In-depth review
Federal Bank Celesta Credit Card
Federal's top own-branded card is now lifetime free — the ₹3,000 fee in the Schedule of Charges binds only pre-April-2023 holders. What you get for nothing is a 2% forex markup and two international lounge visits a year with no spend gate. What you don't get is rewards: a 0.25% base, a ₹99 fee per redemption, and a 10 paisa cash-out rate.
Read the full review →Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
Welcome Benefit
~₹600 in vouchers, points or cashback in year one — usually conditional on a first spend within 30–90 days
0.75% on International
3x — 3 Reward Points per ₹100 on international spends, alongside the reduced 2% forex markup
0.75% on Travel
3x — 3 Reward Points per ₹100 on the travel category
Airport Lounge Access
2 international lounge visits a year with no spend condition — rare on a free card. Domestic access is spend-gated - spend ₹60,000+ in a quarter to unlock 2 visits the next quarter.
Lifetime Free
No annual fee — ever. Keep this card long-term without any recurring cost.
Fuel Surcharge Waiver
1% waiver on fuel transactions, capped at ₹150/month
Movie Ticket Benefit
Buy-one-get-one on INOX movie tickets once a month, capped at ₹100 off per use — up to ₹1,200 a year if used every month.
✈️ TRAVEL BENEFITS
Lounge access, miles, forex rates and travel perks at a glance.
AIRPORT LOUNGE ACCESS
✓
Domestic lounges
✓
International lounges
₹2,000
Estimated annual value
2%
Forex markup
0.8%
Travel reward rate
- Domestic + international airport lounge access (worth ~₹2,000/yr)
- Low forex markup: 2.0%
🎬 ENTERTAINMENT BENEFITS
Movies, OTT subscriptions and entertainment perks.
- Buy-one-get-one on INOX movie tickets once a month, capped at ₹100 off per use — up to ₹1,200 a year if used every month.
👑 PREMIUM LIFESTYLE BENEFITS
Concierge, golf, hotel membership and high-value perks for premium cardholders.
For someone who wants a free card to carry abroad. The 2% forex markup and the two no-strings international lounge visits are worth real money on a single overseas trip, and the card costs nothing to hold. Treat the reward points as a rounding error rather than a reason to spend on it.
Full reward structure
What you earn on every rupee, per spend category — as of 11 Oct 2026. Rates assume 1 pt = ₹0.25. How we value points →
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| International | reward points | 0.75%3 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
| Travel | reward points | 0.75%3 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
| Dining | reward points | 0.5%2 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
| Other | reward points | 0.25%1 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
| Insurance | reward points | 0.25%1 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | ₹63 |
International: 3x — 3 Reward Points per ₹100 on international spends, alongside the reduced 2% forex markup
Travel: 3x — 3 Reward Points per ₹100 on the travel category
Dining: 2x — 2 Reward Points per ₹100 on the dining category
Other: 1 Reward Point per ₹100 (1x base). Rent, fuel, government, e-wallet loading, cash, quasi-cash and financial institution spends earn nothing; insurance points are capped at 250 a month.
Insurance: Insurance premiums earn the base rate but are capped at 250 Reward Points per card per calendar month, a limit Federal introduced on 15 July 2024. This is a cap, not an exclusion — insurance does still earn.
Earns nothing on: Fuel · Government & Tax · Rent · Wallet Loads · Cash Advances · FINANCIAL_INSTITUTIONS
These spends earn no rewards at all — not a reduced rate, and not the base rate. They are also normally left out of any milestone or fee-waiver calculation.
Fees & charges
The numbers that matter beyond rewards — verify on the issuer site before applying. Fees below are shown inclusive of 18% GST, as of 11 Oct 2026.
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee (incl. 18% GST) | Lifetime free |
| Joining fee (incl. 18% GST) | Free |
| Finance charge (APR) | 3.75% p.m. |
| Forex markup | 2% |
| Cash advance fee | 2.5% (min ₹500) |
| Add-on card fee | ₹100 |
| Fuel surcharge waiver | 1%, cap ₹150 |
| Rent payment fee | 1% |
| Reward redemption fee | ₹99 |
Perks & benefits
Estimated annual value beyond rewards — ~₹3,800/yr in total.
2 international lounge visits a year with no spend condition — rare on a free card. Domestic access is spend-gated - spend ₹60,000+ in a quarter to unlock 2 visits the next quarter.
1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations in India. Note that fuel spends earn no reward points at all, so the waiver is the only benefit fuel carries on this card.
Buy-one-get-one on INOX movie tickets once a month, capped at ₹100 off per use — up to ₹1,200 a year if used every month.
Should you get it?
- Best for: Occasional international traveller wanting a free card for foreign spends, Someone who values lounge access over reward earning, A free second card to sit alongside a stronger everyday earner, Federal Bank account holder who can access the cheaper APR tiers
- Premium tier — a solid all-rounder for steady monthly spend.
- Strongest value if you spend heavily on International (0.75% back).
- Frequent travellers benefit from the included airport lounge access.
Pros & cons
✓ Pros
- Lifetime free for anyone onboarded from April 2023 — no joining fee, no annual fee, no spend condition
- 2% forex markup versus the 3.5% standard on most Indian cards
- 2 international lounge visits a year with no spend criteria attached
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations in India
- Amazon Pay voucher worth ₹600 on ₹10,000 of spend in the first 30 days
- Can be issued against a fixed deposit if you have no credit history
✕ Cons
- Reward earning is poor — 0.25% base and 0.75% at the very best, on a 25 paisa point valuation
- ₹99 redemption fee per request makes small point balances uneconomic to redeem
- Points cash out to the card account at only 10 paisa each, well under the official 25 paisa value
- Domestic lounge access needs ₹60,000 of spend a quarter — a high bar for a card you would not otherwise spend on
- Fuel, government, e-wallet and quasi-cash spends earn no points at all
Eligibility & documents
Documents required
- 📄PAN card
- 📄Aadhaar / valid address proof
- 📄Latest 3 months bank statement
- 📄Income proof — salary slips (salaried) or ITR (self-employed)
- 📄Recent passport-size photograph
How to redeem rewards
Ways to convert what you earn into real value.
- 🎁Federal Rewards catalogue: Redeem points for merchandise, movie tickets and gift vouchers via the Federal Rewards site or the Fedmobile app. (₹0.25/point official valuation)
- 🎁Cash to card account: Redeem points as a credit against your card outstanding. (₹0.10/point — well below the official valuation)
- 🎁Partner stores: Redeem in-store at Federal Rewards partner outlets. (Variable)
What your Federal Reward Points are worth
Realistic value per point by redemption route — the difference is what most people leave on the table.
Standard redemption
Brand & e-gift vouchers
Two partners, and every route loses money — which is the useful thing to know. Air India: Celesta 6:1 (⇒ ₹0.17/pt), Imperio 7:1 (⇒ ₹0.14/pt) — one of the rare cases where the more premium card gets the WORSE ratio. KrisFlyer: Celesta 7:1, Imperio 9:1, other eligible cards 13:1, i.e. roughly ₹700 / ₹1,350 / ₹2,600 of spend per single KrisFlyer mile. All of these sit below Federal's own ₹0.25 catalogue rate, so transferring destroys value rather than creating it. Points are an enterprise-wide pool across credit, debit and netbanking, which is why the ratio attaches to card tier.
✈ Transfer partners
Direct transfers from this card only, ranked by what a point is worth in the destination programme. Full calculator, every currency →
The reward programme is close to decorative — 0.25% base, points cash out at 10 paisa against an official 25 paisa valuation, and every redemption request costs ₹99, so small balances are uneconomic to redeem at all.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Federal Celesta really lifetime free?
Which network does the Celesta come on?
What is a Federal Reward Point worth?
How does the interest rate work on this card?
Can I get the Celesta against a fixed deposit?
How has the Federal Bank Celesta Credit Card changed over time?
When did the Federal Bank Celesta Credit Card's fees last change?
The bottom line
Judge Celesta on its perks and it is a genuinely sensible free card to keep in the drawer for foreign trips: 2% forex beats the 3.5% standard, and two international lounge visits a year with no spend gate is rare at any price, let alone free. Judge it on rewards and it is poor — a 0.25% base, a ₹99 fee per redemption, and a cash-out rate of just 10 paisa per point. Hold it for the forex and the lounges, spend on something else, and it earns its place at zero cost.
How this page was built
Counted from this card’s own record: 5 earn rules, 1 of them capped, the spends listed as earning nothing and 3 recorded perks.
Last updated 11 Oct 2026.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the Federal Bank Celesta Credit Card are taken from Federal Bank's official Most Important Terms & Conditions (MITC) and fee schedule — see the card's official page. Last updated 11 Oct 2026. Reviewed by Devchandra Sah. Always confirm current details on the issuer's site before applying. How we research →
Independence. CardAdvisor is an independent editorial publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorised to act for Federal Bank. All issuer names, product names, and payment-network marks are the property of their respective owners and appear here for identification and comparison only. Card faces shown on this site are our own original illustrations — we do not display or host issuer card artwork or logos.
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Guides and reviews related to this card.
Federal Bank Celesta Credit Card
Federal's top own-branded card is now lifetime free — the ₹3,000 fee in the Schedule of Charges binds only pre-April-2023 holders. What you get for nothing is a 2% forex markup and two international lounge visits a year with no spend gate. What you don't get is rewards: a 0.25% base, a ₹99 fee per redemption, and a 10 paisa cash-out rate.
Federal Bank Signet Credit Card
Federal's entry card, lifetime free since April 2023 and the only one of the three with a RuPay rail you can point at UPI. It also has the weakest rewards in the family — 1 point per ₹200 at 25 paisa is a 0.125% base, and every redemption costs ₹99. Take it as a free first card and a UPI rail, not as an earner.
Federal Bank Imperio Credit Card
The middle rung of Federal's range, and lifetime free since April 2023 — the ₹1,500 fee still in the Schedule of Charges binds only older holders. It aims 3x at grocery and healthcare and 2x at utility bills, but the base is 1 point per ₹150 at 25 paisa, so the 3x headline is really 0.5%. Hold it for the spend-gated lounge visits, not the points.
Value timeline
Every real-world change to this card's rewards, fees and benefits we've tracked — newest first, each linked to its source.
Tracking since 2021 · last change Jan 2026
2026
- ◆ FeeEffective 10 Jan 2026
Finance charge repriced to an Average-Monthly-Balance-linked rate
Flat slab APR by revolving balance→AMB-linked: 45% p.a. with no Federal AMB, down to lower tiers as balance rises
Federal Bank moved its credit card finance charge to a rate linked to the Average Monthly Balance a customer keeps in a Federal Bank account, effective 10 January 2026. Customers with little or no Federal balance pay up to 45% a year (3.75% a month); higher balances earn progressively lower rates, restructuring rather than uniformly raising or cutting the cost of revolving.
Verification: Federal Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2023
- ▲ FeeEffective 3 Apr 2023
Celesta becomes Lifetime Free for new applicants
₹3,000 joining + ₹3,000 annual→₹0 — no joining fee, no annual fee
Federal Bank waived the joining and annual membership fee across its credit card range for any customer onboarded on or after 3rd April 2023. The legacy ₹3,000 Celesta fee now binds only holders onboarded before that date, so for anyone applying today the card is lifetime free.
Verification: Federal Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2021
- ◆ LaunchEffective 3 Sept 2021
Federal Bank launches the Visa Celesta credit card
Federal Bank launched its own-brand Visa credit card range in Mumbai, with Celesta as the top tier aimed at high-net-worth customers, alongside Imperio and Signet. At launch Celesta earned 1 Reward Point per ₹100 base with a 2% foreign-currency markup, and carried a ₹3,000 joining and annual fee.
Verification: CardAdvisor Research · Confidence: High
Each change links to the issuer's own document — bank T&C, MITC, notice, press release or product page — where one is public. Where the bank published nothing, it's marked CardAdvisor Research and verified against the card's current terms. Independent of the live terms shown above. This timeline is one card's slice of our market-wide change record across every tracked card.
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Source: <a href="https://cardadvisor.in/cards/federal-celesta#value-timeline">Federal Bank Celesta Credit Card value timeline</a>, CardAdvisor (CC BY 4.0).
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