M16S / Federal Bank / Federal Celesta Credit Card
premium · rewards, travel, lifetime-free
Federal Celesta Credit Card
The Federal Celesta Credit Card charges no annual fee and no joining fee. Its base return is 0.25% (1 point per Rs 100). Accelerated earn: 3x on travel and international spends; 2x on dining. The forex markup is 2%. Lounge visits in India: 2 per quarter (spend-gated). Abroad: 2 per year via LoungeKey, no spend condition. Read from the issuer's own documents on 11 Oct 2026.
- Annual fee
- Free
- Fee waived at
- —
- Base return
- 0.25%
- Forex markup
- 2%
- Interest
- 3.75%a month
Apply on federal.bank.inOpens the bank’s own page.
Fees
| Joining fee | Free |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | Free |
| Fee notes | Lifetime free for customers onboarded from 3 Apr 2023 ('limited period offer'). Schedule fee otherwise Rs 3,000 joining (waived on Rs 30,000 spend in 3 months) and Rs 3,000 annual (waived on Rs 3,00,000 annual spend). |
Rewards
| Welcome benefit | Amazon Pay e-voucher Rs 600 on Rs 10,000 spend in first 30 days (once per card lifetime, primary only). |
|---|---|
| Reward currency | Federal Rewards points |
| Base earn | 1 point per Rs 100 |
| Base return | 0.25% |
| Point value | 1 point = Rs 0.25 on the Federal Rewards catalogue; cash redemption to card account = Rs 0.10 per point (from 15 Jul 2024) |
| Accelerated earnunverified | 3x on travel and international spends; 2x on dining |
| Caps | Insurance spends capped at 250 points per calendar month. No cap published for 3x/2x categories. |
| Spends that earn nothing | No points on cash transactions, e-wallet loading, fuel (MCC 5541, 5542, 5172, 7983), government services, financial institutions (MCC 6012), quasi-cash (MCC 6050, 6051) and rent. Insurance (MCC 6300, 5960) capped at 250 points per card per calendar month. |
| Reward notes | Redemption fee Rs 99 per request (product page says 'minimum Rs 99', actual fee shown at redemption). The '3x/2x' multipliers are read as multiples of the base earn rate; the issuer pages do not publish MCC lists or caps for accelerated categories. base_return_pct = base points per Rs 100 x Rs 0.25. |
Travel and perks
| Domestic lounge | 2 per quarter (spend-gated) |
|---|---|
| International lounge | 2 per year via LoungeKey, no spend condition |
| Lounge conditions | Domestic: spend Rs 60,000 in the previous quarterly cycle to unlock 2 visits next quarter. Primary cardholder only; guests charged. International: card swiped at lounge and reimbursed within 30 days. |
| Forex markup | 2% |
| Fuel surcharge waiver | 1% on Rs 400-5,000 fuel transactions, cap Rs 150 per month; GST on surcharge not reversed |
| Other freebies | BOGO on INOX movie tickets once a month (up to Rs 100 off, F&B excluded); up to 15% off at partner hotels via FedDelights; Visa/Mastercard network offers. |
Charges and eligibility
| Interest per month | 3.75% |
|---|---|
| Late payment fee | Total amount due Rs 0-250: nil; 251-1,000: Rs 250; 1,001-5,000: Rs 500; 5,001-25,000: Rs 1,000; 25,001+: Rs 1,250 |
| Cash advance fee | 2.5% or Rs 500, whichever is higher; cash limit 25% of credit limit |
| Eligibility | Age 21+ (18+ for secured card against FD); resident Indian or NRI; PAN, Aadhaar, 3 months bank statement; good credit history. No income floor published. |
| Fine-print notes | Rent payments and wallet loads carry a 1% fee plus taxes. Add-on cards Rs 100 + GST each (max 4). Add-on cardholders get no lounge access (from 1 Oct 2025). Lounge spend cycle runs 21st to 20th across three months and unlocks the next calendar quarter; Rs 2 validation charge per domestic visit. Dynamic APR linked to average monthly balance (AMB) in the Federal Bank operative account. MITC (revised rates from 10 Jan 2026): 3.75% p.m. (45% p.a.) for lower AMB bands, 1.99% p.m. (23.88% p.a.) for AMB above Rs 3 lakh. Product pages still show an older four-band table (down to 0.69% p.m. above Rs 10 lakh AMB) and an FAQ line of '5.88% p.a.'; these conflict with the MITC. Without a Federal Bank balance, assume 3.75% p.m. Mastercard Celesta page was not read separately; the listing page shows the same feature set. |
Questions
- What is the annual fee of the Federal Celesta Credit Card?
- No annual fee.
- Does the Federal Celesta Credit Card give airport lounge access?
- Yes. In India: 2 per quarter (spend-gated). Outside India: 2 per year via LoungeKey, no spend condition. Conditions: Domestic: spend Rs 60,000 in the previous quarterly cycle to unlock 2 visits next quarter. Primary cardholder only; guests charged. International: card swiped at lounge and reimbursed within 30 days.
- What is the forex markup on the Federal Celesta Credit Card?
- 2% of each foreign-currency transaction, before GST.
- Which spends earn no rewards on the Federal Celesta Credit Card?
- No points on cash transactions, e-wallet loading, fuel (MCC 5541, 5542, 5172, 7983), government services, financial institutions (MCC 6012), quasi-cash (MCC 6050, 6051) and rent. Insurance (MCC 6300, 5960) capped at 250 points per card per calendar month.