Introduction:
If you are a resident of Thane or if you plan on visiting the city then you might want to consider carrying a credit card instead of hard currency. Carrying cash can be a worrisome business since there would be always that gnawing doubt at the back of your mind regarding whether you have the money necessary to pay the expenses of the transaction or not. There is also the risk of losing all of your money and being stranded in a situation that would involve a lot of complication and it could be even dangerous to even find yourself in such a scenario.
Importance and Working of Credit Cards:
Fortunately, credit cards avert such unfortunate inconveniences by bypassing the very need to carry around hard currency. Basically, credit cards are plastic cards that contain a microchip that is digitally connected to your bank account. Whenever you make a transaction the bank is notified of it and they credit your account with the amount with which you have made the purchase. This is essentially a loan that the bank gives to you and you need to pay back the loaned amount (along with interest) within a particular period of time.
ICICI Bank, the Pioneers:
ICICI Bank in the case of credit cards is a veritable pioneer. While credit cards have had existed in India, their eventual popularity among the growing middle class of the country, especially after the deregulation and liberalization of the Indian economy in 1990-91, was the result of ICICI progressively advertising credit cards and raising the awareness of customers regarding their benefits and utilities. Therefore, the large trust and prestige that credit cards enjoy rests largely upon the work of ICICI. If you possess a credit card that has been issued by ICICI Bank, you can consider yourself to very lucky.
ICICI Bank Credit Cards Used for Travel:
If we take a closer look at the ICICI Bank credit cards that pertain to the need of Travel, we would note that they have put their rich experiences to good use. There are three sub-categories of cards that can be construed to be Travel credit cards, namely, the Jet Airways ICICI Bank Credit card, the HPCL Fuel Credit Card and the Unifare Metro Credit Card. The first is a co-brand credit card as a result of a deal with Jet Airways, which gives some cool benefits and amazing Travel on flight bookings made with Jet Airways. The second, as the name suggests, is more of a fuel credit card rather than a Travel credit card in the strict sense, but aids in curbing down on Travel expenses by drastically reducing costs spent on fuel by its institution of a fuel surcharge waiver program. The third card can said to be the most unique among the three and it is a testament to the conceptual and technological innovation brought forth by ICICI Bank; this card contains a chip that not only is usable for performing transactions but can also be used as a smartcard while commuting by metro. Thus, the Unifare card can function as two cards combined into one.
Travel with Comfort:
Now that you know the various Travel credit cards being offered by ICICI and now that you have finalized your Travel plans, we earnestly hope that you can make the most out of it. With ICICI Bank credit cards in your possession, you can now go to any place you want and enjoy the experiences of the places you visit and be in a position to make merry without any kind of stress or worry disturbing your mirth.
Best ICICI Bank Travel credit cards in Thane
| Different Types of Credit Cards and Types | Joining Fee | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|
| ICICI Bank™ Coral Credit Card | 500 | 500.00 |
| ICICI Bank™ Rubyx Credit Card | 3000 | 2000.00 |
Chqbook Review
The ICICI Bank's Coral Credit Card comes in cheap – at just a Rs. 500 annual fee, you can actually get this back in the first month itself by going for the 1+1 movie offer from BookMyShow™. Not only that, we also like that you can get your points converted to credit into your statement and the free quarterly visit to Domestic Airports and Railway Lounges are an added plus. Go for this card if you like Movies, travel once in a while and like earning points which actually translate to money.
PROS
- We love the 1+1 movie offer from bookmyshow™. It also helps that you can book tickets any day of the week.
- For someone who travels once in a while, the free access to domestic airport lounges with the ICICI Bank Coral Credit Card is a great plus. Also, its one of the few cards to throw in free access at Railway lounges too once in a quarter
- You can redeem your Payback™ points in cash which gets credited to your card account. With each Payback™ point worth ₹0.25, you are going to want to count each point!
- Mark all the HPCL petrol pumps on your map – the ICICI Bank Coral Credit Card allows you to get a 1% fuel surcharge waiver on all fuel transactions below ₹4000. Just make sure the card is swiped on an ICICI Bank swipe machine.
CONS
- The 1+1 movie offer from bookmyshow is on a first come first serve basis. If the quota for the day gets over, it can get frustrating.
Chqbook Review
The ICICI Bank™ Rubyx Credit Card stands out for the benefits it gives for the fee it charges. From the get go, you get Welcome vouchers worth ₹5000 upon joining. Apart from that, the free movie tickets of upto ₹300 are an added bonus – this adds up to ₹7200 per year of savings, which itself is more than the annual fees. Ofcourse, this is just the start and the list of rewards is indeed long. Go for this credit card if you love shopping, movies and are looking for value for money.
PROS
- The ICICI Bank Rubyx Credit Card gives you Payback™ points – and they are redeemable for statement credit – a feature we absolutely love
- Another great thing is that each Payback™ point is worth ₹0.25 – which means you know exactly how much you can redeem them for at any point.
- Movie tickets – Free! – get 2 movie tickets each month worth ₹300 per ticket when you buy one ticket and you get the next one as part of this offer. You have to buy the ticket from bookmyshow™
- You save 15% every time you dine at a Culinary Treat participating restaurant. To find the participating restaurants, you can download the app or look up your favourite restaurants on the culinarytreats website.
- 1% fuel surcharge waived off on fuel transactions at any fuel outlet.
- Get 2 complimentary rounds/ lessons of golf every calendar month2 if the total retail spends on your card is equal to or more than ₹50,000 in the previous calendar month.
CONS
- One drawback we noticed is that if you are frequent traveller, 2 free visits to a Domestic Airport lounge may not be enough
- Start playing Golf! – it's a high point for the credit card, but if you are not a golfer, this feature might be lost on you2
