India - take cash or cards?

Seaxwyn

I'm going to India in November - a work trip but I will have four days holiday afterwards. What is the best way to take spending money? Cash (in which case shall I get rupees here or change them there?) or cards - and are there any particular cards which are recommended? I'll be working in New Delhi but plan to go out and about by train afterwards.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

budgetflyer

You cant get Rupees here officially. Its a closed currency.
Will you be paid in £s or Rupees ?
if in £s ,The cashpassport global currency card which the balance remains in GBP has Mastercard rate +0.49% which imo is unbeatable among pp cards for foreign transactions. Plenty of ATMs everywhere unless you are really remote. Just be aware of Dynamic Currency Conversion at point of sale.

SecLender

budgetflyer wrote: »

You cant get Rupees here officially. Its a closed currency.

You sure about that? I've bought Rupees here before and they are being offered here:

http://www.thomasexchangeglobal.co.uk/

whatyadoinsucka

rupees are hard to get outside india and you'll likely get poor rates.
for india big cities delhi, agra, varanasi has a money changer on every corner.

usually very competitive rates, change easily calculatable amounts ie £100 @ 75 = 7,500 rupees, and count it, to avoid scams

pounds sterling (clean, un-ripped) are best if you choose this option.
I used my hsbc advance card at ATMS and got free withdrawals and a very good rate of exchange (but its £12.95 a month), remember that many machines will not accept foreign cards, always look out for maestro/mastercard/visa signs and get money before you need it

don't get too many rupees as its hard to spend £5 on a meal inc soft drinks

go to the taj mahal and feel like a celebrity for the day.
best advice patience and try your best t
not to give beggars money, it just encourages them, if you must support a local charity

TakeThis

budgetflyer wrote: »

You cant get Rupees here officially. Its a closed currency.
Will you be paid in £s or Rupees ?
if in £s ,The cashpassport global currency card which the balance remains in GBP has Mastercard rate +0.49% which imo is unbeatable among pp cards for foreign transactions. Plenty of ATMs everywhere unless you are really remote. Just be aware of Dynamic Currency Conversion at point of sale.

That would be Mastercard rate minus 1.49% . You can save another 0.5% on your initial load by purchasing the Globe card via a cashback website.

Be careful that your bank card charges to topup.

Bob_the_Saver

Take both but depending where you are going It's not totally unknown to beat the wholesale rate!!!!

markandkate

We had no problem getting rupees from ATM's ain Delhi. Officially you can't buy rupees but plenty of people do. If there is a change bureau near an asian community by you I am sure they will have some but probably better to just get a few and then get what you need when you are in India

Marmaduke123

You can change pounds to rupees very easily when you arrive in Delhi. There is a Bank of India counter just before you exit arrivals, on the left facing you. Have a look at the airport map. There wasn't an ATM at international arrivals when we were there a couple of years ago. It might have changed now.

Make sure the sterling notes you take are immaculate. We had a £50 note with the smallest nick in it which we hadn't even noticed. No-one would change it

whatyadoinsucka

i flew into delhi 9th september and can confirm FX counters and also a choice of 3 or 4 cash machines
are available just before exit ( Gate 7 exit) at the airport, as i stated note not all machines (in karol bagh area) take UK cards, i tried a mastercard & visa debit from hsbc/santander/asda cc / barclaycard.

For 4 days take cash and keep it on you. your unlikely to require more than £100 let alone £200

Toe-Jam

Maestro is the card of preference in India. I got my Rupees at the bank here in the UK, the rate was quite good. But they had to order them in.

Having cash is your best option. £200 ~ £300 max is more than enough for 4 days.