ICICI Bank British Airways Classic Credit Card – Benefits, Fees & Eligibility

ICICI Bank British Airways Classic Credit Card

The ICICI Bank British Airways Classic Credit Card is a co-branded credit card issued by ICICI Bank in collaboration with British Airways, designed to offer exclusive travel benefits to its customers. The card is available in two variants, MasterCard and American Express, providing the advantages of two card networks with a single account. This card rewards users in the form of Avios, which can be redeemed for hotel bookings, flight bookings, car rentals, and various other travel and lifestyle-related expenses. Cardholders can earn up to 4 Avios on every regular spend of Rs. 100 and up to 5 Avios on every Rs. 100 spent on British Airways flight bookings after reaching a minimum monthly spend of Rs. 225,000.

Welcome Benefits

• Receive a welcome bonus of 3,500 Avios upon card activation.
• Earn an additional 25,000 Avios when booking a British Airways return flight from India to England within the first three months of card activation. This allows for a total earning of up to 28,500 Avios in the first three months.

Fees

• Joining Fee: NIL
• Renewal Fee: Rs. 3,500 + GST
• Spend-Based Waiver: The renewal fee for this card cannot be waived off.
• Rewards Redemption Fee: Rs. 99 per redemption request.
• Foreign Currency Markup: 3.5%
• Interest Rates: 3.40% per month
• Fuel Surcharge: 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all HPCL fuel stations for transactions up to Rs. 4,000.
• Cash Advance Charges: 2.5% of the amount withdrawn or a minimum of Rs. 300.

Rewards

• Rewards Rate (American Express Variant):
  • Earn 2 Avios on every Rs. 100 spent on regular retail spends.
  • Earn 2.5 Avios on every Rs. 100 spent on British Airways flight bookings and in-flight shopping.
  • Accelerated Earnings (after spending Rs. 2.25 lakhs in a month):
    • Earn 4 Avios on every Rs. 100 spent on regular retail spends.
    • Earn 5 Avios on every Rs. 100 spent on British Airways flight bookings and in-flight shopping.
• Rewards Rate (MasterCard Variant):
  • Earn 0.5 Avios on every Rs. 100 spent on the ICICI Bank British Airways Classic Mastercard Credit Card.
  • No accelerated Avios are earned on British Airways flight bookings with the Mastercard variant.
• Fuel Benefits:
  • Enjoy a 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all HPCL fuel stations for transactions up to Rs. 4,000.

Rewards Redemption Guide

• Avios earned can be redeemed against flight bookings, hotel bookings, and car rentals on the official British Airways website.
• You can use your earned Avios for partial payments of British Airways flight tickets and other travel-related spends.
• Example Avios required for one-way flight bookings:
  • Paris: 29,500 Avios
  • New York: 45,000 Avios
  • London: 25,000 Avios
  • Sao Paulo: 55,000 Avios
  • Rome: 32,500 Avios

Card Review

The ICICI Bank British Airways Classic Credit Card is primarily suited for frequent travelers, particularly those who regularly fly with British Airways. It offers attractive welcome benefits, including up to 28,500 Avios within the first three months, which is sufficient to book a one-way flight to London. The card provides a good opportunity to earn a high number of Avios, especially with the American Express variant and higher spending, with up to 5 Avios per Rs. 100 spent. These Avios are highly flexible for travel-related redemptions on British Airways. While the card offers significant travel savings, potential applicants should consider the non-waivable renewal fee and the Rs. 99 redemption fee. Overall, for loyal British Airways customers and frequent international flyers, this card offers substantial value through its reward structure.

Important Product Details

• Enjoy the benefits of two card networks (MasterCard & American Express) with a single account.
• Welcome bonus of 3,500 Avios.
• Opportunity to earn an additional 25,000 Avios by booking a British Airways flight within the first three months.
• Earn up to 2 Avios on every regular spend of Rs. 100 (Amex variant base rate).
• Earn up to 2.5 Avios on British Airways tickets and in-flight shopping spend of Rs. 100 (Amex variant base rate).
• High earning potential of up to 4 Avios on regular spends and 5 Avios on British Airways spends for the Amex variant after spending Rs. 2.25 lakhs in a month.
• Redeem earned Avios against flight, hotel bookings, and car rentals.
• Includes a 1% fuel surcharge waiver at HPCL fuel stations for transactions up to Rs. 4,000.
• The card has a renewal fee of Rs. 3,500 + GST, which cannot be waived.
• A rewards redemption fee of Rs. 99 applies per request.
• A foreign currency markup of 3.5% is charged.
• Best suited for travel, specifically for British Airways flyers.

Other Details

• The card is available in both MasterCard and American Express variants.