India / Money rules

India money rules

Eight things worth remembering while you are there, each linking to the fuller explanation.

Open it, then press and hold to keep it in your photos. Works with no signal.

1. 1One website issues the e-Visa. The rest are middlemenIndia is among the worst destinations anywhere for visa agents, and the results are full of sites charging well over the government fee for the same form. Some are simply scams. Use the official portal.Applying for the e-Visa
2. 2The e-Visa only works if you fly into the right portIt is valid at designated airports and seaports, not at a land border, and it cannot be extended once you are there. Check your arrival point against the list before booking, and allow a week or two to apply.The e-Visa conditions
3. 3If a driver says your hotel is closed, call the hotelFlooded, full, burnt down, never existed: the story varies and the destination is always a place that pays him commission. It clusters around New Delhi station. One phone call to your booking ends it.The hotel is closed scam
4. 4Never buy gems or carpets to sell at homeThe costliest trap here is the export scheme: a friendly introduction, goods described as investment grade, and a resale market that does not exist. Buy things because you want them, never because of the profit.The gem and carpet scam
5. 5Book the auto in an app and skip the whole argumentDrivers are meant to run the meter and frequently will not, offering a flat price several times over the real one. Uber, Ola and Rapido all quote before you ride, which removes the negotiation entirely.Autos, meters and apps
6. 6The men who approach you at arrivals are not the taxiThey offer a prepaid ride well over the odds, sometimes taking hold of a bag to move you along. Use the app or the real prepaid counter. In Delhi, the Airport Express metro avoids all of it.Getting out of the airport
7. 7Baksheesh means many small tips, not big onesYou will tip often and never much: a porter, a driver, a doorman, housekeeping. In restaurants around 10 percent is normal, but check the bill first, because a service charge is frequently added and is officially voluntary.Tipping and baksheesh
8. 8Choose rupees, and ask for small notesRefuse the dollar option on any terminal or cash machine. Then get your cash into small notes, because large ones are hard to break at a stall and most of what you will enjoy here is a cash transaction.Cash and cards in India

These are the rules that do not really change, which is why they are worth carrying. Exact fees, rates and prices do move, so check the India guide for anything current before you rely on a number.

truetripcosts.com/india/rules