In-depth review
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.
Read the full review →Key features
What this card is built to do — the highlights that actually matter.
Welcome Benefit
~₹400 in vouchers, points or cashback in year one — usually conditional on a first spend within 30–90 days
0.5% on Groceries
3x — 3 Reward Points per ₹150. The same 3x rate also applies to the healthcare category, which has no separate slot in our category model.
0.33% on Utility Bills
2x — 2 Reward Points per ₹150 on utility bill payments including electricity, gas and mobile
Airport Lounge Access
Spend ₹40,000+ in a qualifying cycle (21st to 20th, not the calendar quarter) to unlock 2 domestic lounge visits the next quarter. Primary cardholder only — add-on holders are excluded; cash and ATM spend do not count; unused visits do not carry forward.
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 quarter, capped at ₹100 off per use — up to ₹400 a year.
Milestone Bonus
~₹300 in bonus rewards on hitting annual spend milestones
🎬 ENTERTAINMENT BENEFITS
Movies, OTT subscriptions and entertainment perks.
- Buy-one-get-one on INOX movie tickets once a quarter, capped at ₹100 off per use — up to ₹400 a year.
✈️ TRAVEL BENEFITS
Lounge access, miles, forex rates and travel perks at a glance.
AIRPORT LOUNGE ACCESS
8 visits/yr
Domestic lounges
₹4,000
Estimated annual value
3.5%
Forex markup
- Domestic airport lounge access (8 domestic visits/yr, worth ~₹4,000)
For a Federal Bank customer who wants a free card for household spending — groceries, chemist bills, electricity and mobile — and can put ₹40,000 a quarter through it to keep the domestic lounge visits coming. If you would not hit that bar, the lounge access lapses and little else remains.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groceries | reward points | 0.5%2 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
| Utility Bills | reward points | 0.33%1.33 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
| Other | reward points | 0.17%0.67 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | — |
| Insurance | reward points | 0.17%0.67 pts/₹100 × ₹0.25 | ₹63 |
Groceries: 3x — 3 Reward Points per ₹150. The same 3x rate also applies to the healthcare category, which has no separate slot in our category model.
Utility Bills: 2x — 2 Reward Points per ₹150 on utility bill payments including electricity, gas and mobile
Other: 1 Reward Point per ₹150 (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 | 3.5% |
| 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 — ~₹5,300/yr in total.
Spend ₹40,000+ in a qualifying cycle (21st to 20th, not the calendar quarter) to unlock 2 domestic lounge visits the next quarter. Primary cardholder only — add-on holders are excluded; cash and ATM spend do not count; unused visits do not carry forward.
1% fuel surcharge waiver at petrol pumps across India, on transactions of ₹400 to ₹5,000 only and capped at ₹150 a month. GST on the surcharge is not reversed. Fuel spends earn no reward points, so the waiver is the only benefit fuel carries here.
Buy-one-get-one on INOX movie tickets once a quarter, capped at ₹100 off per use — up to ₹400 a year.
BigBasket voucher worth ₹300 for spending ₹50,000 in a quarter (₹2 lakh a year to qualify every quarter). Federal's two T&C pages disagree on frequency — one says once a calendar quarter the other once a financial year — so we value it at one voucher a year until that is resolved.
Should you get it?
- Best for: Household with steady grocery and chemist spending, Federal Bank customer wanting a free card with lounge access, Someone who can clear ₹40,000 a quarter to keep the lounge visits live, A free card to pair with a stronger everyday earner
- Mid tier — a solid all-rounder for steady monthly spend.
- Strongest value if you spend heavily on Groceries (0.5% 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
- 3x on grocery and healthcare — categories a household actually spends on every month
- 2x on utility bill payments including electricity, gas and mobile
- Up to 2 domestic lounge visits a quarter on ₹40,000 of quarterly spend
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations in India
- Amazon Pay voucher worth ₹400 on ₹5,000 of spend in the first 30 days
✕ Cons
- The 3x headline is a 0.5% real return once Federal's own 25 paisa point valuation is applied
- Lounge access is spend-gated at ₹40,000 a quarter and disappears entirely if you miss it
- ₹99 redemption fee per request makes small point balances uneconomic to redeem
- Points cash out at only 10 paisa each, well below the official 25 paisa valuation
- 3.5% forex markup — the Celesta's 2% is materially better for foreign spends
- Federal does not publish the value of the BigBasket milestone voucher
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 3x headline hides a 0.5% real return, and the lounge access — the main reason to hold the card — switches off entirely if you miss ₹40,000 of spend in a quarter.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Federal Imperio really lifetime free?
Which network does the Imperio come on?
What do the 3x and 2x rates actually earn?
How does the interest rate work on this card?
Can I get the Imperio against a fixed deposit?
How has the Federal Bank Imperio Credit Card changed over time?
When did the Federal Bank Imperio Credit Card's fees last change?
The bottom line
Imperio is free, so the bar it has to clear is low, and for a household that already banks with Federal it clears it: 3x on grocery and healthcare is aimed at real, recurring spend, and ₹40,000 a quarter unlocks two domestic lounge visits. But be clear-eyed about the maths. A 0.17% base and 0.5% ceiling means a year of grocery spending buys very little, the ₹99 redemption fee eats small balances, and points cash out at 10 paisa against an official 25 paisa valuation. Hold it for the lounges and the fuel surcharge waiver, not the rewards.
How this page was built
Counted from this card’s own record: 4 earn rules, 1 of them capped, the spends listed as earning nothing and 4 recorded perks.
Last updated 11 Oct 2026.
Sources & verification
Fees, reward rates, and benefits for the Federal Bank Imperio 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 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.
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.
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
Interest rate repriced to an Average-Monthly-Balance-linked scale
Flat card APR→AMB-linked: 45% p.a. under ₹50,000 balance down to 8.28% p.a. above ₹10,00,000
Federal restructured the finance charge on its organic cards — Signet, Imperio, Celesta and Wave — to a rate tied to the Average Monthly Balance held in a Federal account, effective 10 January 2026. Customers with little or no Federal balance pay up to 45% a year, while large balances earn materially lower rates; the APR is refreshed on the 10th each quarter.
Verification: Federal Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2023
- ▲ FeeEffective 3 Apr 2023
Card becomes Lifetime Free for new applicants
₹1,500 joining and ₹1,500 annual fee→₹0 — no joining fee, no membership fee
Federal waived the joining and annual membership fee for any customer onboarded on or after 3 April 2023, making the Imperio effectively lifetime free. The legacy ₹1,500 fee now binds only pre-April-2023 holders; the card page carries a limited-period lifetime-free offer marked w.e.f. 3rd April 2023.
Verification: Federal Bank ↗ · Confidence: High
2021
- ◆ LaunchEffective 3 Sept 2021
Federal Bank launches the Imperio, its own-brand Visa card
1 Reward Point per ₹150; joining + annual fee ₹1,500
Federal Bank entered the credit-card business with three self-issued Visa cards — Celesta, Imperio and Signet — announced on 3 September 2021. The Imperio launched as the mid-tier, household-focused card earning 1 Reward Point per ₹150, with a ₹1,500 joining and annual membership 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-imperio#value-timeline">Federal Bank Imperio Credit Card value timeline</a>, CardAdvisor (CC BY 4.0).
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