Which card has a lower forex fee: Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card or ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card?

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

Which card has a lower annual fee: Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card or ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card?

Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card has a lower annual fee (₹3,000 vs ₹3,500).

Which card offers better lounge access?

Axis Bank Horizon Credit Card: 8 per quarter domestic lounge. ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card: 4 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 →

Axis Bank Horizon vs ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex

Side-by-side comparison of the Axis Bank Horizon and the ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

Quick comparison

Three core metrics

Horizon Axis Bank

Annual fee ₹3,000
Forex markup 3.5%
Domestic lounge 8/quarter

Sapphiro Mastercard ICICI Bank

Annual fee ₹3,500 Waivable at ₹6,00,000 spend
Forex markup 3.5%
Domestic lounge 4/quarter Conditional · Domestic: 4/quarter · requires ₹75,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter

Reward earning explained

Per card

Horizon

2 EDGE Miles / ₹100 on General spend

Limited data

Sapphiro Mastercard

4 pts / ₹100 on International spend (Eligible international retail spends per S…

Limited data

Pick based on what matters

3 dimensions

Start with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (Axis Bank Horizon: ₹3,000 vs ICICI Bank Sapphiro Mastercard: ₹3,500), forex markup (3.5% vs 3.5%), or lounge access (8/quarter vs 4/quarter).

Forex markup Tie

Both cards are similar for forex

Forex markup is 3.5%.
Lounge access Tie

Both cards are similar for lounge access

Domestic lounge access is 8 per quarter. Domestic lounge access is 4 per quarter.
Rewards Insufficient data

Insufficient data to compare rewards

Only Axis Bank Horizon has comparable evidence here. Estimated base reward value is ~2% on base spend.

Horizon: Limited data Sapphiro Mastercard: Limited data

Verify with issuer

All fields

Standard view

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

Horizon: ~₹1,000/month at base rate
Sapphiro: Base earn not clearly specified

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

Swipe for all fields

Field	Horizon Axis Bank	Sapphiro Mastercard ICICI Bank
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits 8/quarter vs 4/quarter	8/quarter	4/quarter
International lounge visits 8/year vs 2/year	8/year	2/year
Forex / International Use
Forex markup	3.5%	3.5%
Fees
Annual fee ₹3,000 vs ₹3,500	₹3,000	₹3,500
Joining fee ₹3,000 vs ₹6,500	₹3,000	₹6,500
Fee waiver spend Only available for Sapphiro	Not specified	₹6,00,000
Interest-free period Up to 50 days vs Up to 48 days	Up to 50 days	Up to 48 days
Rewards
Points per ₹100 2 pts vs 4 pts	2 pts	4 pts
Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid. Only available for Horizon	₹1	Not specified

Notes

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