ICICI Bank has announced a major revision in its debit card fee structure, including a steep increase in Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) charges, with the revised rates set to take effect from June 21, 2026.
Key Highlights
- ICICI Bank raised DCC transaction charges to 3.5% for international and foreign-registered merchant payments.
- Annual fees across multiple ICICI debit cards revised, effective from June 21, 2026 billing cycle.
The change will apply to the customers who are transacting internationally using select ICICI Bank debit cards and cross border transactions, reflecting in their statements from the 2026 June billing cycle onwards.
The biggest change is in DCC transaction charges, which will rise sharply from the current 1% of the transaction amount to 3.50%. Dynamic Currency Converter fees apply if the customer makes a transaction in Indian currency on foreign merchant outlets, or vice versa, a foreign merchant (as defined above) makes a transaction in Indian currency.
The revision follows banks pressuring to revise fee structures as costs for payment processing continue to climb, servicing fees on foreign exchange payments are increasing and debit card usage continues to change.
ICICI Bank Increases DCC Charges Significantly
Under the revised structure, customers making DCC-enabled transactions will now pay 3.5% of the transaction value, compared with the earlier 1%.
This will likely have a significant impact on those who regularly order from foreign websites, travel abroad or do business with foreign registered digital merchants.
When making a transaction abroad, financial experts usually advise consumers to carefully study the DCC options as they might lead to a higher overall cost in comparison to a direct foreign currency settlement carried out by card networks.
Also Read: ICICI Bank Clears Rs 3,945 Crore Fundraise via Tier-2 Bonds
Annual Debit Card Fees Revised Across Product Portfolio
ICICI Bank also hiked annual maintenance fees for some of its top and mid-level debit cards. Coral Plus Debit Card, earlier having a monthly fee of Rs 249, will now come with an annual fee of Rs 2,499.
Annual fees for the following cards will increase from Rs 699 to Rs 749:
- Coral Paywave Debit Card
- Coral Chip Debit Card
- Coral MasterCard Debit Card
- RuPay Coral Debit Card
Annual fees for these cards will rise from Rs 599 to Rs 749:
- Paywave Expressions Debit Card
- Expressions Paywave Debit Card
- Expressions MasterCard Debit Card
- NRE Expressions Debit Card
Charges for premium Rubyx debit cards will increase from Rs 1,099 to Rs 1,299, including:
- Rubyx Debit Card
- Rubyx MasterCard Debit Card
- RuPay Rubyx Debit Card
The Expressions Coral card series will also see annual charges rise from Rs 899 to Rs 1,299.
Meanwhile, Sapphiro debit card variants will move from ₹1,999 to ₹2,499 annually.
In a notable exception, the Expressions Sapphiro Debit Card will see its annual fee reduced significantly from ₹4,999 to ₹2,499.
What Customers Should Do
ICICI Bank customers are advised to review their debit card variant and usage patterns before the revised pricing takes effect.
However, customers that often make international transactions should evaluate how much this additional DCC fee will cost them, and those with premium debit cards should check annual maintenance fees to see if the card's value outweighs the new charges.
The adjustments are in line with the overall trend of India's banking industry, as banks begin to tailor their fee policies to suit the growth of digital payments, changing customer habits, and profitability concerns.
The new structure is expected to come into effect from June 21, 2026, with affected customers alerted to the changes via formal communication via official bank channels.
