Obtaining Rupees

Does anyone have recommendations regarding where it is best to obtain rupees? The currency exchange facilities at the airport? an ATM? The Oberoi?

Comments

  • Got mine from my bank, always get my foreign money there. They always say allow two weeks but usually the money comes in a couple of days, my rupees did
  • That's interesting. Our information states that one can not bring rupees in to India - that rupees must be obtained once one is in the country.
  • edited February 2014
    They are quoted for sale in Australian banks. It might be worth checking with a few of your own local banks. I always keep my eye on FX rates and I regularly check the retail rates on a variety of banks' web sites, under the foreign exchange or travellers' finance section. If they are not quoted in your banks, Lorraine, might that be due to your national banking regulations? I'm aware that they do change from time to time, as well.

    Cheers,

    Jan

    Update: It would seem that since the recent collapse (in relative terms!) of the Indian rupee's value, you can now not import the rupee into the country. Nor can you export it. You can, however, bring in GBPounds, Euros and travellers cheques. I presume these new regulations are for the sole benefit of Indian FX traders & to support the local currency. Various sources advise you keep any exchange receipts from within India, so you can exchange rupees back into your currency of choice when you leave the country.
  • I am sure that Jan is correct.
    When we went from the UK 18 months ago it was certainly the rule that you could not import or export rupees. In fact, we use so little cash on our tours because we use cards, so the Delhi hotel obliged. They do have a limit on how much you can get and for that amount FX rates are not an issue, although ATMs are fine too. When you leave, there are places at the airport where you can dump surplus cash...............or just add it into the Tour Director's gratuity envelope!
    Richard
  • I appreciate all your comments. I have confirmed that rupees are not to be brought in to India or taken out. Although one can try to bring them in and hope not to be caught, we will not be doing that. The rupees can be confiscated, or worse, one can be prosecuted - hardly the way we would like to start our vacation. My original question was asking for recommendations regarding where folks found it most convenient to obtain rupees when actually in India. Yes, we will make larger purchases with credit cards but are expecting that smaller purchases would require having rupees. It sounds as if the hotel is the best option. Thank you for your responses.
  • It's a good job that I am still looking at this website. I purchased my rupees about 4 weeks ago and do not remember seeing anything about restrictions. We are leaving India this morning after a fantastic trip. We will now make sure we change our remaining rupees at the hotel or airport when we get to Delhi. The tour director has not mentioned anything about this to us.
    But here is another tip. Wherever you get your rupees, be sure to get 10 rupee notes and 100 rupee notes. You will need the former for giving some people money to take their photographs like the snake charmers or fake priestS--- you cannot take photos of real priests. The bigger notes are extremely useful to have available when the tour director bring trinkets onto the bus after getting a price from the hawkers, we buy, nearly always 100 rupees. Some nice things you may not want to miss.We are strongly advised not to purchase anything direct, or you will become surrounded by very persistent people who will not leave you alone. Never pull out your wallet in public, never hand any money over before receiving an item.
    The only time we purchased rupees was at an ATM when several people needed money. The tour guide went with those people on the way back from a day out, it was near the hotel and they made their way back with her. BUT, the only person who was able to get their card accepted was my husband's, the others got theirs refused.
  • Citibank ATM at the Delhi and Mumbai airports.
  • Cruzing23 wrote:
    Citibank ATM at the Delhi and Mumbai airports.

    Thank you - exactly what we needed to know.
  • We have used ATMs at airports on every continent and have never had a problem. The rates are usually the best as well. See you soon, Lorraine!
  • Lorraine:

    Make sure you have a four digit PIN and tell your bank you are going to India. We've never had a problem using our ATM card anywhere in the world.

    In addition to the airport, Citibank also have many branches in the larger Indian cities, especially in the shopping malls in Delhi.
  • British wrote:
    It's a good job that I am still looking at this website. I purchased my rupees about 4 weeks ago and do not remember seeing anything about restrictions. We are leaving India this morning after a fantastic trip. We will now make sure we change our remaining rupees at the hotel or airport when we get to Delhi. The tour director has not mentioned anything about this to us.
    But here is another tip. Wherever you get your rupees, be sure to get 10 rupee notes and 100 rupee notes. You will need the former for giving some people money to take their photographs like the snake charmers or fake priestS--- you cannot take photos of real priests. The bigger notes are extremely useful to have available when the tour director bring trinkets onto the bus after getting a price from the hawkers, we buy, nearly always 100 rupees. Some nice things you may not want to miss.We are strongly advised not to purchase anything direct, or you will become surrounded by very persistent people who will not leave you alone. Never pull out your wallet in public, never hand any money over before receiving an item.
    The only time we purchased rupees was at an ATM when several people needed money. The tour guide went with those people on the way back from a day out, it was near the hotel and they made their way back with her. BUT, the only person who was able to get their card accepted was my husband's, the others got theirs refused.

    Thanks for this information. I, too was unaware you could not bring rupees in or take out of the country, so good to know ahead of time.

    Did you post details about your trip in another place on this forum? I would love to get more insider tips and things you did, what you liked, didn't like, wish you'd done, etc.
    Felicia
  • edited August 2014
    Felicia wrote:
    Thanks for this information. I, too was unaware you could not bring rupees in or take out of the country, so good to know ahead of time.

    Did you post details about your trip in another place on this forum? I would love to get more insider tips and things you did, what you liked, didn't like, wish you'd done, etc.

    Felicia
    No I did not post detailed stuff about this tour, I did a big review of my last trip and will probably do so in the future. My opinions are often different from others here, but anything I say about my India tour would certainly be the same from any others we met in our group.
    Here goes. This is probably the most shocking place you will ever visit in your life. It took a long time once we got home to process what we saw and experienced, some aspects still haunt me. Having said that I would not have missed it for the world and I am so glad I did a full diary and huge photo book for us.
    Rupees---as you saw, I did buy them here in the US, unaware of not being able to take it into the country. Bad marks for me, I usually do lots of research! It is also true that whatever anyone says about getting rupees at atm's, when my husband went with three others on the tour to an ATM, he was the only one who's card worked and we had not even told our bank we were going to India, just our credit cards. ( the tour guide kindly stopped on her way back to the hotel for those who needed cash, so my husband got money just in case, you would not want to leave the hotel on your own to find an ATM)
    We are well travelled but I would not have been comfortable leaving the hotel on our own, the crowds and traffic are just unbelievable. The traffic in the middle of the night when we were on our way back to Delhi airport was so bad we were in a traffic jam for about an hour. Likewise, when we arrived at the airport, middle of night to come home, no Tauck by then, the airport was crazy, hundreds of people, 95% of who were men! I was petrified.
    We arrived two days early to Delhi, a really good idea, we had read hints on the forum and had an idea what we could see and do as arranged but the hotel, spa massages, wonderful, private cooking session with hotel chef, also fantastic, swimming. Doesn't sound much but as my husband is not retired he does need down time and also we were well recovered from jet lag than others on the tour which is very full of early starts, for example, we were the only ones plus one other man who took the optional tour to Fatipur Sikri which should not be missed, everyone else was too exhausted. We were glad in deciding not to go out on our own, we saw everything we wanted to see in Delhi and even had time to take an escorted trip to a shopping area, once the tour began. I'm not into spending very much time shopping on these vacations, which doesn't mean I don't buy. I am just really good at making quick, pretty good choices by doing pre-trip research. This does not have to be a dress up trip, even though you will be staying in amazing hotels with incredible service and very cute Indian waiters. But you must observe the modest dress of the country.
    Take shoes that will cover your feet entirely, not sandals, you have the chance of standing into cow pooh pretty much anywhere you go, even on steps. Be sure they can be washed completely when you get home or throw them away. Whatever you normally do about shoes in your home, don't go over the threshold in these shoes. It is very dirty everywhere and quite dusty, as there are no sidewalks just dirt right in front of homes and roads, trash everywhere.
    Leave your jewelry at home.
    Food, you can eat anything in the hotels and drink the bottled water in them. Outside, don't eat anything and use hand gel frequently, remember you are touching things that other people have touched who do not have access to indoor plumbing---- if I saw one man peeing in the street here, I saw a hundred on the tour, it was a fun game to see my first peeing guy each day. There are outdoor areas you pass where people poop too. Yes, doesn't take much to amuse me.
    Play the game and pay anyone who you want to take a photo of. Some people failed to do this on our tour and I just did not think it was fair. We literally saw people holding their hands in front of their faces and people still took their photo. If some random person tried to take your photo while you see going about your day to day business really up close, would you like it.
    All the sites were incredible. Well it's time to enjoy a walk in this lovely weather. India is a brain- changer!
  • Wow, wow, wow, British! You're scaring and exciting me for this trip! First, thank you for those details, and I would love to read all of your trip report. Maybe you could start a new thread. Don't worry if people don't agree. It's your trip, your opinion, and your journal. But I'm sure many who have never been to India will appreciate what you have to say.

    I travel a lot by myself (I'm female) and never have a problem in doing so, but I really did not want to visit India on my own. Tauck seems like a reliable tour company. I am a bit concerned about what you said about the airport in Delhi on the night you were to leave. You were with your husband and I will not be. Guess I will not be the first female by myself, though.

    I would have to pay a lot more to book the flights that get me in a day beforehand, because the air dept. at Tauck has purchased bulk seating for the 3rd, arriving in Delhi at 920p on the 4th. Then the tour starts the day of the 5th at 9a. I guess the more I age, the more I appreciate having a day ahead of time to relax, and plus I worry that the flight would be canceled, so I'm thinking about doing what you and your husband did.

    The optional tours you mentioned - does Tauck post these somewhere so you know what they are? Are they included in the tour price? And are they Tauck tours or are they ones you booked from outside tour companies?

    You said leave the jewelry at home. You don't mean costume jewelry, right? I'm glad you said this, though, as I do like taking my mother's rings w/ me, but certainly can leave them at home!

    I did not even THINK about cow poo, but seriously, was I thinking they were housebroken? ROFL! So the best shoes would be ones w/o ridges in them (they should be slick on the bottom), right? Otherwise, I'm going to be pretty sick thinking about using a stick to get the poo from the grooves. Ugh.

    Taking pictures ~ I know what you mean. Some of my favorite memories are the photos in my mind. I was in Istanbul and was horrified to see people taking photos of those in the Blue Mosque who were praying.

    When you offered money to people to take their picture, did you find you were then surrounded by a lot of people who thought you were handing it out? I have heard don't give to beggars, and so I was wondering if they see you hand over money to take their pictures, did that entice them?

    What was the walking like? The information I got so far says it's "moderate", but what they consider moderate and what I consider moderate may be 2 totally different things!

    One more question (for now) ~ what about bathroom breaks on the tour? I mean, where do you go? I am all for "when in India", but am not sure I'd be comfortable peeing in the street! LOL LOL
    Thanks!
    Felicia
  • With a bit of luck you will. Or be the only one returning on tour flight from the tour group, as it happened we were the only ones, but if you ask ahead of time you can arrange to stick with those people when you arrive at the at the airport.

    I don't want to post my personal journal here. On my return from Africa in July I posted a practical review of the hotels and a review of the trip but that was not the same as my journal, I intend to do this from now on, I've only been doing the forum since I started to look for tips for our India trip.

    Have you checked with Tauck for sure that it is much more expensive on a different flight? They will usually book any flight we want for us. Generally on long flights we use Premium Economy, we rarely are in the Business class league.

    Tour to Fatipur Sikri was a Tauck paid for but optional tour. By this point most people want an afternoon off, only three of us took the tour so they took us in a limo, about an hour drive if I remember correctly. Just before we got there we switched over to a tuk tuk. It was fantastic.

    Jewelry I wore a cheap plastic wedding ring and matching engagement ring, nothing else and some people on our tour were worried they would get ripped off my hand because they looked so real. These days I take virtually nothing in jewelry. Last trip one cheap ring not even earrings.

    The places we took pictures of people we had no problems with people crowding around, for example there was a 'snake charmer' right by our bus, you have to be selective and always have a small note in your pocket, don't get out your purse.

    Bathrooms, the guides do the best to find Western style toilets but that does not mean they are always clean. If they say this is a good
    Ace for a bathroom, go, even if you don't need to go, not great for bladder training but just do it. Sometimes they are the hole in the floor type and even at the Taj Mahal they are not great. If you forget toilet paper the guide usually has some. And gel too.

    Walking was ok. Just watch where you put your feet, especially at Varanasi.

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