MakeMyTrip has once again partnered with ICICI Bank to introduce a brand-new travel credit card. This is not the old MMT Platinum or MMT Signature credit cards; it features a completely new design, fresh features, and updated joining and annual charges, replacing those previous options. The card is available in two variants—Mastercard and RuPay. Let’s explore whether the new MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank credit card is worth applying for in this full review.
MakeMyTrip ICICI Credit Card Review: Highlights
ICICI MakeMyTrip Card
- ₹1000 MMT voucher on paying joining fee
- ₹1000 MMT Hotel voucher on renewal
- Complimentary MMTBLACK Gold membership
- 6% cashback on hotel booking
- 3% cashback on flights, cabs, and buses
- 1% on other eligible online and offline spends
- 0.99% forex markup charge
- Joining and Annual Fee: ₹999 + GST
The MakeMyTrip ICICI credit card comes with a joining and annual fee of ₹999. Once approved, cardholders get a MakeMyTrip gift voucher of ₹1000 along with MMTBLACK Gold membership, which offers additional discounts on MakeMyTrip bookings.
The card offers rewards in the form of myCash. You get 6 myCash for every ₹200 spent on hotel bookings with MakeMyTrip (with a value of ₹1 per myCash, translating to a 3% reward rate). You further get 3 myCash for every ₹200 spent on flight, bus, and cab bookings with MakeMyTrip.
Interestingly, cardholders get both variants of the card – one Mastercard and another RuPay – which can be used for UPI payments, allowing you to earn myCash rewards. Here’s more about the card.
MakeMyTrip ICICI Credit Card: Welcome Kit Unboxing
The new ICICI MakeMyTrip credit card doesn’t come in a traditional envelope like other regular ICICI credit cards or previous MakeMyTrip cards. Instead, it comes in a welcome kit box, pictured below.
Inside the ICICI MakeMyTrip welcome kit, you’ll find:
- ICICI MMT Mastercard
- ICICI MMT Rupay card
- Priority Pass membership card
- A cardboard photo frame
- An features and terms & conditions leaflet
MakeMyTrip ICICI Credit Card: Joining Benefits
When you apply for the new MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank credit card and pay the joining fee, you’ll receive a ₹1,000 MakeMyTrip voucher within 45 days of the fee being processed. You can use this voucher to book hotels, trains, cabs, buses, flights, and more on MakeMyTrip.
Upon renewal, you’ll receive another ₹1,000 MakeMyTrip voucher when you pay the renewal fee. This voucher is valid only for hotel bookings on MakeMyTrip.
The credit card also includes a complimentary MMTBLACK Gold membership. This membership allows you to earn additional cashback when booking flights and hotels through MakeMyTrip, along with free room and meal upgrades at select hotels. The membership is valid for 12 months. If you already have an MMTBLACK membership, it will be extended for an additional 12 months.
MakeMyTrip ICICI Credit Card: Reward Rate
You earn 12 myCash for booking hotels with the MakeMyTrip ICICI credit card on the MMT app, and 6 myCash for booking flights, cabs, and buses through the app for every ₹200 spent. Other purchases give you 1% cashback. Here’s the detailed breakdown of the reward rates.
| Spend Type or Category | You Get | Reward Rate (1myCash = ₹1) |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel bookings on MMT | 12 myCash on every ₹200 spent | 6% |
| Flight, cab, and bus bookings on MMT | 6 myCash on every ₹200 spentash | 3% |
| Other eligible online and offline spends | 2 myCash on every ₹200 spent | 1% |
No cashback will be issued for excluded categories, which include rent payments, cash transactions, fuel, gambling, and any other commercial expenses.
MakeMyTrip ICICI Credit Card: Other Benefits
1. Complimentary Lounge Access
The MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank credit card gives 2 complimentary domestic airport lounge access visits each quarter, for a total of 8 per year for the primary card holder. Additionally, it also gives you 1 international lounge access visit per year. Only the primary card holder gets the complimentary airport lounge access perks.
You can check the full list of eligible airports for lounge access here. Unfortunately, there’s no railway lounge access benefit on this card.
2. BOGO Offer on Movie Tickets
When buying a movie ticket through BookMyShow or Inox, you can avail another ticket for free each month. The maximum discount on the second ticket is ₹150. The discount is applicable to both the RuPay and Mastercard variants. If you avail the BOGO offer with the Mastercard this month, you can also avail another BOGO offer using the RuPay variant.
So, if you’re a movie buff, you can save a maximum of ₹3600 per year (₹150 x twice per month using both cards x 12).
3. Low Forex Charge
As a travel-focused credit card, it offers a low forex markup charge of 0.99%. When you spend internationally, either offline or online, you’ll only pay 0.99% + GST on the transaction amount. While there are other low forex cards available in the market, most generally charge you 3.50% + GST.
Additionally, you earn 1% back as myCash for these transactions, so your effective forex markup charge is essentially 0%.
MakeMyTrip ICICI Credit Card: Fees and Charges
As mentioned, the card comes with a joining and annual fee of ₹1178 (including GST). The good thing is you get most of it back with the ₹1000 MMT voucher (if you’re into travel). The annual fee for the next year gets waived off if you spend ₹2.99 lakh in a year.
The card has a monthly interest rate of 3% and an annual interest rate of 36%. There are no reward redemption fees or fuel surcharges. The cash advance charge is set at 2.5%.
Can Existing ICICI Credit Card Holders Apply for This Card?
Yes, if you already have an ICICI credit card, you can still apply for the new MakeMyTrip ICICI card through the MakeMyTrip app. It will usually get pre-approved and share the same limit as your existing ICICI card, as it happened in my case. The card was instantly approved with its limit shared from my other cards.
Should You Get the MakeMyTrip ICICI Credit Card?
The MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank credit card is a versatile travel card that offers benefits such as MMTBLACK Gold membership and additional discounts on hotel, flight, cab, and bus bookings. You also receive 8 domestic airport lounge accesses and 1 international visit.
The card features a low forex markup charge of 0.99%. However, the discount benefits apply only on the MakeMyTrip platform, and there’s a fair chance that your hotel, flight, or cab may be cheaper on other platforms. Additionally, lounge benefits are valid only for the primary cardholder.
That said, if you conduct a cost-benefit analysis, there’s no harm in getting this credit card. You pay ₹1000 + GST and receive ₹1000 back in the form of an MMT voucher. The reward system is favorable for MakeMyTrip bookings, while other purchases earn you 1% cashback, albeit as myCash rather than direct cash.
Overall, it’s a solid credit card if you frequently plan your travel and book through MakeMyTrip. In fact, it offers better benefits than the earlier ICICI MMT offerings. I’d rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
I’m a bit of a credit card geek. Ever since I got my first card in 2018, I’ve been obsessed with finding the best deals, earning rewards, and boosting my credit score. I’m a tech guy at heart, but my love for all things personal finance has led me down this credit card rabbit hole. I also dabble in banking, investing, and other money matters.