11:00 AM IST, News Desk – ICICI Bank has quietly updated its credit card charges that will start applying this 15 January 2026. There was no big announcement or customer-wide alert. The changes were added to the updated terms. However, the Bank notifies via Email to customers, but Most users will only notice them when extra amounts start appearing on their card statements.
On the surface, the fees look small. In reality, they affect how people use cards for gaming, travel, wallets, and rewards. At Easemoney, we first looked at what changed, then asked a simple question: why should an everyday card user care?
1) Online gaming now attracts a 2% charge
ICICI Bank will now charge 2% extra on online gaming transactions made using its all-new or old credit cards. This applies to skill-based gaming platforms such as Dream11, MPL, Rummy Culture, Junglee Games and similar apps.
What this actually means: If you add ₹1,000 to a gaming app, ₹20 will be charged as a fee. Spend ₹5,000 in a month, and the extra cost becomes ₹100 — without any extra benefit.
Gaming payments are usually small but frequent, which makes this charge easy to miss. Over a year, regular gamers could end up paying ₹1,000–₹1,500 extra just in fees.
2) Wallet loading above ₹5,000 is no longer free
Loading digital wallets, such as Amazon Pay, Paytm, MobiKwik, Freecharge, and OlaMoney, using an ICICI credit card will now attract a 1% charge if the amount is ₹5,000 or more; before these new rules, there was no fee for it. This affects wallets commonly used for daily spending, bill payments and subscriptions. However, this is not a new rule; it is already working in Many major banks, including HDFC, Axis, Kotak, and SBI Card.
Insight: For large wallet loads, the fee can cancel out reward points completely.
3) Big travel bookings get an extra charge
ICICI Bank will charge 1% extra on transportation spending above ₹50,000.
One real-life example: If a family books train tickets worth ₹60,000, the card will now add ₹600 as an extra fee. Earlier, this cost did not exist.
Why it matters: High-value travel bookings are common during holidays and weddings. This fee hits exactly those moments.
4) Reward points are now limited
Some spending categories will now have monthly reward caps. Once the limit is reached, you stop earning points even if you keep spending.
For example:
- If a card earlier gave rewards on the full ₹1 lakh spend
- Now rewards may stop after ₹40,000–₹50,000
Entertainment benefits like movie tickets also come with minimum spending conditions, meaning low spenders may miss out entirely.
5) Premium card users also feel the pinch
Premium cards, especially those used for international spending, now come with higher conversion charges and reduced reward eligibility on some transactions.
Add-on cards on premium variants also cost more, which can increase yearly expenses by ₹3,000–₹5,000 for families using multiple cards.
What reports indicate
As reported by Moneycontrol, ICICI Bank’s move is part of a wider trend where banks are cutting down reward costs and adding fees to high-usage categories.
Separately, as per ICICI’s new terms, these changes will apply from January 2026 and reflected directly in customer statements. ICICI also advise to read the new rules in PDF.
Lastly
Individually, a ₹100 or ₹200 fee may not feel big. But across gaming, wallets, travel and rewards, many users could end up paying ₹2,000–₹4,000 extra per year without realising it.
Market Experts’ advice:
- Use credit cards where rewards clearly beat fees
- Shift gaming, wallet loads and routine payments to UPI
- Check statements carefully from January onwards
This looks like the direction credit cards are moving in 2026 — fewer freebies, more discipline. Users who adapt early will lose the least.
More breakdowns coming soon on Easemoney. Stay connected.
