ICICI Times Black vs ICICI Sapphiro (2026)
Same points, same partner board — 2 live transfer routes each, so this one is decided on earn and fee, nothing else: 2.0% at ₹20,000/yr against 0.5% at ₹6,500 to join plus ₹3,500/yr.
Head to head
| ICICI Times Black | Metric | ICICI Sapphiro |
|---|---|---|
| #26 — wins this row | Our rank | #87 |
| ₹20,000/yr | Fee — joining · annual (+ GST) | ₹6,500 joining, then ₹3,500/yr — wins this row |
| ₹25,00,000 spend | Fee waiver | ₹6,00,000 spend |
| 1.49% + GST (card-specific carve-out in the MITC; standard ICICI rate is 3.5%) — wins this row | Forex markup | 3.5% + GST |
| 3.75%/mo (45%/yr) | APR | 3.75%/mo (45%/yr) |
| 2.0% — wins this row | Headline earn rate | 0.5% |
| ICICI Reward Points | Currency | ICICI Reward Points |
| ₹1.00/pt | House value | ₹1.00/pt † |
| ₹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 | Welcome benefit | ₹13,500 of brand vouchers (joining fee ₹6,500; renewal ₹3,500) |
| 730 of 789 | Lounge doors opened | 733 of 789 — wins this row |
| ₹2,00,000+/month (official product page, seen 2026-08-01 — was community-reported only) | Income — salaried | ₹75,000+/month (official product page) |
| ₹24,00,000+/yr (official product page) | Income — self-employed | ₹9,00,000+/yr (official product page) |
† ICICI Sapphiro: Sapphiro redeems ICICI Reward Points at ₹0.25 apiece — a quarter of the ₹1.00 house value. ICICI publishes no per-point figure for Sapphiro itself, but the identically-programmed Rubyx membership kit states it verbatim: "Each reward point is equivalent to ₹0.25 when redeemed for cash." The ₹1 rate is documented only for Emeralde Private Metal and Times Black. earn.base bakes the haircut in.
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.
ICICI Sapphiro wins under ₹0.5L/month; ICICI Times Black takes over above it.
Where the lead changes hands
The lead changes hands at ₹0.5L a month: ICICI Sapphiro is ahead by ₹2,225 at ₹0.25L, ICICI Times Black by ₹1,30,500 at ₹5L.
ICICI Sapphiro runs a 1.0% booster on International spends, where ICICI Times Black earns one flat rate; ICICI Sapphiro charges twice — ₹6,500 to join, then ₹3,500 every year after.
ICICI Times Black draws above the line, ICICI Sapphiro below · ₹0.25L to ₹5L a month, step by step
| Monthly spend | ICICI Times Black | ICICI Sapphiro | In front |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹0.25L | −₹4,000 | −₹1,775 | ICICI Sapphiro by ₹2,225 |
| ₹0.5L | ₹12,000 | ₹5,450 | ICICI Times Black by ₹6,550 |
| ₹0.75L | ₹18,000 | ₹8,675 | ICICI Times Black by ₹9,325 |
| ₹1L | ₹34,000 | ₹11,900 | ICICI Times Black by ₹22,100 |
| ₹1.25L | ₹40,000 | ₹13,625 | ICICI Times Black by ₹26,375 |
| ₹1.5L | ₹46,000 | ₹15,350 | ICICI Times Black by ₹30,650 |
| ₹1.75L | ₹72,000 | ₹17,075 | ICICI Times Black by ₹54,925 |
| ₹2L | ₹78,000 | ₹18,800 | ICICI Times Black by ₹59,200 |
| ₹2.25L | ₹1,04,000 | ₹20,525 | ICICI Times Black by ₹83,475 |
| ₹2.5L | ₹1,10,000 | ₹22,250 | ICICI Times Black by ₹87,750 |
| ₹2.75L | ₹1,16,000 | ₹23,975 | ICICI Times Black by ₹92,025 |
| ₹3L | ₹1,22,000 | ₹25,700 | ICICI Times Black by ₹96,300 |
| ₹3.25L | ₹1,28,000 | ₹27,425 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,00,575 |
| ₹3.5L | ₹1,34,000 | ₹29,150 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,04,850 |
| ₹3.75L | ₹1,40,000 | ₹30,875 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,09,125 |
| ₹4L | ₹1,46,000 | ₹32,600 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,13,400 |
| ₹4.25L | ₹1,52,000 | ₹34,325 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,17,675 |
| ₹4.5L | ₹1,58,000 | ₹36,050 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,21,950 |
| ₹4.75L | ₹1,64,000 | ₹37,775 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,26,225 |
| ₹5L | ₹1,70,000 | ₹39,500 | ICICI Times Black by ₹1,30,500 |
Transfer reach
Both cards earn ICICI Reward Points, so the partner list is identical — 2 live transfer routes each. The fight is decided on earn and fees, not reach.
Only ICICI Times Black
- Air India Maharaja Club
- iShop travel portal
Full route maps on each card page, best ₹/point routes on the optimizer →
What to watch out for
ICICI Times Black · 2 more →
- ₹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
ICICI Sapphiro · 4 more →
- ~0.5% reward rate; points redeem at just ₹0.25
- Domestic lounge access now needs ₹75k prior-quarter spend
- BookMyShow BOGO needs ₹25k prior-quarter spend from 1 Apr 2026 — add-on cardholders must qualify separately
The call
For the ₹1L/month spender, ICICI Times Black nets ₹34,000 against ₹11,900 — a ₹22,100 gap. At ₹5L/month, ICICI Times Black nets ₹1,70,000 against ₹39,500 — a ₹1,30,500 gap. Lounge chasers: ICICI Sapphiro opens 733 of 789 tracked doors to ICICI Times Black's 730.
Our standing verdicts: ICICI Times Black — Keep; ICICI Sapphiro — Downgrade. On our board, ICICI Times Black sits at #26 to ICICI Sapphiro's #87 — that's the overall call. Your spend pattern can overrule us: run your exact numbers →
Straight answers
Which is better, ICICI Times Black or ICICI Sapphiro?
ICICI Times Black. It sits at #26 on our board to ICICI Sapphiro's #87. ICICI Times Black takes 6 of the 8 rounds we can score. ICICI Sapphiro wins under ₹0.5L/month; ICICI Times Black takes over above it.
ICICI Times Black or ICICI Sapphiro — which earns more at ₹3L a month?
At ₹3L a month, ICICI Times Black nets ₹1,22,000 against ₹25,700 — a ₹96,300 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, ICICI Times Black or ICICI Sapphiro?
ICICI Sapphiro — ₹6,500 joining, then ₹3,500/yr against ₹20,000/yr. ICICI Times Black waives its fee at ₹25,00,000 of spend; ICICI Sapphiro at ₹6,00,000 of spend.
Which gets you into more airport lounges, ICICI Times Black or ICICI Sapphiro?
Lounge chasers: ICICI Sapphiro opens 733 of 789 tracked doors to ICICI Times Black's 730. 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: ICICI Times Black on 2026-08-01, ICICI Sapphiro on 2026-08-09. 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.