From 15 Dec 2026 ICICI ends air accident cover on 7 premium cards and the INOX discount on 9 cards. Card replacement rises to ₹300 + GST from 11 Dec.
ICICI Bank has published a list of credit card changes that take effect on 11 and 15 December 2026. Three things go: the complimentary air accident insurance on seven premium cards, the cancellation cover on four of them, and the INOX movie discount on nine cards. Card replacement also gets dearer, rising from ₹200 to ₹300 plus GST. A ₹300 fee also applies to replacing a Priority Pass, which was free on most of the cards ICICI lists.
We read ICICI's own notice and the insurance documents it links to. Nothing changes on your card today. The insurance and INOX benefits stay until 15 December 2026, and the replacement fees change on 11 December 2026.
Quick Verdict
If you hold Emeralde, Emeralde Private, Emeralde Private Metal, Times Black, Diamant, Sapphiro or Rubyx, your card is losing its free air accident cover on 15 December 2026. That cover was ₹3 crore on most of these cards and ₹1 crore on Rubyx. If you relied on it, buy your own term or travel cover before then. If you hold Coral, Rubyx, Expressions, the CSK card, HPCL Super Saver or one of the MakeMyTrip cards, the INOX movie discount ends on the same day. The BookMyShow discount is not on this list. Nobody needs to close a card over this, but premium cardholders should re-check whether the annual fee still pays for itself.
Change | From | Who it hits |
|---|---|---|
Air accident and related insurance cover discontinued | 15 December 2026 | Emeralde Private Metal, Times Black, Emeralde, Emeralde Private, Diamant, Sapphiro, Rubyx |
Cancellation For Any Reason (CFAR) cover discontinued | 15 December 2026 | Emeralde Private Metal, Times Black, Emeralde, Emeralde Private |
Personal and air accident cover discontinued | 15 December 2026 | Parakram, Parakram Select |
INOX benefit discontinued | 15 December 2026 | Rubyx, Coral, Expressions, Chennai Super Kings, HPCL Super Saver, Emirates Rubyx, MakeMyTrip Platinum, MakeMyTrip Signature, MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Credit Card |
Card replacement fee ₹200 to ₹300 + GST | 11 December 2026 | All personal cards except Emeralde Private Metal, 1838 Reserve and Times Black |
Priority Pass replacement fee nil to ₹300 + GST | 11 December 2026 | Emeralde family, Sapphiro, Times Black, MakeMyTrip Signature and MakeMyTrip cards, Emirates Skywards Emeralde and Sapphiro, Adani One Signature, Parakram Select, Diamant |
What Is the Insurance You Are Losing?
ICICI's insurance document for Rubyx, Sapphiro, Emeralde, Emeralde Metal, Diamant and Times Black lists the cover that comes with these cards today. The biggest item is death due to an air accident.
Cover (current, per ICICI's policy document) | Rubyx | Emeralde Metal, Diamant, Emeralde, Sapphiro, Times Black |
|---|---|---|
Personal accident due to air (death only) | ₹1,00,00,000 | ₹3,00,00,000 |
Purchase protection | Not covered | ₹1,40,000 |
Loss of checked-in baggage | ₹84,000 | ₹84,000 |
Card liability (lost card, skimming, online fraud) | ₹50,000 | ₹50,000 |
Loss of passport and travel documents | ₹35,000 | ₹35,000 |
Delay of checked-in baggage | ₹21,000 | ₹21,000 |
Flight delay | ₹17,500 | ₹17,500 |
ICICI's notice says the "Air Accident and related Insurance Cover" ends. It does not list which of the items above count as "related". The baggage, passport, card liability and purchase protection items sit in the same policy, so they may also stop. ICICI has not said so in the notice, and we have not assumed it either way. If any of these matter to you, ask ICICI in writing which covers continue after 15 December 2026.
On Parakram and Parakram Select, the cover being removed is a ₹2 lakh accidental death cover with a further ₹20 lakh if the death is from an air accident. Our guide to credit card insurance explains how these group covers work and why most of them only pay if your card was active in the 30 to 90 days before the loss.
What Is the INOX Benefit That Ends?
ICICI's card pages describe the INOX benefit as a discount on movie tickets twice a month. On Coral it is 25% off up to ₹100 a ticket. On Rubyx it is 25% off up to ₹150. This benefit had no spend condition, which made it easier to use than the BookMyShow discount. The BookMyShow discount needs ₹25,000 of eligible spend in the previous quarter.
The INOX discount worked out to at most ₹200 a month on Coral and ₹300 a month on Rubyx, if you used both tickets every month. Most people used it less often than that. The BookMyShow benefit is not on ICICI's discontinuation list, so movie discounts continue on these cards only through BookMyShow and only if you meet the spend condition.
How Do the Fee Changes Work?
From 11 December 2026, replacing a lost or damaged ICICI credit card costs ₹300 plus GST, up from ₹200 plus GST. With 18% GST, that is ₹354 instead of ₹236. Three cards are excluded from this line of the notice: Emeralde Private Metal, 1838 Reserve and Times Black. ICICI's most important terms list ₹3,500 as the replacement fee for the Emeralde Private Metal card.
Replacing a Priority Pass card was free on the premium cards ICICI lists. From 11 December 2026 it costs ₹300 plus GST, which comes to ₹354. If you travel with the physical Priority Pass, keep it safe.
ICICI business, corporate and purchase cards have separate changes from 25 November 2026. Their dynamic currency conversion fee moves in line with each card's forex markup, and their card replacement fee also rises to ₹300 plus GST. If you pay in rupees abroad on a business card, read our explainer on forex markup on credit cards.
Who Is Hit Hardest?
Hit hardest
Emeralde, Emeralde Private and Times Black holders, who lose the air cover and the cancellation cover together
Sapphiro holders paying a high annual fee, for whom the ₹3 crore air cover was part of the pitch
Rubyx holders, who lose both the ₹1 crore air cover and the INOX discount
Barely affected
Amazon Pay ICICI cardholders, whose card is not on any of these lists
Coral and MakeMyTrip cardholders who never used INOX
Anyone who already has their own term and travel insurance
What Should You Do Before 15 December 2026?
If you have a flight booked after 15 December 2026, do not count on the card's air accident cover for it.
If the card cover was your only life cover, buy a term plan. A card's air-only cover was never a substitute for one.
Use your remaining INOX discounts before 15 December 2026.
On a premium card, check whether the lounge access, milestone points and fee waiver still justify the fee. Our best ICICI credit card guide and the Sapphiro and Emeralde Private reviews help with that.
Ask ICICI in writing whether purchase protection, baggage cover and card liability cover continue.
FAQs
When does ICICI's air accident insurance on credit cards end?
On 15 December 2026, for Emeralde Private Metal, Times Black, Emeralde, Emeralde Private, Diamant, Sapphiro and Rubyx. The personal and air accident cover on Parakram and Parakram Select ends on the same date.
Which ICICI cards lose the INOX benefit?
Rubyx, Coral, Expressions, Chennai Super Kings, HPCL Super Saver, Emirates Rubyx, MakeMyTrip Platinum, MakeMyTrip Signature and the MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Credit Card. The change applies from 15 December 2026.
Is the BookMyShow offer also ending?
Not under this notice. ICICI's list of changes from 11 and 15 December 2026 does not include the BookMyShow benefit. It still needs ₹25,000 of eligible spend in the previous quarter.
What is ICICI's new card replacement fee?
₹300 plus GST from 11 December 2026, up from ₹200 plus GST. Emeralde Private Metal, 1838 Reserve and Times Black are excluded from this change.
Do I lose purchase protection and baggage cover too?
ICICI's notice says the air accident "and related" cover ends but does not list the related items. Confirm with ICICI before relying on any part of the card's insurance after 15 December 2026.
Official Sources and Editorial Note
ICICI Bank: Insurance cover for Parakram and Parakram Select cardholders (PDF)
ICICI Bank: Coral Credit Card and Rubyx Credit Card pages (INOX benefit as listed on 15 November 2026)
ICICI Bank: Most Important Terms and Conditions, credit cards (last updated 6 November 2026, PDF)
Details are as of 15 November 2026 and can change; check ICICI's current notice before you act. This article is written from official sources and does not rely on third-party wording.
