Federal Bank Celesta Credit Card
Federal Bank markets Celesta as its flagship consumer card, and the standout fact is that it costs nothing to hold: although the bank's own Schedule of Charges still lists a ₹3,000 joining fee and a matching ₹3,000 annual fee, those only apply to people who signed up before 3 April 2023 — everyone applying now pays neither. You can pick it up on either the Visa or the Mastercard network with no difference in rewards, fees or perks between the two; there's no RuPay version, so UPI linking isn't an option. On spending, Celesta doesn't try hard: the base is 1 Reward Point per ₹100, which triples for travel and international purchases and doubles for dining, and Federal prices each point at 25 paisa — working out to roughly 0.25% back ordinarily and 0.75% at the top end. What actually justifies the card is unrelated to points: a 2% markup on foreign-currency transactions (well under the typical 3.5%) and a pair of international airport lounge visits each year that come with no minimum-spend requirement. Applicants with no credit history can also get the card secured against a fixed deposit.
Key features
The headline reasons to consider this card, condensed.
Welcome Benefit
~₹600 in vouchers, points or cashback on card activation
0.75% on Travel
3x — 3 Reward Points per ₹100 on the travel category
0.75% on International
3x — 3 Reward Points per ₹100 on international spends, alongside the reduced 2% forex markup
️ 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.
Full reward structure
| Category | Type | Rate | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | reward points | 0.75% | — |
| International | reward points | 0.75% | — |
| Dining | reward points | 0.5% | — |
| Other | reward points | 0.25% | — |
| Insurance | reward points | 0.25% | ₹63 |
Fees & charges
| 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
Non-reward perks add up to roughly ₹9,800 a year in estimated value.
️ lounge access ~ ₹8,000 /yr
Two international lounge visits a year come with zero spend requirement, unusual for a fee-free card. Domestic lounge access, by contrast, is gated — you need ₹60,000 or more in quarterly spend to unlock two visits the following quarter.
fuel waiver ~ ₹600 /yr
A 1% surcharge waiver applies at fuel stations nationwide. Since fuel purchases don't earn any reward points on this card, the waiver is the sole upside fuel spending offers here.
movie ticket ~ ₹1,200 /yr
One buy-one-get-one INOX ticket offer per month, discounting up to ₹100 per use — worth up to ₹1,200 annually if you use it 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
In the premium tier, this works as a dependable option for consistent monthly spending.
It pays off most if a large share of your spend falls under Travel (0.75% back).
Regular travellers get particular value from the bundled airport lounge access.
✓ Pros
- No cost at all for anyone who signed up from April 2023 onward — zero joining fee, zero annual fee, no spend hurdle to clear
- A 2% forex markup, comfortably below the 3.5% most Indian cards charge
- Two international lounge visits annually with no minimum spend attached
- 1% fuel surcharge waiver applicable across all Indian fuel stations
- An Amazon Pay voucher worth ₹600 for spending ₹10,000 within the first 30 days
- Available on a fixed-deposit basis for applicants without prior credit history
✕ Cons
- Points accumulate slowly — 0.25% at the base rate and 0.75% at best, against a 25 paisa point value
- A flat ₹99 charge on every redemption makes cashing out small balances a losing proposition
- Cashing points into your card account nets just 10 paisa each — well short of the official 25 paisa figure
- Unlocking domestic lounge access takes ₹60,000 of quarterly spend, a tough ask on a card you're not otherwise using heavily
- Fuel, government payments, e-wallet top-ups and quasi-cash transactions earn zero points
Eligibility & documents
Age
21 –65 years
Min. income
₹75,000 /mo
Employment
Salaried · Self-employed
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
A few different paths to turning points into something usable.
🎁 Federal Rewards catalogue: Swap points for merchandise, movie tickets and gift vouchers through the Federal Rewards portal or the Fedmobile app. (₹0.25/point official valuation)
🎁 Cash to card account: Apply points as a credit toward your outstanding balance. (₹0.10/point — noticeably below the stated value)
🎁 Partner stores: Spend points directly at participating Federal Rewards retail partners. (Variable)
What your Federal Reward Points are worth
What a point is genuinely worth changes a lot depending on how you cash it in — and that gap is where most cardholders lose value.
Statement credit BEST Standard redemption
Gift voucher catalogue BEST Brand & e-gift vouchers
Airline transfer (Air India / KrisFlyer) Only two transfer partners exist, and neither one is a good deal — which is itself the useful takeaway. Air India converts at 6:1 for Celesta (₹0.17/pt) versus 7:1 for Imperio (₹0.14/pt) — an unusual case where the higher-tier card actually gets a worse ratio. KrisFlyer runs 7:1 for Celesta, 9:1 for Imperio, and 13:1 for other eligible cards — meaning roughly ₹700, ₹1,350 or ₹2,600 of spend buys a single KrisFlyer mile depending on which card you hold. Every one of these rates lands below Federal's own ₹0.25 catalogue value, so transferring points out is a value-losing move rather than a value-adding one. The points themselves sit in a single pool shared across credit, debit and netbanking activity — it's the card tier alone that determines your transfer ratio.
✈ Transfer partners ✈ Air India Maharaja Club ( 6:1 ) ✈ Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer ( 7:1 ) Value your balance: Federal Reward Points ✈ Air India Maharaja Club ( 6:1 ) ₹ 1,700 ✈ Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer ( 7:1 ) ₹ 1,400 vs. typical redemption ₹ 2,500 Direct transfers from this card only, ranked by what a point is worth in the destination programme . Full calculator, every currency → The concern As reward programmes go, this one barely functions as an incentive — a 0.25% base rate, a 10 paisa cash-out value against a stated 25 paisa, and a ₹99 fee attached to every single redemption, which makes small balances not worth touching.
The bottom line
Looked at purely as a travel accessory, Celesta earns its keep: 2% forex undercuts the standard 3.5% by a wide margin, and getting two no-conditions international lounge visits a year on a free card is genuinely uncommon. Looked at as an earning card, it falls flat — 0.25% base rewards, a ₹99 charge every time you redeem, and a cash-out rate of just 10 paisa a point. The sensible way to use it is to keep it purely for forex and lounges while routing everyday spending elsewhere; at zero ongoing cost, that's an easy trade.
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 verified 8 Aug 2026 . Reviewed by SarvCred Editorial Team . Always confirm current details on the issuer's site before applying. How we research →
Independence. SarvCred 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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