1 EDGE Miles / ₹100
Strong data Pairwise comparison
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AXIS Primus vs ICICI Emeralde
Side-by-side comparison of the Axis Bank Primus and the ICICI Bank Emeralde. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.
The short answer
Pick Primus for spending abroad.
Emeralde costs ₹2,88,000 less a year but waives only at ₹10,00,000 spend, Primus at Not offered.
Head-to-head
- Annual fee Annual fee outcome: tie. ₹2,88,000/yr apart · waiver gates differPrimus ₹3,00,000 Annual-fee waiver not offeredEmeralde ₹12,000 Waivable at ₹10,00,000 spend
- Forex markup Forex markup outcome: Primus wins. Primus saves ~₹2,000 per ₹1L abroadPrimus 0%Emeralde 2%
- Domestic lounge Domestic lounge outcome: tie. Primus UnlimitedEmeralde Unlimited
- Rewards Rewards outcome: insufficient data to compare. conservative base valuePrimus Not safely INR-comparableEmeralde Not safely INR-comparable
Reward earning explained
6 pts / ₹100
Strong dataExample usage at this monthly spend
At ₹50k/month spend:
- Emeralde: Base earn not clearly specified
- Primus: Base earn not clearly specified
Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.
All fields
| Field | Primus Axis Bank | Emeralde ICICI Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Lounge Access | ||
| Domestic lounge visits | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| International lounge visits | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Forex / International Use | ||
| Forex markup Source agreement differs — verify both. 0% vs 2% | 0% | 2% |
| Fees | ||
| Recurring annual fee ₹3,00,000 vs ₹12,000 | ₹3,00,000 | ₹12,000 |
| Annual-fee waiver Not offered vs ₹10,00,000 | Not offered | ₹10,00,000 |
| Interest-free period Up to 50 days vs Up to 48 days | Up to 50 days | Up to 48 days |
| Monthly interest rate 1% / month vs 3.75% / month | 1% / month | 3.75% / month |
| Late-payment charge Only available for Emeralde | Not specified | ₹100–₹1,300 depending on outstanding balance |
| Fuel benefit 1% surcharge waiver · ₹400–₹10,000 transactions vs 1% surcharge waiver · up to ₹4,000 transactions · Fuel rewards excluded | 1% surcharge waiver · ₹400–₹10,000 transactions | 1% surcharge waiver · up to ₹4,000 transactions · Fuel rewards excluded |
| Rewards | ||
| Points per ₹100 1 EDGE Miles / ₹100 vs 6 pts / ₹100 | 1 EDGE Miles / ₹100 | 6 pts / ₹100 |
| Earn ceiling | Not stated | Not stated |
| Point validity Only available for Emeralde | Not specified | 3 years |
| Insurance — Air accident cover Only available for Emeralde | Not specified | ₹3 crore |
| Insurance — Lost card liability cover Only available for Emeralde | Not specified | ₹50,000 |
| Insurance — Underwriter Only available for Emeralde | Not specified | Insured by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited |
Notes
- Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.
Axis Bank Primus
Verify with issuer , opens external siteICICI Bank Emeralde
Verify with issuer , opens external site