I’ve never been the kind of person who gets excited about banks — until recently. My journey with Citi began back in 2014 when I opened my first salary account. For nearly a decade, Citi served me well. Smooth digital experience, courteous customer care, minimal branch visits, and most importantly — no aggressive selling of loans, insurance, or FDs. I even had an overdraft limit that quietly scaled from ₹50K to ₹5L over time, which I barely used, but appreciated as an emergency backup.
But when Citi announced its retail exit in India, it left many of us at a crossroads. The idea of transitioning to Axis (the chosen successor for Citi’s retail operations) didn’t appeal to me — I’d heard one too many mixed reviews. So, I made a clean break and decided to move my salary account to ICICI Bank in July 2023.
And honestly? I didn’t expect to be this impressed.
Back then, I had an ICICI Amazon Pay card with a decent limit (₹3.4L) — which, in hindsight, I regret closing in pursuit of shinier cards like Sapphiro and Infinia.
What followed was a stream of pre-approved offers. Within the first three months:
By August 2024, those numbers had only grown:
Now, as of the latest updates:
Even when I applied for an EPM card via a Tier-2 branch route and got declined, the process via the corporate route turned it around in just 2 days.
ICICI has, without a doubt, exceeded my expectations. It’s modern, responsive and offers a breadth of services without the usual friction. While it may not always be in the spotlight like HDFC or SBI, ICICI Bank deserves far more credit for its digital-first, customer-friendly approach.
This shout-out is well earned.
But when Citi announced its retail exit in India, it left many of us at a crossroads. The idea of transitioning to Axis (the chosen successor for Citi’s retail operations) didn’t appeal to me — I’d heard one too many mixed reviews. So, I made a clean break and decided to move my salary account to ICICI Bank in July 2023.
And honestly? I didn’t expect to be this impressed.
A Quiet Start, A Solid Upgrade
I had already opened a basic ₹10K MAB ICICI account in 2022 but hadn’t done much with it. When I updated it to a salary account, things took a turn for the better. Almost immediately after my first salary credit, I was upgraded to a Wealth Management account with zero balance requirements. That alone was a nice surprise.Back then, I had an ICICI Amazon Pay card with a decent limit (₹3.4L) — which, in hindsight, I regret closing in pursuit of shinier cards like Sapphiro and Infinia.
The Pre-Approved Avalanche
What followed was a stream of pre-approved offers. Within the first three months:
- Home Loan: ₹1.19 Cr
- Insta Flexi Cash (OD): ₹10.1L
- Car Loan: ₹50L
- Pay Later: ₹1L
- 2-Wheeler Loan: ₹3.5L
By August 2024, those numbers had only grown:
- Home Loan enhanced to ₹1.60 Cr
- Personal Loan: ₹18.1L
- Loan Against Property: ₹1.21 Cr
- Education Loan: ₹30L
- and several others including Consumer EMI and Commercial Property Loans.
Now, as of the latest updates:
- Home Loan is pre-approved at ₹1.91 Cr
- Flexi Cash OD back up to ₹20L (after briefly dropping to ₹5L post LTF Sapphiro card with a ₹9L limit)
- Personal Loan: ₹38L
- and other high-ticket offers continuing to reflect solid internal credit health
No Spam, No Pressure — Just Options
Here’s what stood out to me: not once did ICICI cold-call me to push a product. Every offer sat quietly in the app, available if I needed it — but never forced. That kind of silent efficiency matters.Even when I applied for an EPM card via a Tier-2 branch route and got declined, the process via the corporate route turned it around in just 2 days.
My Take
ICICI has, without a doubt, exceeded my expectations. It’s modern, responsive and offers a breadth of services without the usual friction. While it may not always be in the spotlight like HDFC or SBI, ICICI Bank deserves far more credit for its digital-first, customer-friendly approach.
This shout-out is well earned.
