Ever wondered how to pay online in India as a foreigner? It’s a tricky task, butwe’ve finally found away. Read on and learn how to pay onlinein India as a foreignerwith Airtel and PayTM.
Update 2019: Apparently the method below doesn’t work anymore. It is still possible to create the wallet with a fake passport number, but loading money doesn’t seem to work without KYC aproval. We’d love updates from readers who have tried the below method. An Indian passport number starts with a capital letter, followed by seven random numbers. Passport numbers never start or end with a zero. Thanks to all the readers who tried and let us know.
India is increasingly embracing onlinepayment systems and mobile wallets. Bus and train tickets can be booked online, and even small paan shops now acceptcards or digital money.
This is especially useful for travelers, as it allows you to buy train and bus tickets online, saving you the hassle of standing in line at the train station or paying extra fees to travel agencies.
It’s not easy to pay onlinein India as a foreigner
Unfortunately, due to India’s archaic laws and fear of foreign-sponsored terrorism, it’s not always easy to make online payments as a foreigner.
Not all vendors allow payments with a foreign debit or credit card, for instance, and the ones who do only work erratically (I’m looking at you, IRCTC). There are also plenty of charges associated with using foreign credit cards to pay online.Thesecan quickly add up, especially on long trips.
Are mobile wallets the answer to making payments in India as a foreigner?
So how to pay online in India as a foreigner? Online wallets seem like a great alternative to paying with debit or credit card… right?
Here’s the problem: PayTM, the country’s biggest online wallet, doesn’t allow you to charge money with a foreign card. This means that PayTM doesn’t work for foreigners. The only way to load money on a PayTM wallet as a foreigner is to have an Indian friend transfer funds with his or her local debit or credit card.
(Talk about useless.)
Unless you have Indian friends whose card you can use, you’re stuck paying extra fees to either travel agencies or your online service provider when you want to buy tickets. Or worse, if you’re like me, you’ll end up shouting at your computer because IRCTC declined your payment for the sixth time for no apparent reason.
It only took us a million tries to buy these train tickets…
Airtel makes it easy to make payments in India as a foreigner
Luckily, it’s just become easier to make online payments in India as a foreigner. India’s largest mobile provider, Airtel, has just rolled out Airtel Payments Bank, a mobile wallet of sorts.
If you have an Airtel sim card—which we recommend, as it offers good coverage at decent rates—and download the My Airtel app (Android,iOS), you automaticallyhave an Airtel Payments Bank account linked to your mobile number.
Tip:If you’re having trouble downloading the Airtel app, tryusing a VPNand setting your location to India to get it to download, or download the APK file.
The great thing about the Airtel Payments Bank is that it basically gives you an online Indian debit card. The moment you deposit money in your Airtel Account, which can be done at a myriad of Airtel Stores throughout the country, you can start paying for things online using this debit card.
You can even use the card to top up PayTM, if you’d rather use the more popular mobile wallet. You can also use the money to top upyour phone credit, or send credit to others regardless of carrier, which is pretty handy.
How to pay online in India as a foreigner with AirtelMoney
Get an Airtel sim card/phone number at any Airtel showroom. There’s also an Airtel stand right outside arrivals in the Delhi airport.
Download the My Airtel app (Android,iOS). Use a VPN and set your location to India if you’re having problems finding it in the app store.
Set up the My Airtel app.
Register forthe Airtel Money Payments Bank through the wallet icon in the top right corner of the My Airtel app. It should take less than a minute.
Load Airtel money onto your sim card with cash. You can do this at any official Airtel store in India. Some have automatic payment machines, others you might have to convince the customer service repto help you out.
Use the debit card number from your Airtel Payments Bank for all your future online purchases, or to load money onto your PayTM account.
Disclaimer:Before you start worrying, we have not sold our soul to big corporate Airtel. Nor are we associated with them in any way. The sole purpose of this article is to make it easier for foreign travelers in India to pay for things online.
Providing a major relief to inbound travellers travelling to India, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a directive that foreign tourists & travellers can make payments using UPI in the country. They can make local payments in India to merchants that accept QR-code based UPI payments.
Yes, foreigners can use Google Pay in India, provided they meet specific requirements. Google Pay, also known as GPay, is available to both Indian residents and foreigners who have a valid Indian bank account and a registered Indian mobile number.
As per current Paytm guidelines it is not possible for foreigners to use the Paytm wallet at-present. The Paytm guidelines state: “As per our current process, all Indian citizens, Indian residents and Tax residents of India and of no other country who are above 18 years of age are eligible for KYC.
Thus, people from these countries who don't have Indian mobile numbers or bank accounts when they visit India will be able to use UPI apps like Google Pay or Paytm.
Send money from USA to India using Google Pay: Step-by-Step
Tap on your Google Pay/GPay app. Find the contact you want to send money to in India. Hit Pay. You then have a choice of either Wise or Western Union for sending the money.
A few months back, the Reserve Bank of India opened up the UPI channel of payments to non-resident Indians. To take this ahead by a step, it recently released an amendment to a master circular on prepaid payments instruments or PPIs, whereby the regulator has allowed in-bound travellers into India to use UPI.
Paytm International Payment Gateway enables you to accept payments from your customers using international credit and debit cards. Accept payments in foreign currencies is an additional and optional service over and above international cards.
How to transfer money from the USA to India without paying taxes? There is no way to completely exempt tax on money transfers from the USA to India. According to American laws, you can remit a maximum of $14,000, after which gift taxes will be applicable.
Venmo is currently only supported within the U.S. If you try to sign in while abroad, you'll likely get an error message. We will be able to further assist you with any login issues upon your return to the U.S. If you are outside of the U.S. long term, please reach out to Venmo Support.
When you send money from US to India, the relationship between the sender and receiver is not important. The maximum tax-free amount you can send in a year is $14,000. Up to $14,000, no tax is charged. Beyond that amount, it would be subject to gift tax for the sender.
As of the financial year 2021-2022, the LRS limit for NRIs is INR 2,50,00,000 per financial year. This limit applies to the total amount of funds transferred by an NRI during the financial year, and includes all transfers made for any purpose, including investments, gifts, and personal expenses.
Bank transfers are usually the cheapest option when it comes to funding your international money transfer with Wise. Bank transfers can be slower than debit or credit cards, but they usually give you the best value for your money.
Yes.To send money overseas with PayPal, you'll pay an exchange rate margin fee every time you convert from one currency to another. These fees typically range between 2.5% and 4.5%, quickly making PayPal one of the most expensive ways of all to send money internationally.
Yes, you can open a PayPal account and use it in India. However, PayPal can only be used to make or receive international transactions. To use Paypal without a card, connect your Indian bank account to your account.
No, Apple Pay isn't available in India. India is one of the countries with a large number of iPhone users. Apple Pay is a contactless payment mechanism used by Apple users in countries such as France, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia, Taiwan, and Switzerland.
PayPal and our new Xoom service offer the flexibility, speed and security you need to send money worldwide. Choose from a variety of convenient options to transfer funds internationally – all with amazing rates.
Indian digital payment systems like UPI and/or RuPay are available in Singapore, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, France, BENELUX markets – Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg – and Switzerland, among others.
Synopsis. NRIs living in 10 countries can now access UPI using their international mobile numbers for their NRE or NRO bank accounts. This means non-resident Indians will no longer require an Indian phone number to access UPI.
According to the guidelines, NRIs in these countries will now have the option of activating a UPI account with the mobile number they use in the particular country with an international country code. Keep in mind that setting up a UPI ID for any app requires a valid India mobile phone number.
"NRIs will just need to link their NRE and NRO accounts linked to their international SIM to UPI and use it like any other Indian UPI user for merchant payment as well as peer-to-peer payments," he added.
It's better to use other money exchange services or ATMs. You'll be able to pay with your bank card at most places like car rentals, restaurants, major stores. For commuting, street shopping, tipping, and visiting some sights you'll need to have cash.
Yes, fortunately for you, you can send money via UPI to India from the US. Currently, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) allows international UPI transfers to India from the following countries: United States. Singapore.
First and foremost, Paytm is only available in India and a few other countries, so using it in other parts of the world can be a bit tricky. Additionally, Paytm does not support online purchases outside of the countries where it is accepted, so you won't be able to use it to make online purchases in other countries.
Paytm All-In-One Payment Gateway is regarded as the best payment gateway in India that helps merchants accept payments from international clients. It supports transactions from more than 200 countries via all major international cards and does not require additional API integration.
The popular ways to transfer money from India to the U.S. are by using bank transfer or wire service, online money transfer service providers, as well as cryptocurrency transfer.
A reliable and well-priced remittance platform, Panda Remit is an excellent option for transferring money to India from the USA, where many other remittance services don't operate or charge high fees. Panda Remit is especially fast, with most transfers arriving in just minutes!
There is no tab on the amount of money an NRI can send to India. However, the money being sent must be earned legally. Also, the sender needs to pay required taxes in the country where it has been earned. While sending money from the United States, there is a limit of USD $14,000 per person per year.
Amount of money I can transfer from the USA to India
According to the US Treasury Department, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) requires that financial institutions must file a Currency Transaction Report (CTR) for transactions which are over $10,000.
To transfer money from USA to India online, you can avail of the telephonic or wire transfer facility. The Indian bank will have correspondent banks through which such a transfer takes place. If your bank is part of the SWIFT network, the money can also be transferred through SWIFT.
Venmo is currently only supported within the U.S. If you try to sign in while abroad, you'll likely get an error message. We will be able to further assist you with any login issues upon your return to the U.S. If you are outside of the U.S. long term, please reach out to Venmo Support.
No matter how you send the money, your recipient could be on the hook for a gift tax if they aren't a blood relative, as regulated by the Indian Income Tax Act. If the money is sent as inheritance or as a wedding gift, however, there won't be any taxes levied on it by the Indian Income Tax Department.
To enable international transactions on your Debit or Credit Card, Login to Netbanking > Cards > Credit/Debit Cards > Request > International Enable. Call PhoneBanking. For Debit cards –Login to Netbanking > Cards > Credit/Debit Cards > Request > International Enable.
Introduction: My name is Arielle Torp, I am a comfortable, kind, zealous, lovely, jolly, colorful, adventurous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
