Foreign Currency, Sorted Before You Fly

Straight guidance on what to carry, what to convert and when. We do not sell you currency, which is exactly why the advice is worth having.

What we actually do here.

Guidance and comparison, with no margin of ours buried in the answer.

How much to carry as cash versus card for your specific destination
When to convert, and when waiting for a better rate is costing you more than it saves
Forex card versus international debit card, with the real fees on each laid side by side
Which of your existing cards has the lowest cross-currency markup, before you buy a new product
Small-denomination notes for tips, taxis and local markets, so you are not breaking large bills
Where UPI now works abroad, which for some destinations is the cheapest option available

We are not a money changer. Currency is bought from RBI-authorised dealers and banks. We help you work out what to buy, how much and when — and we do not take a cut of where you buy it, which is why we can tell you when the answer is “use the card you already have”.

The three costs nobody adds up.

Most people optimise the fee they can see and ignore the margin they cannot.

The exchange rate margin

The gap between the interbank rate and the rate you are given. This is the big one, and it is usually invisible.

The transaction fee

A percentage or flat charge per use. Visible, comparable, and generally the smallest of the three.

Tax collected at source

TCS on forex under the LRS is credited against your income tax and can be claimed. It is a cash-flow effect, not a loss. Rates and thresholds change, so check the current ones before you buy.

The single habit that saves the most money abroad.

At a foreign terminal or ATM you will be asked to pay in rupees or in the local currency
Always choose the local currency. Always
Choosing rupees hands the conversion to the merchant’s processor, which adds its own margin on top of your card’s
The screen will present this as a convenience. It is reliably the worse rate, sometimes by several percent
This one habit saves more than any amount of shopping around for the perfect card

A sensible split for most trips.

Two cards from different networks, kept separately, is the most underrated thing on this page.

A little cash for day one

Transport, a meal, a SIM and tips. Not more. Cash is the one option with no recourse if it is lost.

One primary card

Whichever of yours has the lowest cross-currency markup. Enable international usage before you fly, not at a counter abroad.

One backup, carried separately

Card blocks abroad are common. Having only one card is the most avoidable disaster in travel finance.

Tell us where you are going and for how long.

We will send a plain answer on what to carry, what to convert and what to leave on the card you already have.