Following the bandwagon on spend-based airport lounge access, Federal Bank has now joined the list of issuers implementing spending requirements to access this benefit. It was among the last few credit card issuers in India that did not have any spend-based criteria for airport lounge access. However, that is no longer the case.
The Celesta Credit Card, Federal Bank’s most premium offering, has suffered the most in this devaluation, with a reduction in the number of complimentary visits and the introduction of spend-based eligibility. Apart from all this, add-on Federal Bank Credit Cardholders shall no longer be eligible for airport lounge access from 1st October 2025. Let’s have a look at the new conditions for free airport lounge access with Federal Bank Credit Cards.
| Card | Spending Required in the Previous Quarter | Visits |
| Signet | ₹20,000 | 1 Domestic Lounge Access (Every Quarter) |
| Imperio | ₹40,000 | 2 Domestic Lounge Access (Every Quarter) |
| Celesta | ₹60,000 | 2 Domestic Lounge Access (Every Quarter) and 2 International (Each Year) |
Complete Details Are Available Here.
Bottom Line
Federal Bank Credit Cards have long been known for their lifetime-free, rewarding offerings that included benefits like complimentary airport lounge access, Buy-One-Get-One movie tickets, and more. While the cards didn’t offer a spectacular reward rate, they were popular for their lifestyle perks and exclusive bank offers. However, this has changed with the introduction of new spend-based conditions for airport lounge access effective from 1st October 2025.
All Federal Bank Credit Cards will now require minimum spending to avail lounge access, and in a bigger blow, the Celesta Credit Card, the bank’s most premium offering, has also seen a reduction in the number of complimentary domestic lounge visits, in addition to the new spend criteria. This move aligns Federal Bank with other issuers who have already introduced similar conditions.
2 comments
Jay
Federal Bank credit cards don’t clearly disclose income eligibility—you just apply and often face rejection. I got the Imperio hoping for easy domestic lounge access, but the added spend condition makes it pointless now. Celesta still looks great with lifetime-free international lounge access, but likely needs a high income, making approval tough.
vishal
as per mail from federal bank, “this change is applicable only for accessing domestic lounges” that means, Celesta users still can avail International lounge access without spend criteria.
But funny part here is, Celesta users which is high end card have to spend 60K and Imperio which is lower than Celesta, spend criteria is 40K