ICICI

Times Black Credit Card

Good for frequent travelers with unlimited lounge access.

Should you get this?

Conditional fit

Verified

Why this card

  • Unlimited lounge access is a clear travel strength.
  • Forex markup is low at 1.49%.
  • You use airport lounges often.
Issuer evidence · 3 sources →

Trade-off

The annual fee (₹20,000) is waived only when eligible annual spend exceeds ₹25,00,000.

Annual fee ₹20,000 per year
Rewards 2 pts / ₹100
Lounge access unlimited domestic + international
Forex markup 1.49% low

What it costs to get, and to keep

Joining vs renewal

First year

₹20,000joining fee

From year 2

₹20,000renewal fee

Waived above ₹25,00,000 eligible annual spend

Welcome offer

CVP joining bundle (issuer T&C)

Atlys · OneVasco · EaseMyTrip · Zomato Gold · Toni&Guy · Interflora · CribLife

Qualification and fulfilment conditions apply

Rewards


Earning rules

Detail · from the summary above
ScopeRateEligibilityLimit
General spend2 pts / ₹100Credited as reward pointsNot stated

Redemption value

What a Reward Point is worth

  1. Vouchersup to₹1 / pt

    ₹25 redemption fee

  2. Cash redemption value₹0.40 per Reward Point

When does this card pay for itself?

Rewards break-even estimate
₹25L

Conservative yearly spend needed at the ₹0.40-per-point ranking floor.

Best documented case: about ₹10L at ₹1 per point.

Reward reality — the earning-rate detail behind the numbers above

Reward reality

Conclusion · what you actually get

Eligible spend

2 points per ₹100 on eligible spend

Verified value

₹0.4 per point

Cashback

Realisation

Credited as reward points

Costs & fees


Spending requirements

Spend gates · caps · milestone thresholds
RequirementAmountPeriodUnlocks
Annual fee waiver₹25,00,000yearAnnual fee waiver

Watch outs

Before choosing this card
  • Annual fee is ₹20,000, so value depends on actual usage.
  • Fee waiver requires spend above ₹25,00,000 annually.

Estimated usage

Example usage at this monthly spend

  • At this monthly spend, you'd earn: Up to ~1,000 pts/month if the entire spend qualifies for base earn · uses base/general earn rate. Excluded transactions earn less.
  • Worth ~₹400 at the conservative redemption floor
  • Fee waiver unlikely at this spend
  • Forex cost ~₹750 per ₹50k international spend

Illustrative only, using current base rates and snapshot data.

Benefits & charges

Side-by-side facts
Benefits

Lounge Access

Domestic (cardholder)
Unlimited · verified 6 Jul 2026 Unlimited domestic lounge access

Issuer documented · corroborating sources · verify issuer terms before applying

Where to verify
International (cardholder)
Unlimited Requires Priority Pass card

Issuer documented · corroborating sources · verify issuer terms before applying

Where to verify
Guest access
Guests: paid access

Lounge network

Rewards

Points per ₹100
2 points per ₹100 value depends on redemption
Effective return (honest floor)
~0.8% base at the cash-redemption floor; up to ~2% through documented voucher redemption · verified 6 Jul 2026 Conservative redemption floor; best documented path is not ranked on.
Cash redemption value
₹0.40 per Reward Point · verified 6 Jul 2026 Operator-verified headline rate — full channel grid in Redemption value.

Insurance Cover

Air accident cover
₹3 crore · verified 6 Jul 2026
Lost card liability cover
₹50,000 · verified 6 Jul 2026
Underwriter
Insured by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited · verified 7 Jul 2026
Fees & charges

Fees

Monthly interest rate
3.75% / month
Annual fee
₹20,000
Joining fee
₹20,000 · verified 3 Sept 2026
Fee waiver spend
Above ₹25,00,000 · verified 3 Sept 2026 Annual fee waived on eligible anniversary-year spend above ₹25,00,000.
Interest-free period
Up to 48 days · verified 7 Jul 2026

International Use

Forex markup
1.49%

Issuer documented · corroborating sources · verify issuer terms before applying

Where to verify
Product tier
Super-premium

Travel & perks


Fuel Benefits

At the pump
  • 1% fuel surcharge waived.

Fine print & compare


Compare with similar cards

Similar tier · similar benefits

The fine print

Caps · exclusions · earning · redemption · last refresh

Exclusions

These spends do not earn reward points.

Payments

  • Rent

Redemption & expiry

  • Voucher redemption: ₹25 redemption fee per redemption

Latest update

  • Annual fee: ₹20,000.
  • Forex markup currently listed at 1.49%.
  • Unlimited domestic lounge · Unlimited international.

Common questions

From verified card facts

Is this good for lounge access?

Unlimited domestic lounge + Unlimited international. Check current spend criteria, guest rules, visit caps, and airport acceptance before relying on it.

Is this good for international spends?

Forex markup is 1.49%, which can be useful for international spends if the annual fee and usage pattern still make sense.

Is the annual fee easy to recover?

Fee waiver applies above ₹25,00,000 annual spend. Verify eligible spend exclusions before counting on it.

When do welcome benefits arrive?

CVP joining bundle (issuer T&C). Included items: Atlys — Travel visa processing fee waiver up to ₹10,000, OneVasco — VAYD / premium lounge / visa concierge up to ₹10,000 via Times Black Visa Wallet, EaseMyTrip — Luxury stay gift voucher — hotel bookings on Easemytrip.com, Zomato Gold — Free annual Zomato Gold membership voucher, Toni&Guy, Interflora, CribLife — 6 complimentary lifestyle-management services per year. Timing may depend on joining fee payment, card activation, first eligible transaction, or issuer processing.

Learn

Learn more

Guides matched to this card — not a random syllabus.

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