RBI Purpose Codes for Inward Remittance to India: Reference List
Complete guide to RBI's purposes codes for inward remittances to India from abroad.
Wise and Revolut are both well loved digital specialists offering multi-currency account and card services, international payments and more.
The services you can get with Wise vs Revolut depend on where in the world you live when you register - so which one suits you might depend on where you call home, and what type of transactions you want to make in INR. This guide tells you all you need to know.
Wise operates more or less globally, but the available features and services do vary based on where in the world you are. Let’s look at the Wise services which you may want to use in India, depending on your specific needs.
Traveling to India for tourism, work, or to visit friends and family? Get a Wise Account and travel card to spend and withdraw in INR on arrival.
In many countries and regions globally, you can register a Wise Account and order your linked Wise card, for easy spending and cash withdrawals in India. Simply top up Wise from your bank or with a card, in your home currency. You can then either convert to INR in your account in a few taps, or let the card do the conversion for you when you spend. In either case, you get the mid-market exchange rate, and low, transparent fees for conversion - and some free ATM use monthly, before the Wise withdrawal fee begins.
Looking to send payments from overseas to India? Use Wise to send money to India from many countries and regions globally.
Use your Wise Account to send payments to a bank account in India, including NRE and NRO accounts, or to a UPI ID. If you’re sending money to friends, family or businesses in India, this offers a simple, secure and low cost option to get your payment moving quickly.
Pay from your home currency, and Wise will convert your funds to INR with the mid-market rate and low, transparent fees which depend on the currency being used. Arrange your payment with just your phone or laptop, for deposit to your recipient’s account in 1 - 3 working days in most cases.
Are you a business owner or freelancer in India? Use Wise to receive business payments from abroad with local account details.
Open a Wise Business account in India to receive incoming business payments conveniently in 7 major currencies. Hold your balance in the currency you receive, or convert to INR with the mid-market rate for withdrawal. You can also use your balance to send payments overseas to supported markets, to pay contractors, suppliers or staff for example.
Need to send money overseas from India? Wise can also support international payments from India to bank accounts abroad, for education, travel, and medical expenses. More on that later.
Revolut operates in many countries and regions globally, allowing you to open an account and get a linked travel card to spend when you’re in India, and to send payments from Revolut to banks in India. Here’s what you need to know.
Heading to India on a trip? Open a Revolut Account to get a travel card for spending and withdrawals in India.
While the exact services you can get depend on where you live, in most countries where Revolut is available you can open an account on several different plans, which come with varied features and fees. Often you’ll find there’s the option for a Standard plan with no monthly fees, but relatively limited features and no fee transactions, or you can upgrade to a Premium or Metal plan which come with ongoing costs and more perks.
All Revolut account types come with a linked debit card which you can use as a convenient travel card in India. Just add funds in your preferred currency and tap to pay wherever the network is supported. Generally you can convert with the Revolut exchange rate on weekdays to a limit dictated by your plan, with no extra fees. Fair usage fees then begin - and out of hours charges may also apply on weekends.
Need to make payments to a Bank account in India? Send transfers to India with Revolut.
Revolut Accounts can also be used to make international transfers to India from your home country. The way this works can depend on where you reside, and the Revolut plan you have. You’ll be able to model the payment in the Revolut app to see the charges and exchange rate, and then compare to other providers before you confirm. Fees tend to vary based on your plan and the currency you send from.
Let’s look at a side by side Wise vs Revolut comparison on some important features.
Wise | Revolut | |
---|---|---|
How it works | Send payments to India with Wise from most places globally for deposit to bank accounts | Send payments to bank accounts in India with Revolut from supported countries and regions¹:
|
Best for | Personal or business transfers which use the mid-market exchange rate | A choice of account tiers which allows you to choose the transfer and exchange costs in many cases |
Limits | For private individuals - up to 100 million INR per transfer, depending on how you choose to process the payment. For businesses - up to 1.5 million INR per working day | Limits may vary based on your location - usually around 5,000 GBP per transfer You’ll see the limit in the app before you set up your payment |
Service fees | Low, transparent fee which depends on the country the sender is in | Variable fees based on country, currency and Revolut account plan |
Exchange rate | Mid-market rate | Weekday exchange uses the Revolut rate to plan limit, then fair usage fees are likely to be levied Out of hours fees may apply on weekends |
*Data correct at time of research - 27th March 2025
Both Wise and Revolut use variable fees for international transfers to India. You can model your payment in the provider’s app or on their desktop site to see what you’re likely to pay.
Wise transfer fees depend on factors like the currency you’re paying in, the payment method you select, and the value of the transfer.
Revolut fees may also be affected by these factors, plus you may find there are additional fees or discounts on transfers and currency exchange depending on the specific plan you have. Revolut’s Standard plans have low no fee currency exchange limits, for example, which may mean you pay a fair usage fee, while top tier plans may have no conversion limits and discounts on transfer fees.
Wise uses the mid-market exchange rate - which is like the one you get with a Google search - with no extra fees added.
Revolut plans usually come with a fixed amount you can convert during weekdays every month, before any additional fees begin. Once you exceed the plan conversion limit you may pay a fair usage fee of about 0.5% to 1%. You may also find you pay more to convert at the weekend - usually an extra 1%. The exact rates you get with Revolut can also depend on where in the world you live, so you’ll need to read your plan’s terms and conditions carefully to know what to expect.
Revolut has not launched international transfers from India. If you need to send a payment abroad, why not use Wise to send money to bank accounts overseas from India, instead.
You’ll be able to send up to 9,900 USD per transfer for education, or 375,000 INR per transfer for other allowable reasons, to annual legal limits set by the Reserve Bank of India. Set up a Wise Account online or in the Wise app, and transfer digitally
Send money using Wise from India to a range of around 50 countries, in 20+ major global currencies. Transfers are available for education, travel, or medical expenses, and take 2 to 4 working days to arrive in most cases. Currency conversion uses the mid-market rate, with low variable fees from 1.16%, depending on the country and currency you’re sending to.
Both Wise and Revolut are popular providers of international transfer and account services in many countries and regions globally. The services offered for India by each of Wise vs Revolut are a little different - so the one which suits you best may depend on how you need to transact.
Wise lets you send payments both to and from India, with the mid-market rate and low, transparent fees for currency conversion. You can send money to India from most countries around the world, and from India you can send outbound payments for education, travel, or medical expenses with Wise, to banks in around 50 countries. You can also choose Wise for a multi-currency account which offers a travel card for payments and withdrawals in India.
Revolut doesn’t support payments from India to other countries, but you can get a Revolut Account and card in many countries for spending in India. You can also send money with Revolut to India once you have a verified account.
Use this guide to see whether Revolut or Wise can help you send, receive or spend in INR conveniently and cheaply.
*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.
Complete guide to RBI's purposes codes for inward remittances to India from abroad.
Complete guide to RBI's purposes codes for outward remittances from India.
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