It is quite important to compare different credit cards before you make a final decision and this task becomes challenging when you find more than one credit card suitable for your requirements. If you are looking for a premium credit card to enhance your lifestyle and you are confused between the Citi Prestige and ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card, this article is just the right page for you. Both these cards are from two of the well-known card issuers in India and are targeted at high-net-worth individuals who are ready to pay a high annual fee to get exclusive benefits. Though the Citi Prestige Card is a bit more expensive than the sapphire Credit Card, it is totally worth it for those who are wise enough to maximize the benefits of a credit card. To get a detailed comparison between the Citi Prestige Credit card and ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card, continue reading the article:

Citi Prestige Credit Card vs ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card Post

Citi Prestige Credit Card

Citi Bank’s Prestige Credit Card is the most premium offering by the bank and comes with an annual fee of Rs. 20,000. It is targeted at high-earning individuals and hence you need a pretty good income as well as an excellent credit profile to get approved for it. You get bonus Reward Points as well as exciting gift vouchers as a welcome benefit and a lot of other benefits across different categories. From a good reward rate or world-class travel benefits, the Prestige Card provides you with a luxurious lifestyle with minimal charges. The following are all its benefits & features in detail:

  • You get 2,500 bonus Reward Points and a Taj voucher worth Rs. 10,000 as a welcome benefit.
  • You get 2 Reward points on every international spend and 1 Reward Point on every domestic spend of Rs. 100.
  • The earned reward points can be redeemed against various products & vouchers, air miles, Taj Inner Circle points, and IHG points.
  • The Prestige Cardholders get complimentary Taj Epicure Plus and Inner Circle Silver memberships.
  • Primary as well as supplementary credit cardholders get unlimited free domestic and international lounge access every year.
  • Get 4 complimentary golf rounds and 4 lessons every year.
  • You also get an accidental insurance cover worth Rs. 5 Crores and a lost card liability cover worth Rs. 10 lakhs.
  • You get a 1% fuel surcharge waiver on all Indian Oil fuel outlets.

ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card

The ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card is the second most premium credit card by ICICI Bank after the Emeralde Credit Card. It comes with a joining fee of Rs. 6,500 and the renewal fee is a bit lower, i.e. Rs. 3,500. As a welcome benefit, you get gift vouchers worth up to Rs. 9,000 and you can also earn up to Rs. 750 cashback. Talking about the reward rates of this card, you get up to 4 Reward Points on every spend of Rs. 100 and these reward points are redeemable against various options from different categories. Other than this, you get complimentary domestic as well as international lounge access and lots of other premium benefits. The following are its detailed benefits and features:

  • You get a gift voucher worth Rs. 9,000 from any of the popular brands, including Tata Cliq, Zomato, Uber, and a few more. Moreover, you can also earn Rs. 750 cashback on spending Rs. 20,000 or more within the first 60 days.
  • You get 2 Reward Points on domestic and 4 Reward Points on every international spend of Rs. 100.
  • The Reward points earned using this card are redeemable against various products and voucher options available at ICICI Rewards Portal. 1 Reward Point = Re. 0.25.
  • Up to 4 free domestic lounge access every quarter and 2 complimentary international lounge access every year.
  • You can avail of the Buy 1 Get 1 Free offer on movie ticket bookings via BookMyShow.
  • The Sapphiro Card also offers you free golf lessons and rounds every year.
  • You get an accidental insurance cover worth Rs. 3 Crores and various other travel-related insurance covers.

Read More: Comparison between American Express Platinum Card & Citi Prestige Credit Card

Quick Comparison

After discussing all the features of the Sapphiro and Prestige Credit cards separately, let us now compare them quickly with the help of a table. You can compare every feature below and choose a card that seems to be the right fit for you:

Comparison Factor Citi Prestige Credit Card ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card
Annual Fee
  • Rs. 20,000
  • Rs. 6,500 (joining fee) Rs. 3,500 (annual fee)
Rewards Rate
  • 1 Reward Point on every domestic spend of Rs. 100
  • 2 RPs on every international spend of Rs. 100
  • 2 Reward Points on every domestic spend of Rs. 100
  • 4 RPs on every international spend of Rs. 100
Reward Redemption
  • The earned Reward Points are redeemable against a number of options at a redemption rate of 1 RP = Re. 1
  • 1 RP = Re. 0.25 for redemption against various products and other options via the ICICI Rewards portal
Travel Benefits
  • Unlimited complimentary domestic as well as international airport lounge access
  • Complimentary Taj Epicure Plus and Inner Circle Silver membership
  • 16 complimentary domestic and 2 free international lounge access every year
Insurance Cover Against Air Accident
  • You get an air accident cover worth Rs. 5 Crores
  • You get an air accident cover worth Rs. 3 Crores
Spend-Based Waiver
  • NA
  • The annual fee is waived on spending Rs. 6 lakhs or more in the previous year.

Bottom Line

The Citi Prestige, as well as the ICICI Sapphiro Cards, belong to the super-premium category and you get lots of exciting benefits with both these. The Prestige Card is a good option for those who travel internationally very often, as it offers unlimited lounge access. On the other hand, those who travel a limited number of times can definitely go with the Sapphiro Credit Card as it also provides you with a decent number of free lounge visits. Talking about the reward rates, the Sapphiro Card offers a slightly higher reward rate, but when it comes to redemption, you get more travel-related options with the Citi Prestige Credit Card. The lower annual fee of the Sapphiro Credit Card is definitely a plus point for this, however, the high annual fee associated with the Prestige Card is also worth it for those who travel a lot.

Both cards are great choices. You just need to analyze your requirements first and if Sapphiro Cards seems to fulfill all your needs, you can go for it as it has a lower fee. However, if the high annual fee doesn’t seem to be a barrier to you and you are just looking for super-premium benefits, you should go with the Citi Prestige Credit card. We hope that this article was helpful for you to make the right decision. If you have any additional doubts, feel free to ask us in the comment section below!

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