currency in India

[Edt]

trying to get a pal some cash (a wee surprise) before his trip to India.. rang the bank & was told dollars. What's happened to gold old ruppees?
Ed

[andy mac]

I used rupees when i was there. Haven't heard they changed to anything else. You might just be better off using dollars, and the BDC gave you the right advice. The Dollar is a far more stable currency than the ruppee remember, so the Indians prefer to have it.

[esselte]

Iv'e just copied this:

"Please note that no Indian Currency whatsoever can be imported or exported, except for Rupee Travelers Cheques. Banks abroad do keep rupee balances with their agents in India and are able to draw upon these balances to issue Rupee Travelers Cheques to intending tourists."

From here:


www.raptoradventures.co.uk/IndiaFactSheet.aspx

Don't know if it helps.

[andy mac]

Edt said:

trying to get a pal some cash (a wee surprise) before his trip to India.. rang the bank & was told dollars. What's happened to gold old ruppees? Ed

Where is he going? I was in Bombay for 18 months. great place. bit smelly, and very poverty striken, but great fun all the same!

[T5-R]

Your best (and probably only) option is to give your mate US dollars which he can immediately exchange before leaving the airport on arrival.

US dollars seem to be more widely accepted than GBP Sterling.

Or give them a T-Shirt with "TOUTS: PLEASE OFF!" printed on it.



>> Edited by T5-R on Monday 19th September 14:38

[mechsympathy]

esselte said:

"Please note that no Indian Currency whatsoever can be imported or exported, except for Rupee Travelers Cheques. Banks abroad do keep rupee balances with their agents in India and are able to draw upon these balances to issue Rupee Travelers Cheques to intending tourists."

As a friend of mine found out after he managed to swap his Pakistani rupees for Indian ones at the border. The guard found them and he was suddenly skint

Dollars or sterling should be fine, and there are cashpoints all over the place.

[andy mac]

Yup.. They have the usual HSBC, Citibank outlets all over the place. I remember having my visa card stopped when I was there because they thought it was being used for fraud, as it was in use for a few months in Bombay. had a nightmare getting it restarted from Bombay!

[WWESTY]

T5-R said:

Your best (and probably only) option is to give your mate US dollars which he can immediately exchange before leaving the airport on arrival. US dollars seem to be more widely accepted than GBP Sterling. Or give them a T-Shirt with "TOUTS: PLEASE OFF!" printed on it. >> Edited by T5-R on Monday 19th September 14:38

What he said!

[sparkythecat]

You'll need some rubber gloves to safely handle Indian rupees. The notes are even more skanky than Egyptian pounds.

FFS don't lick your fingers when you're counting them.

[andy mac]

Another thing that is offputting in Bombay was the lepers. I know its not contagious, BUT having one put their stump on you and ask for money is gross!

[willmcc]

changing a couple of hundred dollars at Bombay (Mumbai) resulted in more notes than I have ever seen, seriously I had 20 bundles of notes all stapled together I didn't have enough pockets
tis still a great country though

[andy mac]

willmcc said:

changing a couple of hundred dollars at Bombay (Mumbai) resulted in more notes than I have ever seen, seriously I had 20 bundles of notes all stapled together I didn't have enough pockets tis still a great country though

You change a hundred quid, and your wallet is bulging, can't close it, and you end up with hideously buldging pockets!

Did you go to leopolds on the main drag? Best place in Bombay! We used to go to the Taj mahal hotel round by the gateway to india for a decent, 'posh' meal! great place!

[willmcc]

Always stay at the taj at the gateway,
always party at athena and fire and ice
always feel a bit weird when i see people living in the gutter below F&I I stil struggle to cope with how harsh this town is

[Size Nine Elm]

Wots been said... You can't take rupees in or out of India, but $ or £ are OK.

Changing £100 odd can be problematic when you are given the balance in 50 rupee notes - about 60p - i.e. a wodge of 200 notes, which seems a bit crazy - except in local terms a 50 rupee note is the equivalent of about a fiver... for tipping I was recommended 20 rupees - which seems a bit tight when its only 25p.