Can I use Monzo in India?
Check out our handy guide to using your Monzo card and account in India, including what fees you can expect.
Heading to India for a holiday, work or to see friends and family? It’s a good idea to plan how you’ll manage your spending while you’re there.
If you’re a Revolut customer here in the UK, it’s useful to know whether or not you can use your Revolut card to spend in Indian rupees (INR) during your time abroad.
Read on, as we’ve put together a handy guide covering everything you need to know.
This includes a quick look at a great alternative for overseas spending - the Wise card. This international card automatically converts your money to INR at the mid-market exchange rate whenever you spend.
But for now, let’s focus on using your Revolut card in India.
The good news is that yes, you can use your Revolut card when you travel to India.
You can use it for purchases in shops and restaurants, online purchases and ATM withdrawals wherever Visa and Mastercard are accepted¹.
You can spend in INR using your Revolut card, but you can’t actually hold the currency in your Revolut account². This means you can’t convert currency and top up your balance in the local currency in the Revolut app ahead of your trip.
Instead, the Revolut card converts your pounds to rupees dynamically at the moment of purchase. This means that whenever you spend, the currency is automatically converted from GBP to what Revolut describes as a ‘settlement currency’. This is usually USD, and this is what will be paid to the merchant².
There are a few fees related to using your Revolut card in other countries, depending on when and how much you spend. Here’s a quick look:
Transaction | Revolut fee³ |
---|---|
Additional merchant surcharge fees (for paying by card) | Set by the merchant (if applicable) |
Currency exchange transactions above £1,000 | 0.5% |
Currency exchanges on weekends | 1% |
There’s also the exchange rate to consider. If you choose to be charged in your home currency when using your Revolut card to shop abroad, the merchant will apply their own exchange rate³. This usually has a mark-up added on top of the mid-market rate, so it ends up costing you extra.
If you’ll be spending a longer period of time in India, you may be thinking of getting a Revolut account. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait a little while. Revolut India is on the way, but at the moment you can only sign up to be on the waiting list⁴.
However, you can still use Revolut to send money from the UK to India.
Open a Wise multi-currency account online and you can get yourself a Wise card, for spending in 175 countries including India.
The Wise card automatically converts your pounds to rupees when you spend. But unlike other providers, it does the conversion at the mid-market exchange rate. This means no mark-up or margin added on top, and only a small fee to carry out the conversion. Or if you already have INR in your account, it’s fee-free⁵.
You can even use your Wise card to withdraw up to £200 a month from Indian ATMs for free (although ATM providers may charge their own fee).
⁵ Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing: Only Pay for What You Use for the most up-to-date pricing and fee information.
Sources used:
Sources last checked on date: 28-Nov-2022
*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.
We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
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