you
| Monthly spend | ICICI Times Black | 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
| At ₹30,000 a month | −₹3,200✓ Better | −₹1,64,200 |
| At ₹75,000 a month | ₹16,900✓ Better | −₹1,48,000 |
| At ₹1.5 lakh a month | ₹43,800✓ Better | −₹1,21,000 |
| At ₹3 lakh a month | ₹1,17,700✓ Better | −₹67,000 |
| At ₹5 lakh a month | ₹1,62,800✓ Better | ₹5,000 |
| Pays for itself from | ₹45,000 a month✓ Better | ₹4.9 lakh a month |
On an everyday mix of spending (groceries, bills, travel, fuel and the rest), using each card's own rules for each kind of spend. The same figures as each card's own page.
Every spend from ₹25,000 to ₹5 lakh 20 steps
| Monthly spend | ICICI Times Black | 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹25,000 | −₹4,400✓ Better | −₹1,66,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,61,600 |
| ₹50,000 | ₹11,300✓ Better | −₹1,57,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,68,300 |
| ₹75,000 | ₹16,900✓ Better | −₹1,48,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,64,900 |
| ₹1 lakh | ₹32,600✓ Better | −₹1,39,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,71,600 |
| ₹1.25 lakh | ₹38,200✓ Better | −₹1,30,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,68,200 |
| ₹1.5 lakh | ₹43,800✓ Better | −₹1,21,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,64,800 |
| ₹1.75 lakh | ₹49,500✓ Better | −₹1,12,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,61,500 |
| ₹2 lakh | ₹75,100✓ Better | −₹1,03,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,78,100 |
| ₹2.25 lakh | ₹1,00,800✓ Better | −₹94,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,94,800 |
| ₹2.5 lakh | ₹1,06,400✓ Better | −₹85,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,91,400 |
| ₹2.75 lakh | ₹1,12,000✓ Better | −₹76,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,88,000 |
| ₹3 lakh | ₹1,17,700✓ Better | −₹67,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,84,700 |
| ₹3.25 lakh | ₹1,23,300✓ Better | −₹58,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,81,300 |
| ₹3.5 lakh | ₹1,29,000✓ Better | −₹49,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,78,000 |
| ₹3.75 lakh | ₹1,34,600✓ Better | −₹40,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,74,600 |
| ₹4 lakh | ₹1,40,200✓ Better | −₹31,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,71,200 |
| ₹4.25 lakh | ₹1,45,900✓ Better | −₹22,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,67,900 |
| ₹4.5 lakh | ₹1,51,500✓ Better | −₹13,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,64,500 |
| ₹4.75 lakh | ₹1,57,200✓ Better | −₹4,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,61,200 |
| ₹5 lakh | ₹1,62,800✓ Better | ₹5,000 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,57,800 |
How we work out the yearly value
We put each card through the same everyday mix of spending, apply that card's own rules for each kind of spend (some earn nothing on fuel or bills), add its milestone and renewal bonuses at our value per point, and take off the fee unless that spend waives it. Bonus categories that need you to shop a certain way are not counted. Your own mix will differ: try your numbers in the calculator, or read how we value cards.
Before you choose
Transfer partners 2 shared
Both cards earn ICICI Reward Points, so they move points to the same 2 partners , though not always at the same rate.
| Partner | ICICI Times Black | 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card |
|---|---|---|
| Air India Maharaja Club | 1:1 | 6:1 |
Only ICICI Times Black: iShop travel portal.
Every partner and ratio is on each card's page; the best value for your points is on the transfer optimizer.
Watch out 6 points
ICICI Times Black
- ₹20,000 + GST fee needs ₹25L spend to waive
- One transfer partner — this is not a miles card
- Emeralde Private out-earns it at a third of the fee
1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card
- ₹1,75,000 to join and ₹1,75,000 a year from year two, and ICICI says no spend waives the renewal
- No airport lounge access — ICICI's MITC states that domestic or international lounge access "is not available" on this card; the only airport benefit is two fast-track security entries at select international airports
- International spends earn 2%, less than the 3% at home
Common questions 5 answered
Which is better, ICICI Times Black or 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card?
ICICI Times Black and 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card both earn ICICI Reward Points, so the transfer partners are the same; what separates them is how fast each earns and what each costs. ICICI Times Black stays about ₹1,59,700 a year ahead of 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card whatever you spend, from ₹25,000 to ₹5 lakh a month. At ₹75,000 a month much of ICICI Times Black's edge is the fee: it costs ₹20,000 a year, while 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card charges ₹1,75,000. Pick 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card instead if you spend abroad: its forex markup is 0% against 1.5% on ICICI Times Black, 1.5 percentage points less on every rupee spent in another currency.
ICICI Times Black or 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card: which is worth more at ₹3 lakh a month?
ICICI Times Black beats 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card by ₹1,84,700 a year at ₹3 lakh a month. Both figures are a year's rewards and bonuses on an everyday spending mix, after the fee.
Which costs less to get, ICICI Times Black or 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card?
ICICI Times Black: ₹20,000/yr against ₹1,75,000/yr. ICICI Times Black waives its fee if you spend ₹25,00,000 a year; 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card has no fee waiver.
Which gets you into more airport lounges, ICICI Times Black or 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card?
ICICI Times Black: 719 of the 792 lounges we track, against 0 for 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card. Visit limits and guest charges differ by card; each card's page lists them.
How current is this comparison?
ICICI Times Black was last checked against its bank's own documents on 26 Oct 2026, 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card on 24 Oct 2026. Every figure here is worked out again from those records each time the site is built, so a change to either card shows up the day we log it.
Related comparisons
ICICI Emeralde Private Metal vs ICICI Times Black
ICICI Emeralde Private Metal by ₹14,500 a year at ₹75,000 a month
ICICI Times Black vs Axis Magnus
ICICI Times Black by ₹11,300 a year at ₹75,000 a month
More on these two cards 10 pages
- What ICICI Reward Points are worth
- Credit card forex markup in India, bank by bank
- Maharaja Club, the post-merger guide
- ICICI Times Black vs IDFC FIRST Mayura
- Axis Bank Reserve vs ICICI Times Black
- ICICI Times Black vs Axis Bank PRIMUS
- ICICI Times Black vs HSBC Taj
- ICICI Times Black vs ICICI Bank Emeralde
- ICICI Times Black vs ICICI Sapphiro
- ICICI Times Black vs ICICI Bank NRI Sapphiro
Sources
ICICI Times Black was last checked against its bank's own documents on 26 Oct 2026, 1838 Reserve ICICI Bank Credit Card on 24 Oct 2026. Every fact above comes from these 10 documents; the banks' own are marked official. A fact a bank does not publish shows as "not published", never as zero.
The documents 10 sources
- Official Product page — ₹20,000 joining + ₹20,000 annual (waived at ₹25L), 2% domestic / 2.5% international, 1.49% forex read
- Official Additional T&C PDF — 2% domestic / 2.5% international RP; 5,000 RP/cycle cap on utilities+insurance+education+government; "Value of 1 ICICI Bank reward point is up to ₹ 1" read
- Official MITC (last updated 9 Oct 2026) — ₹20,000 a year, reversed at ₹25,00,000; 1.49% forex; one combined 5,000-point cycle cap on utilities, insurance, education and government read
- Community CardExpert review — corroborates the ₹0.40/point statement-credit rate vs ~₹1/point on vouchers/iShop read
- Community TechnoFino — iShop drops 6X on Amazon Pay, Swiggy and jewellery vouchers; fee 3.5% + GST from 1 Feb 2026 read
- Community SaveSage — ICICI 2026 devaluations: iShop voucher exclusions and the 3.5% + GST voucher fee read
- Official Launch announcement (with Times Internet and Visa) read
- Community TechnoFino — application-window + video-KYC experience; fast approvals for ICICI customers read
- Official ICICI's 1838 Reserve product page — 3% domestic and 2% international in Reward Points, Visa, invite-only, the welcome and membership benefits, no fee waiver read
- Community Card Insider on the August 2026 teaser — an express-your-interest page, an October date and invite-only access read