Which card has a lower forex fee: Federal Bank Celesta Credit Card or IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card?

IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card has lower forex markup (1.99% vs 2%).

Which card has a lower annual fee: Federal Bank Celesta Credit Card or IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card?

Both cards have the same annual fee (No joining or annual fee currently listed).

Which card offers better lounge access?

Federal Bank Celesta Credit Card: 2 per quarter domestic + 2 per year international. IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card: 1 per quarter domestic lounge.

Which card has a higher base reward rate?

IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card has higher conservative base reward value (~0.38% vs ~0.1%).

Pairwise comparison Compare 3+ cards →

Federal Bank Celesta vs IDFC FIRST Bank Select Credit Cards – Fees, Lounge, Forex

Side-by-side comparison of the Federal Bank Celesta and the IDFC FIRST Bank Select. Verify fees, lounge access, forex markup, and base rewards before you apply.

Celesta

Select

The short answer

Verdict

Pick Celesta for lounge access.

Head-to-head

Three core metrics

Annual fee

Celesta ₹0

Select ₹0
Forex markup

Celesta 2%

Select 1.99%

Select saves ~₹10 per ₹1L abroad
Domestic lounge

Celesta 8/year (2 per quarter) Conditional · Domestic: 2/quarter · requires ₹60,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter (unlocks the following quarter)

Select 4/year (1 per quarter) Conditional · Domestic: 1/quarter · requires ₹20,000 spend in the previous month (unlocks the following month)

Celesta: +4 lounge visits/yr

Reward earning explained

Per card

Celesta

1 pt / ₹100 · Up to 3 pts / ₹100 on Travel International

Strong data

Select

3 pts / ₹200 · 10 pts / ₹200 on eligible dining, international, and travel

Strong data

Pick based on what matters

4 dimensions

Start with the constraint you care about most: annual fee (Federal Bank Celesta: ₹0 vs IDFC FIRST Bank Select: ₹0), forex markup (2% vs 1.99%), or lounge access (8/year (2 per quarter) vs 4/year (1 per quarter)).

Travel Tie

Both cards are similar for travel

Forex markup is 2%. Forex markup is 1.99%.
Forex markup Tie

Both cards are similar for forex

Forex markup is 2%. Forex markup is 1.99%.
Lounge access Federal Bank Celesta wins

Federal Bank Celesta is better for lounge access

Federal Bank Celesta is stronger here. Domestic lounge access is 2 per quarter.
Rewards Tie

Both cards are similar for rewards

Federal Bank Celesta conservative base value ~0.1% vs IDFC FIRST Bank Select's ~0.4%. IDFC FIRST Bank Select conservative base value ~0.4% vs Federal Bank Celesta's ~0.1%.

All fields

Standard view

Example usage at this monthly spend

At ₹50k/month spend:

IDFC FIRST Select: ~₹190/month at base rate
Celesta: ~₹50/month at base rate

Illustrative only, using current base rates before caps.

Field	Celesta Federal Bank	Select IDFC FIRST Bank
Insurance — Air accident cover Only available for IDFC FIRST Select	Not specified	₹1 crore
Insurance — Personal accident cover Only available for IDFC FIRST Select	Not specified	₹5 lakh
Insurance — Lost card liability cover Only available for IDFC FIRST Select	Not specified	₹50,000
Insurance — Underwriter Only available for IDFC FIRST Select	Not specified	Insured by New India Assurance
Lounge Access
Domestic lounge visits spend-gated on some cards — see caveats 8/year (2 per quarter) vs 4/year (1 per quarter)	8/year (2 per quarter)	4/year (1 per quarter)
International lounge visits 2 per year vs Not included	2 per year	No international lounge access
Forex / International Use
Forex markup Source agreement differs — verify both. 2% vs 1.99%	2%	1.99%
Fees
Recurring annual fee	₹0	₹0
Interest-free period Up to 48 days vs Up to 45 days	Up to 48 days	Up to 45 days
Monthly interest rate 0.69%–3.75% per month vs 0.71%–3.85% per month	0.69%–3.75% per month	0.71%–3.85% per month
Late-payment charge Only available for Celesta	₹100–₹950 depending on outstanding balance	Not specified
Fuel benefit 1% surcharge waiver · ₹400–₹5,000 transactions · ₹150/month waiver cap · Fuel rewards excluded vs 1% surcharge waiver · ₹200–₹5,000 transactions · ₹300/month waiver cap · Fuel rewards excluded	1% surcharge waiver · ₹400–₹5,000 transactions · ₹150/month waiver cap · Fuel rewards excluded	1% surcharge waiver · ₹200–₹5,000 transactions · ₹300/month waiver cap · Fuel rewards excluded
Rewards
Base earn 1 pt / ₹100 vs 3 pts / ₹200	1 pt / ₹100	3 pts / ₹200
Conservative base value ~0.1% vs ~0.4%	~0.1%	~0.4%
Earn ceiling Not stated vs Rewards apply only to spend up to your credit limit each statement cycle — shared across General spend, Dining, International spend, Travel, Insurance & Utilities	Not stated	Rewards apply only to spend up to your credit limit each statement cycle — shared across General spend, Dining, International spend, Travel, Insurance & Utilities
Point value (headline channel) Issuer headline redemption rate — see each card page for the full channel grid.	₹0.25	₹0.25
Point validity 3 years vs 2 years	3 years	2 years

Notes

Federal Bank Celesta Credit Card: Condition: ₹60,000 spend in the previous calendar quarter (unlocks the following quarter)
IDFC FIRST Select Credit Card: Condition: ₹20,000 spend in the previous month (unlocks the following month)
Card benefits change frequently. Always verify current terms on the issuer's official website or app before applying.

Federal Bank Celesta

Verify with issuer

IDFC FIRST Bank Select

Verify with issuer