India - Best Place To Get Local Currency In Noida/New Delhi?
 

While in Scotland I found the easiest and cheapest way to get local currency was to withdraw it from an ATM. There were plenty of banks and ATMs and it was no problem.

What about in India? I'll be flying into Delhi and staying in Noida. Are ATMs readily available? If not, should I get currency at the airport, hotel, or somewhere else? I won't need a lot, but will need some spending and tipping money while I'm there.

Thanks!

No problem with ATM's at Dehli airport. They are also everywhere else. Finding small bills for tips can be a challenge - be aggressive about it anywhere you can get change.

I would suggest you get a small amount of Rupees in Scotland before you leave just in case you encounter a problem when you first arrive. You can most likely do this at your departing airport, or try a bank like HSBC. I like to have enough to get to my hotel by taxi just in case everything goes wrong with my plan, like a power failure at the ATM, my driver does not show up, etc. There are money changers at the airport of course, but rate won’t be as good. There are ATMs at the airport, but with all the renovation going on at the int’l terminal I can’t currently tell you where they are located. You will certainly find them all over NOIDA, but if you want some money between landing and your hotel, you may want to have some on you or use the money changers at the airport. The money changers are open as long as flights are arriving.

I should note that there is a statute on the Indian statute books which prohibits anyone from bringing in Rupees; however I can assure you that it is no way aimed at, and Indian Customs is completely uninterested in, the typical casual tourist in India. (The statute is on the books to catch people who are bring in Rupees in cash for other reasons, like tax evasion by residents.) This is also evidenced by the fact that money changers in airport all over the world will sell you Rupees. So I would not worry about having 50-100 Euros worth or Rupees in your possession when you arrive into India.

At Heathrow one of the money changers would not sell us rupees because we were not Indian citizens. The adjacent booth sold us some without any questions. Go figure.

Cicerone - I forgot to mention that I was in Scotland as a tourist, and I'll be flying to India from Orlando, Florida, with a plane change in Chicago. So I'll probably be able to get a small amount of Rupees in one of those airports, and if not I'll just get a little at the Delhi airport.

Thanks for the advice, and I'll try to get small bills whenever possible. What denominations do they come in?

Here's a recent quote from a blog on the ATM location:

http://www.frontiertreks.com/indiabl...delhi-airport/
"There also is an ATM at the airport. When you leave the baggage claim area, and head out into the waiting area where the taxi drivers and everybody else are waiting for passengers, the ATM is on the far right side all the way back in a corner. When I checked it out there was a sign saying the max withdrawal was 5000 Rupees (just over $100 USD currently)." I believe this is an ICICI Atm - this was also the most reliable bank for us on our trip in the spring.

As far as limits go,your personal limit is determined by your bank at home, as well as the foreign bank, and the ATM instructions are confusing. For example, they may say the the limit is 5000 rupees, but that may well be "per transaction", so go ahead and try more transactions until you're denied, if you want higher amounts. One final point on ATM's: if you find a yourself in a town where the ATM is shuttered, try again the later in the day, or the next day - it may just be waiting for a restock of cash.

Getting change was hardly ever a problem for us, even in smaller towns and smaller shops, but by all means, hit a vendor as soon as possible.

And don't forget the credit card issue. Check with your card issuer for surcharges on foreign purchases as most do. As these charge can really add up, it's worth it to get a new one if necessary before you leave. There are several cards out there (eg. Capitol One in the US)that do not carry extra charges for purchases, just don't use a credit card for cash advances if you can help it - you'll really get hit.

Hope this helps.