FOREX Travel Cards offered by Banks in India

This document is for people who do not want to carry a large amount of cash with them or want to avoid the hassles of carrying with them loads of travelers cheques.

Most Indian banks do offer some kind of prepaid foreign exchange/ foreign currency/ travel card. These cards are very different from the traditional International ATM-cum-Debit Cards. Firstly, you cannot use the FOREX Cards here in India (or in Nepal or Bhutan). Secondly, these cards transact in Foreign Currency, US Dollars, in our case. So, inherently, you are insulated from fluctuations in conversion rates. You will spend Dollars at the rate you buy the dollars, not at the rate of the day!

Also, in the case of Traditional Debit-cum-ATM cards, the overseas ATM transactions and swiping at merchant locations will incur an exorbitant fee, in addition to the conversion rate of the day. Not the case, if you are using a FOREX Card.

These cards are also a good method to get money from home during your stay in the US. They are better, in most cases, than a wire transfer, because :
Wire transfers generally take upto 1 week (more in some cases) to complete. Card loading can be completed in a matter of minutes (Can take a max of a couple of hours).
Wire Transfers typically attract a charge from both participating banks , which together can be as high as $8-$25, depending on the 2 banks.
Note: POS = Point-of-Sale in the following discussions. It refers to any merchant location/outlet that accepts your card (swiping) for payments for products and services.

Note: As per RBI regulations, an Indian citizen going abroad for a general visit cannot take more than $10,000 in a year with him abroad in paper/plastic money (cards). But, the rule is different for educational trips. As per FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) regulation, a student going abroad for education may be sent a maximum of $1,00,000 or equivalent during the financial year. Make sure that the card you choose from below is compliant with FEMA regulations and will allow you to carry more than $10,000 in a year.

Note: In the following discussion, Cross-currency charge means the additional charge that will be levied in case you make transactions in a currency different from USD (for example, EUR, CAD, AUD, INR….). This charge is in addition to the conversion rate of the day.

Note: Most of the cards below will attract a charge for ATM withdrawals abroad. Also, there is a daily withdrawal limit for the ATM Cash withdrawals for most cards. In that case, you might want to reconsider if you want to take out humongous amounts of money.

Suppose I wanted to withdraw an entire semster's tuition fee from an ATM- NOT a good idea!
For Example, BofA can dispense a max of 40 bills in one transaction. And the highest denomination is a $20 bill. So, in one go, you can withdraw upto $800. You might have to repeat it ~15-16 times if you want to take out money for 1 sem! I would prefer using this card for a regular usage, where I will not need to take out more than 500$, for example taking money out for rent and so on...

Note: Most of these cards are issued on the spot. Typical documentation includes (a) Passport/Visa Copy (b) PAN Card © Travel Ticket (d) Form A2 (If you need to load more than $5000)

Note: In order to load cash onto the card, either you or your authorized representative will have to visit the branch personally and make the request. Make sure you get appropriate forms from the banks and authorize your parents/sponsor. Also, confirm with your bank if they allow you to load the card through your existing account with the bank through internet Banking. It will be convenient for your parents/sponsor to load your card.

Note: All these cards come with the facility of checking the balance online, so do not waste your money by checking your account balance at an ATM- Even checking the balance is chargeable. Also note, the cards are not associated with an operative account, so you cannot do funds transfer from this card! (No NEFT, RTGS, SWIFT transfers). You can buy stuff online through payment gateways though.

This document lists some of the more popular choices in no particular order.

IDBI BANK
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(World Currency Card- VISA, Debit)
Initial Card Fee: $3.00
Reload Fee: $2.00
Replacement Fee: $2.00 (to be collected from branch, shipping and handling additional if it is to be sent home)
ATM Cash Withdrawal: $1.50 per withdrawal
Charges for swiping at POS: NIL
Cross Currency-charges : 3.00 %
URL: IDBI FOREX
Availability: Nearest IDBI Branch
Daily ATM Withdrawal limit: $20,000 (Check before you buy)

AXIS BANK
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(Travel Currency Card - VISA, Debit)
Initial Card Fee: INR 150+ 16 (Tax) = Rs. 166
Reload Fee: INR 100+Taxes
Replacement Fee: INR 100+Taxes (to be collected from branch, shipping and handling additional if it is to be sent home)
ATM Cash Withdrawal: $2.00 per transaction
Charges for swiping at POS: NIL
Cross Currency-charges : 3%
URL: AXIS FOREX
Availability: Nearest Axis Bank Branch
Daily ATM Withdrawal limit: $10,000 (Check before you buy)
Minimum Balance : $0.00
(You or ur sponsor need to have an account in AXIS Bank for reloading the card)


ICICI BANK
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(Travel Card - VISA/MasterCard, Debit)
Initial Card Fee: INR 150+ 15 (tax) = Rs. 165
Reload Fee: INR 100+Taxes
Replacement Fee: $2 (if replacement to be collected in India, $20, if in the US)
ATM Cash Withdrawal: $1.50
Charges for swiping at POS: NIL
Cross Currency-charges : 3.50%
URL: ICICI FOREX
Availability: Select ICICI Branches. Check Website.
Daily ATM Withdrawal limit: $2,000 (Check before you buy)
Minimum Initial Amount = $200
(You or ur sponsor may not have an account in ICICI Bank for reloading the cards)

STATE BANK OF INDIA
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(Prepaid Vishwa Yatra Foreign Currency Card - VISA, Debit)
Initial Card Fee: INR 110
Reload Fee: INR 55
Replacement Fee: $5 (if replacement to be collected in India, $25, if in the US)
ATM Cash Withdrawal: $1.75
Charges for swiping at POS: NIL
Cross Currency-charges : 3.00%
URL: SBI FOREX
Availability: Select SBI Branches
Daily ATM Withdrawal limit: $1,000 (Check before you buy)
(You or ur sponsor need to have an account in SBI Bank for reloading the card)


STANDARD CHARTERED
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(Prepaid Smart Travel Card - VISA/MasterCard/AMEX, Debit)
Initial Card Fee: INR 250
Reload Fee: INR 100
Replacement Fee: INR 400 (if replacement to be collected in India, $25, if in the US)
ATM Cash Withdrawal: FREE*
Charges for swiping at POS: NIL
Cross Currency-charges : 3.50%
URL: STANDARD FOREX
Availability: Nearest Standard Chartered Branch
Daily ATM Withdrawal limit: Unlimited

*Note: For Standard Chartered Smart Travel Card holders, there is a facility of free ATM Withdrawals depending on the amount you have loaded on the card. Refer the table below for details:
Loaded amount No. of Free ATM Withdrawals
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<$500 0 (No Free withdrawals. Withdrawals will be charges at $1.75)
$1000 2
$5000 8
$7500 Unlimited (You can treat it as locally issued card in the US!)



HDFC BANK
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(HDFC Forex Plus Card - VISA/MasterCard, Debit)
Initial Card Fee: INR 125
Reload Fee: INR 75
Replacement Fee: Initial Card Fee is inclusive of a secondary "Add-on" card, which will be activated if your primary card gets lost or stolen..
ATM Cash Withdrawal: $2.00
Charges for swiping at POS: NIL
Cross Currency-charges : 3.00%
URL: HDFC FOREX
Availability: Nearest HDFC Branch
Daily ATM Withdrawal limit: Unlimited
(You or ur sponsor may not have an account in HDFC Bank for reloading the card. However, the other bank account transfers can take upto 2 days to reload the card.)


CITIBANK
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(Citibank World Money Card - VISA/MasterCard, Credit)
Initial Card Fee: Waived until December 2011 (Normally $7)
Reload Fee: Waived until December 2011 (Normally $4)
Replacement Fee: Contact branch once card is lost/stolen
ATM Cash Withdrawal: $1.75
Charges for swiping at POS: NIL
Cross Currency-charges : 3.00%
URL: CITI FOREX
Availability: Very few Citibank Branches, You will have to go to Money Changers for this. 
Daily ATM Withdrawal limit: Unlimited

Download this Spreadsheet for more info.

Which Card to Choose and How? 
You may want to consider the following:
1. Which bank offers the cheapest deal?
2. Which bank is located closest to your parents/sponsor's residence?
3. What is your usage pattern? Are you planning to take out large/smnall amounts?
4. Visa or Mastercard? -Visa is more popular/widely accepted in the US, generally. Varies with area.

Card Safety:
Some simple tips:
1. When in an ATM, hide the keypad. However generous you are, others don't need to know your password/ the amount of money you have. If you haven't already, learn the art of being discreet :p
2. Don't share your card/PIN.
3. Don't share the Card's web access.
4. Check balances online frequently to locate frauds and take action.
5. If you are using Visa, see if the card has "Verified by Visa". VbV is a protection scheme where you will be asked a password in addition to the standard details in case of online transactions. Similar scheme called "SecureCode" for MasterCard.
6. Take good care of your card- It is after all, plastic money!
7. Report the loss.theft of call IMMEDIATELY to the number provided by the bank and request for hotlisting/ blocking the card. If you don't then the bank will not be responsible for protecting you against fraud/misuse of the card!