Which card has a lower forex fee: American Express SmartEarn Credit Card or ICICI Bank HPCL Super Saver Credit Card?

Both cards have the same forex markup (3.5%).

Which card has a lower annual fee: American Express SmartEarn Credit Card or ICICI Bank HPCL Super Saver Credit Card?

American Express SmartEarn Credit Card has a lower annual fee (₹495 vs ₹500).

Which card offers better lounge access?

American Express SmartEarn Credit Card: No complimentary lounge access. ICICI Bank HPCL Super Saver Credit Card: 1 per quarter domestic lounge.

Which card has a higher base reward rate?

Base reward rates are not fully available for both cards in the current snapshot.

Pairwise comparison Compare 3+ cards →

American Express SmartEarn vs ICICI Bank HPCL Super Saver Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex

Side-by-side comparison of the American Express SmartEarn and the ICICI Bank HPCL Super Saver. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

Lounge ICICI Bank HPCL Super Saver

Quick comparison

Three core metrics

SmartEarn American Express

Annual fee ₹495 Waivable at ₹40,000 spend
Forex markup 3.5%
Domestic lounge No complimentary lounge access

HPCL Super Saver ICICI Bank

Annual fee ₹500 Waivable at ₹1,50,000 spend
Forex markup 3.5%
Domestic lounge 1/quarter Conditional · Domestic: 1/quarter · requires ₹75,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter

Reward earning explained

Per card

SmartEarn

20 pts / ₹100 on Select 10X partners (domestic) + 20 pts / ₹100 on Blinkit (dom…

HPCL Super Saver

10 pts / ₹150 on General spend + 4% on HPCL (domestic)

Pick based on what matters

2 dimensions

Start with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (American Express SmartEarn: ₹495 vs ICICI Bank HPCL Super Saver: ₹500), forex markup (3.5% vs 3.5%), or lounge access (No complimentary lounge access vs 1/quarter).

Forex markup Tie

Both cards are similar for forex

Forex markup is 3.5%.
Lounge access ICICI Bank HPCL Super Saver wins

ICICI Bank HPCL Super Saver is better for lounge access

ICICI Bank HPCL Super Saver is stronger here. Domestic lounge access is 1 per quarter.

Verify with issuer

All fields

Standard view

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

American Express SmartEarn: ~₹250/month at base rate
HPCL Super Saver: Base earn not clearly specified

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

Swipe for all fields

Field	SmartEarn American Express	HPCL Super Saver ICICI Bank
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits No complimentary lounge access vs 1/quarter	No complimentary lounge access	1/quarter
Forex / International Use
Forex markup	3.5%	3.5%
Fees
Annual fee ₹495 vs ₹500	₹495	₹500
Joining fee ₹495 vs ₹500	₹495	₹500
Fee waiver spend ₹40,000 vs ₹1,50,000	₹40,000	₹1,50,000
Rewards
Reward points (base spend) 2 pts/₹100 vs 10 pts/₹150	2 pts/₹100	10 pts/₹150
Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid. Only available for American Express SmartEarn	₹0.25	Not specified

Notes

Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.