Chennai Super Kings ICICI Bank Credit Card Review 2026: 0.5% Base Rate, 2026 Caps, Fees & FAQs
Chennai Super Kings ICICI Bank Credit Card charges ₹500 and earns 2 Reward Points per ₹100 — about 0.5% at an unpublished ₹0.25 a point. The 2026 caps and exclusions, fees and FAQs.
The CSK ICICI Bank card is a cricket-fan co-brand: ₹500 a year, 2 Reward Points per ₹100, and 10 per ₹100 on official Chennai Super Kings merchandise and ticketing — 2.5%.
Chennai Super Kings ICICI Bank Credit Card Quick Overview
| **Card type** | Entry-level lifestyle card |
|---|---|
| **Best for** | Light spenders wanting a cheap card |
| **Joining / renewal fee** | ₹500 + GST, same on renewal — renewal waived at ₹1.5 lakh of annual spend |
| **Network** | Visa, Mastercard |
| **Base reward rate** | **0.5%** |
| **Top reward rate** | **2.5%** — CSK official merchandise and ticketing |
| **Reward currency** | ICICI Bank Reward Points, valued at ₹0.25 each |
| **Lounge access** | 1 domestic visit per quarter (4 a year) |
| **Forex markup** | 3.5% |
Reward Structure: How You Earn
ICICI does not publish what a Reward Point is worth — not in its Most Important Terms, not in the card terms, not on its own rewards page. This review uses ₹0.25, the third-party consensus for statement-credit and catalogue redemption, so every percentage below rests on a figure the bank will not state.
2 Reward Points per ₹100 on retail spends — about 0.5%. 1 per ₹100 on utility and insurance.
From 15 January 2026 fuel and e-wallet loads earn nothing on ICICI cards, and new fees arrived the same day: 1% on wallet loads of ₹5,000 or more, 2% on skill-based gaming, 1% on transportation above ₹50,000, and ₹3,500 one-time for every new add-on card.
| Spend | Effective rate |
|---|---|
| CSK official merchandise and ticketing | **2.5%** |
| Everything else | 0.5% |
| Fuel, rent, wallet loads, government, gaming | **0%** |
The caps that actually bind
Headline rates mean little until you know where they stop. These are the limits on this card:
| Cap | Limit |
|---|---|
| Utility | 40,000 points per calendar month |
| Insurance | 40,000 points per calendar month |
| Grocery | 20,000 points per calendar month |
| Transport | 10,000 points per calendar month |
From 1 February 2026 rewards are capped by a SPEND ceiling, not a points ceiling — past the ceiling a capped category earns nothing more that cycle. On this card's tier: ₹40,000 of utility, ₹40,000 of insurance, ₹20,000 of grocery and ₹10,000 of transportation per statement cycle.
The 10X band is tied to CSK's own channels, not to sports retail generally. No merchant id for CSK exists in the merchant master used here, so the accelerated rate cannot fire in any structured comparison — expect tools to show this card at its 0.5% base rate and understate it for a fan.
The BookMyShow buy-one-get-one is now spend-gated at ₹25,000 in the previous calendar quarter, where it used to be unconditional.
Category Restrictions: Where You Won't Earn
- Where you earn nothing: Earns nothing at all: fuel (MCC 1361, 3851, 5172, 5541, 5542, 5555, 5983, 9752 — the Parakram cards are exempt); e-wallet loads (MCC 6540 — the Amazon Pay card is exempt); cash advances; and, on the premium metal cards, government services, rent, tax payments and property management. Both fuel and wallet exclusions took effect on 15 January 2026.
- Point expiry: Reward Points are valid for 36 months from the date of accrual. Points LAPSE ENTIRELY on card cancellation, and a redemption handling fee of ₹99 plus GST applies to each redemption request.
- Redemption fee: ₹99 per redemption.
- Utility cap: ₹40,000 of utility spend per statement cycle qualifies for Reward Points, w.e.f. 1 February 2026. This is a SPEND ceiling, not a points ceiling — spend beyond it in this category earns NOTHING more that cycle, rather than dropping to a lower rate. ICICI sets the ceiling by card tier; this card is on the mid tier.
- Insurance cap: ₹40,000 of insurance spend per statement cycle qualifies for Reward Points, w.e.f. 1 February 2026. This is a SPEND ceiling, not a points ceiling — spend beyond it in this category earns NOTHING more that cycle, rather than dropping to a lower rate. ICICI sets the ceiling by card tier; this card is on the mid tier.
- Grocery cap: ₹20,000 of grocery and departmental store spend per statement cycle qualifies for Reward Points, w.e.f. 1 February 2026. This is a SPEND ceiling, not a points ceiling — spend beyond it in this category earns NOTHING more that cycle, rather than dropping to a lower rate. ICICI sets the ceiling by card tier; this card is on the mid tier.
- Transport cap: ₹10,000 of transportation spend per statement cycle qualifies for Reward Points, w.e.f. 1 February 2026. This is a SPEND ceiling, not a points ceiling — spend beyond it in this category earns NOTHING more that cycle, rather than dropping to a lower rate. ICICI sets the ceiling by card tier; this card is on the mid tier.
Fees and Charges
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Joining fee | ₹500 + GST |
| Renewal fee | ₹500 + GST |
| Finance charges | 3.75% per month (45% per annum) on extended credit and cash advances. |
| Interest-free period | Up to 48 days from the date of purchase, only when the previous balance is paid in full. |
| Minimum amount due | 5% of the total amount due, subject to a minimum of ₹100, plus any EMI, fees, charges and over-limit amount. |
| Cash advance fee | 2.5% of the amount withdrawn, subject to a minimum of ₹500. |
| Cash advance interest | 3.75% per month (45% per annum), charged from the date of withdrawal with no interest-free period. |
| Forex markup | 3.5% of the transaction amount. |
| Dynamic currency conversion | 1% of the transaction amount, applied to transactions billed in Indian rupees at international locations or at merchants in India registered abroad. |
| Late payment | Graduated by total amount due: nil up to ₹100; ₹100 for ₹101–₹500; ₹500 for ₹501–₹5,000; ₹750 for ₹5,001–₹10,000; ₹900 for ₹10,001–₹25,000; ₹1,000 for ₹25,001–₹50,000; ₹1,200 above ₹50,000. Revised 15 November 2024. |
| Overlimit | 2.5% of the over-limit amount, subject to a minimum of ₹500. |
| Payment return | 2% of the total amount due, minimum ₹500, for a returned cheque or a failed auto-debit. An additional ₹50 plus GST is debited. |
| Rent payment | 1% of the transaction amount on rent payments (MCC 6513), w.e.f. 15 November 2024. |
| Wallet load | 1% of the transaction amount on wallet loads of ₹5,000 or more (MCC 6540), w.e.f. 15 January 2026. |
| Utility payments | 1% of the transaction amount on utility payments exceeding ₹50,000 (MCC 4899, 4900, 4901, 4814, 4821), w.e.f. 15 November 2024. |
| Education payments | 1% of the transaction amount on education payments made through third-party apps, w.e.f. 15 November 2024. Paying an institution directly is exempt. |
| Fuel transactions | 1% of the transaction amount on fuel transactions exceeding ₹10,000, w.e.f. 15 November 2024. |
| Online skill-based gaming | 2% of the transaction amount on skill-based gaming transactions (MCC 5816), w.e.f. 15 January 2026. |
| Card replacement | ₹100 per replacement card. |
| Add-on card | ₹3,500 one-time for each new add-on card issued on or after 15 January 2026. Add-on cards issued before that date carry no fee. |
| Reward redemption | ₹99 plus GST per redemption request under the ICICI Bank Rewards scheme and for Mine Cash statement-credit redemptions; ₹25 for catalogue-based redemptions. |
| EMI processing | 2.99% of the transaction amount, capped at ₹299 plus 18% GST, on all Instant EMI transactions w.e.f. 1 September 2025. |
| GST | 18% on all fees, interest and charges. |
Is the Chennai Super Kings ICICI Bank Credit Card Worth It?
Hold it if you buy CSK merchandise and match tickets. 2.5% on those is real, and the ₹500 fee is waived at ₹1.5 lakh.
Otherwise it is the Coral card with a badge. Everyday economics are identical: 0.5%, one lounge visit a quarter, the same February 2026 caps.
Milestone and welcome benefits are released only after the fee has actually been paid — a waived fee forfeits them. Rent, government and education spends count toward neither the fee waiver nor the milestones.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Chennai Super Kings ICICI Bank Credit Card earn rate? 2 Reward Points per ₹100 on retail spends and 1 per ₹100 on utility and insurance — about 0.5% and 0.25% at the ₹0.25 working valuation.
What is an ICICI Reward Point worth? ICICI publishes no rate. ₹0.25 is the third-party consensus used here.
What earns the 10X rate? Official Chennai Super Kings merchandise and ticketing — 10 Reward Points per ₹100, about 2.5% at the ₹0.25 working valuation.
What are the February 2026 caps? Spend ceilings per statement cycle: ₹40,000 of utility, ₹40,000 of insurance, ₹20,000 of grocery and ₹10,000 of transportation. Past the ceiling those categories earn nothing.
Is there a fee waiver? Yes, at ₹150,000 of annual spend — excluding rent, government and education.
Cards Mentioned in This Article
