Federal Bank international debit card: Your full guide

Aman Saxena

Federal Bank in India offers international debit cards for both Indian and Non-Resident Indians.

Read on to learn more about Federal Bank’s international debit cards and how they work.

📝 Table of contents

Federal Bank international debit cards

Federal Bank offers 2 different international debit cards:

Rupay Platinum International Debit Card

Rupay Platinum International Debit Card

NRI EMV International Debit card

NRI EMV International Debit card

Although they are both international debit cards, there are differences between the two cards when it comes to eligibility, benefits, and usage. Let’s take a deeper look.

Eligibility

Rupay Platinum International Debit Card is available for platinum accounts at Federal Bank. Typically platinum accounts require a minimum average quarterly balance of either:¹

  • A minimum of ₹5 Lakh in a Federal Bank CD or SB account and ₹5 Lakh in term deposits
  • A minimum of ₹10 Lakh in a CD or SB account

NRI EMV International Debit card is only available to Non-Resident Indians. And it can only be linked to an open NRE account at Federal Bank. NRE accounts have a required minimum balance of ₹5,000.

🛂 Non-Resident Indians are citizens of India who live outside of India for more than 182 days.

Benefits and perks

Rupay Platinum International Debit Card comes with benefits and perks for travel and shopping. You can earn reward points by shopping at stores and online.

And you get 2 free lounge passes per quarter in domestic lounges and 2 free passes per year for international lounges. Here are some additional benefits:

  • Personal Insurance of ₹2,00,000
  • 5% cashback on Utility Bill payments up to ₹50 per month
  • Up to 1% cashback on fuel up to ₹75 per month
  • 24/7 Concierge services in English and Hindi
  • Discounts on local purchases made at Cafe Coffee Day, IRCTC, and movie tickets and more

NRI EMV International Debit card offers easy shopping in person and online. It can be used globally including at ATMs in 180 countries. The embedded chip enables secure transactions wherever you are.

Usage and limits

Rupay Platinum International Debit Card has a total daily usage limit of ₹3,50,000.

That includes a daily purchase limit of ₹3,00,000, and a cash withdrawal limit of ₹50,000

NRI EMV International Debit card has a daily usage limit of ₹30,000

To make things easier, here is a quick table on how both cards compare:

Rupay Platinum International Debit CardNRI EMV International Debit card
ProviderRupayMastercard/Visa
International useYesYes
Chip-enabledYesYes
Daily usage₹3,50,000₹30,000
ATM use abroadYesYes
Eligible₹10 lakh banking relationship with Federal BankNon-Resident Indian
PerksYesMinimal

How to apply for an international debit card with Federal Bank?

To apply for an international debit card with Federal Bank, you will first need an account with Federal Bank.

Here are the steps to opening an account:

  1. Go to the Forms & Stationery page on the Federal Bank website
  2. Select the PDF for either a Resident or NRI
  3. Fill out the form on your computer or you can print it and complete
  4. Bring the form to your local Federal Bank branch

For an account opening you will need to provide the following documents as well:⁴

  • Photograph
  • Copy of your PAN
  • Passport/ Aadhaar/PAN/driver's license for identity proof
  • Passport/ Aadhaar/PAN/driver's license for address proof

If you have a Federal Bank account already, you can request for a debit card online:

  1. Head to the Federal Bank website
  2. Click on Fed-E-Point
  3. Enter in your 14 digit account number
  4. Enter in the OTP on your registered mobile phone
  5. On the dashboard click on Debit Card Application
  6. Select the account that you would like the debit card for
  7. Choose the debit card from the eligible cards list on screen
  8. Click continue
  9. Verify the address for delivery
  10. Click on submit request

The debit card should arrive at the address selected on the screen.⁵

Federal Bank international debit card charges

Here are the fees & charges for both international debit cards available at Federal Bank:

Rupay PlatinumNRI EMV Debit card
Annual fees₹500₹300
International ATM fee₹ 100₹ 100
International transaction fee3.50%3.50%

There may be additional charges or fees so it is best to speak to a Federal Bank representative. Certain charges can be avoided if there are more than ₹ 50,000 worth of purchases made with the debit card.⁶

One of the main things to note is that with both debit cards there are still fees associated with spending globally, despite being international cards. There are 2 main fees, the first being a transaction fee of 3.5%. That will be added to all international transactions.

The second will be an exchange rate fee, which is tucked into the exchange rate you will get on your purchases made with the card abroad. Federal Bank makes their exchange rate slightly weaker than the real exchange rate you see on Google. And in that way, they take a cut on every conversion. It can seem small, but the exchange rate fee can add up in a big way.

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Federal Bank international debit card activation

Your Federal Bank international debit cards should arrive with the international transaction feature ready. But if it is not activated yet, you can take the following steps to enable the debit card features:

  • Call 04842866700 and enable debit card services
  • Log into Fednet and select Debit Card Services and then Debit Card ON/OFF from the menu

If you have any problems or issues, it is advised to head to the Federal Bank branch near you. There is a Locate Us option on the right side of the Federal Bank homepage to find the nearest bank branch. ⁷


Sources used for this article:

  1. Platinum eligibility
  2. Rupay Platinum
  3. NRI EMV Card
  4. Account opening process
  5. Debit card process
  6. Fees
  7. Activation

All sources checked as of 3 March, 2022


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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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