Money in India, sorted.

The three things people ask

Will my card work? Do I need cash? Are ATMs easy?

The quick read for a first trip.

Cash or card

Cash still runs the street, but QR payments and cards now cover a lot.

Your money plan

Four steps and you're set.

Staying connected

Will my phone work here? And what will it cost?

Yes across cities, towns and most travel routes, and it's cheap. Jio and Airtel have the widest, fastest coverage, with strong 4G and expanding 5G; a tourist SIM is inexpensive with your passport and a photo, though activation can take a few hours to a day, so an eSIM bought before arrival is often smoother. A data connection matters more here than usual, since UPI payments, ride apps and maps all lean on it. Expect weaker signal in remote hills, deserts and some rural stretches, so download offline maps before heading off the main routes. The cost is where people get caught out, and on most US plans it lands in one of two buckets.

Check what your own carrier charges before the trip, not after.

If an eSIM is the cheaper call, Nomad covers India.

Medical cover

Every other number on this page has a price you can look up. This one does not, and it can be the largest of them all. Most US health plans cover little or nothing once you leave the country, and Medicare covers essentially none of it abroad. A serious illness or injury is paid up front, and a medical evacuation runs from tens of thousands of dollars to past $100,000 if you are remote or an ocean from home.

Currency basics

The rupee, in plain terms.

Taxes and service charges

No tourist tax, but GST is on your bill, and "service charge" is optional.

India does not levy a per-night tourist or city tax. What you'll see instead is GST, India's value-added tax. On restaurant bills it's usually 5%. On hotel rooms it depends on the nightly rate: rooms up to about 1,000 rupees are exempt, rooms from roughly 1,001 to 7,500 rupees are taxed at 5%, and rooms above 7,500 rupees at 18%. GST is generally shown on the bill and, for hotels, tied to your room rate, so the higher rate mainly affects luxury stays. Separately, some restaurants add a "service charge" of around 5 to 10%. This is not a government tax: India's consumer authority has ruled it cannot be made mandatory, so you're within your rights to ask for it to be removed, and any tip is genuinely up to you. There is no VAT-refund scheme for tourists on general shopping.

That covers what a government adds. What you can still change is what the room itself costs, and that comes down to the booking moment: see how to pay less on hotels.

Fees and taxes to double-check

The numbers most likely to change.

These are the fees and taxes that move on political timelines, so we track each one on its own. Every line shows the amount, whether it is in effect yet, the date we last checked it, and a primary source where a clean one exists.

In a hurry? A private service can prepare and file this visa for a fee on top of the official cost above, which stays the cheaper route.

Watch out for

The small traps that catch first-timers.

Tipping

Modest, in cash, and always in rupees.

Tipping in India, sometimes called baksheesh, is common but rarely large, and it's genuinely appreciated since many service workers earn modest wages. At sit-down restaurants, around 10% is generous if no service charge has been added; if one has, an extra tip is optional. For everyday help, small amounts go a long way: 50 to 100 rupees per bag for a hotel porter, 50 to 100 rupees a day for housekeeping, 100 to 300 rupees for a full day with a driver, and 200 to 500 rupees for a good tour guide. Round up autorickshaw and taxi fares rather than adding a formal tip. Keep small notes on hand for this, and tip in rupees, not dollars, so no one loses out on an exchange.

Common questions

Quick answers.