Swapping Your Jet Airways Credit Cards with Amex & ICICI

By | June 14, 2019

As Jet Airways is out of Business, as the ability to redeem JPMiles post Jet airways shutdown for better value is getting tougher and also as I’ve good amount of JPMiles already, I decided to stop accumulating JPMiles going forward.

So I had to swap my Jet Airways Credit Cards for better ones across multiple issuers. Here are my experiences in doing so,

Swapping Amex Jet Card

Amex has a dedicated team to handle the Jet cards issue and when you ask for a different valiant, you’ll be given options as available at that point of time.

For now, you can get Plat Travel or Plat Reserve card for free as a Companion card. Some even got discounted rate of Rs.35,000+GST for Plat Charge Card with 30k Taj Vouchers.

Now the problem I had was that I have hit the max cards limit by Amex which is: 2 Credit Cards & 1 Charge Card. So when I requested for Plat Reserve as companion card, they took the request but was later rejected.

Even after 10+ calls, Amex team was not good at handling cases like mine, so I ended up escalating it, after which I was said that I need to close my Jet card and apply Reserve separately.

But as I already applied for Reserve few months back (and got denied for same reason), I can’t apply now. So Amex was able to close my Jet card & re-process the previous Reserve application.

And good news is that as Jet was few months away from renewal, they refunded the fee on Jet card pro-rate basis. Saved about Rs.1,400 there.

So finally, now I have the Amex Reserve!

If you ask why reserve? Well, no specific reason. I get 11K Points+ Rs.6K Amazon Vouchers for Supp. Cards. If I maximize my Amex Points, that’s the value of Rs.11,500 on paying Rs.5,000+GST, so why miss it? 🙂

Update: I was later said that the card has been setup as a Lifetime Free Variant 🙂

Swapping ICICI Jet Card

As you may know, I’ve been using ICICI Jet Sapphiro for quite sometime and had accumulated good # of JPMiles in the last 2X JPMiles promo. Yet, as the renewal came, I decided to close it. Yes, the Dreamfolks Dragonpass benefit was quite useful but I never used the base fare waived Jet ticket ever.

Before closing jet Sapphiro, I requested for Emeralde Card. They took the details and said to callback in sometime. It took more than two weeks and by then I decided to go for the beautiful ICICI Coral Amex credit card.

So I got the Coral Amex in hand and then closed the Jet Saphirro. The following week, I got the call for Emeralde and I opted for it as well. So now I’ve both Emeralde Amex & Coral Amex, apart from the Amazon Pay credit card.

Note: While applying for new cards, my requests kept failing with weird reasons. Happened with both Coral & Emeralde and I had to request again. It looks like ICICI has some tech issues.

Bottomline

As long as you’ve the ability to redeem JPMiles on Etihad, its okay to hold on to Jet cards even now. But if you think its not your cup of tea, its better to move out of the Jet Privilege system and pick other cards that might suit you.

Have you swapped any of your Jet Cards? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below.

77 thoughts on “Swapping Your Jet Airways Credit Cards with Amex & ICICI

  1. Shail J

    Just wanted to know if your jet sapphiro was a paid card. And how about emerald?

    Reply
  2. Raj kumar

    Sid,

    When did you got 2x points for this offer?
    I haven’t received it yet.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Its an old offer. Dates mentioned in the link.

      Reply
    2. Ameya

      Same here. Didn’t receive the 2X miles for the December 2018 offer.

      Reply
      1. Siddharth Post author

        I see it credited on 19th March with description “Jet Airways ICICI Bank Domestic spends bonus on Sapphiro AMEX/VISA”

        Reply
        1. Raj kumar

          Wow, congrats.
          I didn’t receive it. Let me reach out to ICICI for it.

          Reply
  3. Amit G

    Hi Sid, any minimum limit requirement to swap your ICICI jet with Emarald one ? Mine is due for renewal next month have a limit of 2.5L

    Reply
  4. Maj Shetty

    I hold the jet sapphiro,both variants and just got it in Feb…have the ICICI Amazon pay card as well…now wondering to swap with which card…confused..any suggestions..

    Reply
  5. Ajai

    I tried for the Emarald twice now and its not going well at all. My current card has 5.90lac limit but icici does not take my high ITR as basis for credit upgrade. ICICI also said no to my Regalias high limit “7.5lac”.

    I hold three cards from ICICI including amazon one but still get treated such way even after holding sapporo, hpcl corol and amazon card.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Did they take the request? If so what was the reason for rejection?

      Reply
      1. Ajai

        They took the request twice but the reason why it was reject was not clear. Once they said it was because of my 5.90lac limit on my currect ICICI CC but the required limit is 8lac. To get higher limit in my current CC I had submited my ITR @ 3x which they did not care about and the limit stayed the same.

        Next I tried to get the card based only on my ITR after canceling sapporo but still got no response after my application was accepted. In fact its still pending even after weeks and weeks of waiting.

        Just a terrible show compared to HDFC and AXIS

        Reply
    2. Rohan Desai

      My emrald upgrade was quick , Just sent them my ITR and they called me and confirmed that it was done. Card has been Dispatched.

      Coverted from Jet airways Saphiro to Emralde on Sid’s Suggestions. I am tempted by the unlimited SPA + Dragonpass+ Unlimited WIFI honestly.

      Although they only issue 1 variant, I went ahead with the Amex one as it comes with the birthday surprise and the 5K voucher on 2 lac spend.

      Reply
  6. Ram

    I’m trying to switch to infinia from jet signature hdfc, but hdfc Bank is very poor in handling queries. Please suggest your perspective

    Reply
    1. Dilip Israni

      Well, if you have 10 lacs credit limit on your existing Card and you are the user of the Card for more than 1 year, upgrade offer in Net Banking itself should pop up. My Upgrade happened like that from Regalia First to Infinia.

      Reply
  7. Jatin jain

    Yes, plat charge is available for 35k + GST along with 30jnTaj vouchers. Do you guys think it makes sense?

    Reply
    1. VK

      Jatin, The online fee still shows as 60k+GST with 1Lakh points or 40k Taj vouchers. Where can we get this offer mentioned by you.

      Reply
  8. Kunal Agrawal

    Hi, Any suggestions for how to handle the HDFC Diners Jet card? I spoke to customer care they said there is no system to swap or upgrade, will have to close this card and apply separately as a fresh application for another card, but I’m not convinced this is the only way. Was deciding between HDFC Diners Black and HDFC Infinia. Any suggestions on that too? Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Dilip Israni

      I prefer Infinia as Priority Passes of Primary as well as Add-on Cardholders have Unlimited Lounge Access to Indian as well as International Airports’ Domestic as well as International Departures. Including so many Golf Privileges too for Primary Cardholder if interested.

      Reply
    2. Subhash agarwal

      You have to surrender and apply a fresh. No guarantee to get new card.
      They are funny.

      Reply
  9. Nihar

    Hi Siddharth can you share your strategy for the JP miles accumulated. I also hold Jet Sapphiro & HDFC Visa signature but want to get out of them for obvious reasons .

    Reply
  10. Shubhendu

    Hi,

    I have HDFC Diners Premium and SCB Ultimate. I was looking for another card. Can you suggest something

    Reply
  11. Vikram

    Lucky you. I lost a huge deal of points on my Kingfisher First Credit Card when Kingfisher shutdown. They didn’t offer any such alternatives back then.

    Reply
  12. Ankit Malhotra

    Is the unlimited Lounge Access available for Add-On card holders as well on Emeralde.

    Reply
  13. Mohit Joshi

    Sid, I can confirm on the discounted rate for Plat Charge Card. I just called the Amex customer care team & they are offering a fee of Rs. 35k plus GST in lieu of my Jet card (which I got couple of months back only).Kindly advise if this is a good bargain? Thanks

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Thanks. Yes, its a good deal as it also comes with 30k Taj Vouchers.

      Reply
      1. Subhash agarwal

        But totally you are paying Rs.41000 .
        you get 30000 taj voucher.
        . How to recover 11000?

        Reply
        1. Siddharth Post author

          Go through the review, it has it all.
          If you still can’t find the way, then it means its not the card for you.

          Reply
  14. Tejaa

    @SID how are you applying for new ICICI cards so smoothly? On call or through email?

    Last time I placed request for coral amex card on call while already holding the coral visa. They just took the request but later closed the service request saying I already hold a coral card.

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      They maynot issue Visa & Amex on Coral. That aside, I’m sure the article says it wasn’t that smooth.

      Reply
  15. Rakesh

    Hi Sid,
    Being big fan of you… Following cardexpert has become my daily routine these day 🙂

    Just had one query.. while upgrading your Jet Sapphiro cards.. did they charge additional fee for Emerald card ? As there is obvious fee difference ! And specific min limit were they asking to have on Jet sapphiro ?

    Reply
    1. Siddharth Post author

      Its a separate card altogether with fee.

      Reply
      1. Raj Kumar

        So do we need to file an application for it and provide documents for it?
        Also, will it be seen as we are opening a new credit line in CIBIL?

        Reply
  16. Aditya

    I managed to wrangle a lifetime free ICICI Rubyx Credit Card from them after a long chain of emails with ICICI on how unhappy I was with the Jet Airways fiasco.

    Reply
  17. Ashok

    I have a lifetime free Sapphiro card from ICICI as I have normal account relationship with them and they ran a promo sometime ago. Dont see much benefits of the card though – other than its convenient as it comes with both Amex and Visa and is available on my ICICI Mobile App with automatic payment. I dont really place much value on the Payback thingy.

    Reply
  18. Chandrasekhar Adusumalli

    Hi Siddharth, I am holding Jet sapphiro amex Visa and MakeMyTrip and amazon credit cards . The total limit however is only 1.75 lakhs. My Jet sapphiro amex and visa and amazon credit cards are free of cost as I am a jet privilege platinum customer and continues to be till the time Jet revives. So is there any suggestion for me to get upgraded to emeralde? I have tried many times speaking to ICICI about my emeralde card. However they say that it is only possible if my card limit is more than 6 lakh rupees

    Reply
  19. Rohit

    I tried to redeem my Jet miles for a Mumbai London Etihad ticket. They take forever to respond, and they have reduced the value drastically. While the number of miles required is the same, the additional charges have gone up from about 15k to 40k now, with the addition of ‘fuel surcharge’. Essentially, Etihad is only waving off the base fare of miles redemption.

    Reply
  20. Aswin

    I had a HDFC JP Platinum. After more than a month of calls and emails to customer service for switching my card and to no avail, A relationship manager swooped in out of nowhere, and got me a conversion to Diners ClubMiles in 24 hours STAT.

    Reply
  21. Amar

    Woohoo – I called up my Wealth Management customer care number today and told the agent to upgrade my Jet ICICI Sapphiro Amex card to Emeralde Amex card. He asked me the reason and I said because Emeralde is a better product, to which he asked “or is it because Jet has shut down” – I said both.
    Surprisingly, he then apologized to me and put me on hold. A minute later, he came back and offered me first year free Emeralde Amex card and I instantly agreed.

    Reply
    1. Nihar

      @ Amar can you share how did you get the Emeralde card first yr free. Was your Jet Sapphiro a paid card or it was free basis the Platinum tier.
      Heard few guys got the normal Amex & Visa Sapphiro FYF & LTF but Emeralde FYF is new !
      Hope to decide on my Jet Sapphire soon .

      Reply
      1. Amar Kedia

        Actually, I just called them up asking to switch the card. I didn’t even bargain. It was the age t only who offered me FYF. And yes, I had Jet Saphhiro as free based on my JP Platinum tier.
        Next year onwards, card will be free if I spend 15 lacs in a year.
        Milestones benefit continue despite the card being free.

        Reply
  22. Manuhar JAin

    @Aswin…. Even I am facing same issue with HDFC. They are not being able to do that from so many days

    Reply
  23. Amar

    Hey Sid – did u receive the dream folks card along with your Emeralde card or even automatically later?
    I didn’t get it with the card today. When I called the customer care they said it will come in 7 days automatically but I am not too sure.

    Reply
  24. lordsom

    I got rid for my Sapphiro Jet Amex and VIsa today. The wealth banking call center was very helpful. I had just placed a simple request of what they could offer since this card holds no meaning anymore.

    They simply suggested a life time free sapphiro (Amex + master). I thought of bargaining an Emeralde…but then decided against it and agreed to the gemstone Sapphiro.

    I will use them only for Bookmyshow (1+1) and subsequent offers if any.

    P.S. BOM CCU tickets are now costing INR 2.5K for the lowest JP mile redemption slot….this is sad!

    Reply
    1. Swapnil

      Do they offered LTF or just first year free ? When I called today they offered me first year free and from second year onward renewal fee waived off only if I spend more than 6L per year.

      Reply
    2. Anshul

      Hi, how did you get it LTF? I hold jet icici sapphiro card (both amex + Visa variant). I called wealth customer care. They were offering makemytrip card and coral card, both of which I am not interested in. Plain sapphiro was offered but at usual fees. Not eligible for upgrade to emeralde as credit limit is less than 6 lacs. What should I do?

      Reply
      1. lordsom

        They offered sapphiro ltf point blank ..didnt have to utter a word further.

        Reply
  25. Anoop E S

    Got the ICICI Emeralde Amex version. Dragon pass on its way. Initially, I thought Emeralde is also a dual card like the other gemstone variants. Thinking about continuing holding the Jet Sapphiro VIsa version as a backup card for lounge access and BMS.

    The fate of Jet Amex is not yet known. Requested for issuing a Platinum reserve card, but it is doubtful as my Amex relationship is just 3 months old. They’ve taken my request based on Jet’s closure but told me about the 6 months criteria.

    Reply
    1. Lordsom

      Jet Sapphiro Visa would not be accepted most lounges due to Visa not being accepted.

      Reply
  26. Amit

    Received 1 SMS today from ICICI to upgrade Credit Limit by sending 1 SMS to 5676766 and within 1 minute, it got approved.

    I checked online and it was showing revised limit. Fastest CC Limit enhancement without paperwork.

    Reply
    1. lordsom

      Same facility is provided by Citibank and Yesbank at the same pace ofcourse

      Reply
      1. Sharathkumar Anbu

        Citibank takes 2 or 3 days to revise the credit limit once you send your consent

        Reply
    1. Praveen

      Finally swapped my Jet Sapphiro Amex to regular Saphhiro Amex and MasterCard.. Jet Rubyx Visa to MMT signature …

      Both are offered as LTF….

      Reply
  27. Shivank

    I also had a lot of JP Miles in my account. I have been now using them for fuel purchase only. Best way to redeem them I found. Plain and simple, no redemption charges, @ 0.25 Rs. per JP Mile.

    Reply
  28. Rohan

    The Amex Emerald card does not work with Paypal well, it throws up a error saying Incorrect CVV

    Reply
    1. Pavan g

      Try entering the middle right four digit numbers on front of card as cvv

      Reply
  29. Rajesh

    I have Indusind Jet Airways Voyage card? Any alternative for it?

    Reply
  30. Anoop E S

    I’m offered LTF Platinum travel credit card as a companion card for Jet card.

    Reply
  31. Ashish Nikhare

    Swapped my ICICI Jet Airways Sapphiro Credit Card with ICICI Sapphiro Credit Card for LTF (Amex+Master). Payback points not actually worth but card still holds value – BMS 1+1 twice every month upto Rs. 500/-, 4/quarter Lounge access with Mastercard, DragonPass benefits (2 International Lounge visits + 2 Spa visits every year), 1 Payback point per Rs. 100 spent on Fuel. If there is still more value, please do comment !

    Reply
    1. Ashish Nikhare

      Immediately after receiving Sapphiro Amex card for LTF, ICICI has rolled out a spend based offer ie. Spend 1000 Rs. 4 times and get 500 Rs. cashback to your card. May be targetted. Also, Payback is running 2X offer on Amazon in this Freedom sale. That means upto 28 Payback points per 100 Rs. spent (Monetary value Rs. 7.5 /-)

      Reply
  32. Amit G

    Today i received my Emerald Card after swap. Was offered Plain Sapphiro LTF, however i insited on Emerald with 2.5 Limit, they insisted for min. 6 L Limit and took my Payslips and enhanced the limit. Also got Plain Sapphiro as LTF, as i may plan to cancel the Emerald after Diwali.

    Reply
  33. Rampy

    I too called them, one morning, to close my ICICI Jet Sapphiro cards, on renewal. The wealth management customer care executive read very efficient & helpful.
    First, he agreed to close out without asking any questions or persuading for any replacement. I slipped in a casual statement that I wanted Emeralde but it wasn’t available due to low credit limit (I had 2.15 on amex & 4 on Visa variant). He checked & told me that I have Emeralde available as upgrade. I asked him to process it.
    Afternoon, that executive called asking me to send the standard SMS for CLE. It was approved instantly, within a min. Emeralde CC was granted.

    After receiving Emeralde Amex, I called up customer care to close Jet Sapphiro. I was told that I can take plain Sapphiro card (or MMT Signature) LTF. I told them that I already received Emeralde as upgrade. They reiterated that I can still take this LTF as these two – upgrade & replacement – are two different things & I can hold both – Emeralde & Sapphiro cards. So, I placed request for LTF Sapphiro too (since, I found it better than MMT Signature), which I am due to receive in a day or two (already issued & shipped).

    Reply
  34. Karun Gupta

    I have the Jet Airways Sapphiro (AMEX+VISA) variants, which I am very happy with. Not much concerned about the JPMiles, as I have plans on redeeming those as well. But today I got an SMS stating I am being offered a LTF Plain Sapphiro card if I have concerns over JPMiles being earned on my JET AIRWAYS cards, to which I had to give a consent thru sms, which I did instantly, but then realized will ICICI replace my JET AIRWAYS cards with the plain variants or will all the versions co-exist ? I gave a call to the ICICI Wealth Mgmnt customer care and the person told me that the Jet Airways variants will also exist! Is it TRUE? Or am I mis-informed about this bit? I want the Jet Airways versions to be valid, coz I earn a good amount of JPMiles on them, which I plan to use soon. Can anyone shed some light onto this?

    Reply
    1. DD

      I also received this offer. The Cust Service person told me that I’ll have to call them to cancel Jet Sapphiro after receiving the plain variant. To me, this seems to be a good deal as I can continue to use the DreamFolks card and the Wealth Management banking status for free (confirmed by the Customer Service). I don’t like the Payback rewards and will continue to use my Diners Black for majority of my spends.

      Reply
    2. Ashish Tulshiram Nikhare

      Please reconsider your opinion in terms of yearly 5000 + GST for Jet Airways card “vs” LTF for Plain Sapphiro.

      Reply
  35. BS

    Hi Sid, decision time for me. I want your suggestion on what I should do with my ICICI JEt Amex / Visa. I traded my HDFC Diners Jet for Infinia. I also hold a Citi Premier miles. Is it not better to cancel ICICI Jet Amex / Visa as I will be looking to maximise domestic (largely travel in India, abroad a couple of trips max per year)?

    Reply

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