Update on cash situation in India for imminent visitors
 

A good friend is in India now (assorted ares of the country) and has been sending updates on the currency situation. As I'll be there next month, I want to be forewarned and forearmed about the good, the bad, and the ugly!

A week in, she's had no problem using ATMs, or encountering long lines, or trouble exchanging her USD for rupees at a reasonable rate in her hotels (so far, in Mumbai and Goa). Today, she sent the news, headlined in all newspapers, that the ATM limit per transaction has increased from 4500 rupees to 10,000 rupees.

I hope this is useful information for those visiting soon. For the people who live there and have borne the difficulty of this transition, wishes and prayers that lives will return to "normal" instead of continued worry with scrambling for the "new improved" money to buy basics.

Here are some headlines:

http://indianexpress.com/article/bus...-banks4477106/

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...w/56609839.cms

You stole my thunder CaliNurse, we found out today the limit restriction has been lifted. It's still a huge problem finding a working ATM in Tamil Nadu, but we found one today. The loooong line agreed to let me jump the queue (thanks to our super hero driver Siva) because I'm a guest in their country. Incredible India.
Poor old Siva, not a guest, no queue jumping for him, so I spotted him INR 1000.

Good news about the money situation!

sartoric, sweet story about being allowed to jump the queue because you're a guest in their country - but, of course, not letting the driver go ahead as well. As you say, Incredible India. It is!

I am so glad for those of you who are there (or going soon) that you are now at least somewhat able to carry on your trips without too much of a money hassle. We really wanted to visit India this winter but nixed the idea because of the currency problems. We are doing Myanmar, Bali and Malaysia instead.

But, I am most glad for the citizens of India who have had to deal with this issue for the past several months.

And, I suspect many, many people in the tourism sector are really hurting right now. I hope the improving situation will help them out but suspect it is too late for this year.

Thanks for the update and the good news!

Interesting (not necessarily in a good way)how each Indian state has different money situations now. In the USA, or Australia, or wherever, different states and regions have their own "personalities"... but that doesn't include ATMs that functions smoothly in some places and not in others!!
Next month I'll find out where Gujurat is in the mix. I'm hoping it'll be OK as this is P.M. Modi's birthplace state. Hmmmm.....

Sartoric, your driver is indeed a prince!!!

The situation may be OK for foreign visitors, but still seems to be a disaster for lower class Indians:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/24/w...s-to-bite.html

Thank you so much for this update. I am travelling to Kerala in March - I will probably need to take out around 60,000 Rupees during our stay, but will only be around the airport/Fort Cochi for a few days - do you think this will be a problem, or will I encounter ATMs throughout Kerala?

Thanks for your help,
Gillian

I'm in Kerala now. There's plenty of ATMs in larger towns and cities. None out here in the backwaters. The max you can withdraw is INR 10,000, if you're going to be rural, perhaps take two cards...

The latest info is INR 24,000/- can be withdrawn from the ATM from 1st Feb. Possible to confirm the news Sartoric?

I saw an ATM today which stated max withdrawal 25,000, however it wasn't working. Third time lucky, we found a working one, which initially said I'd exceeded my daily limit (I haven't withdrawn for about 3 days), used a different card (same account) and voila ! Incredible India.

As per the official guidelines - there is a per week withdrawal limit of 24000/- from the ATM for Savings Bank accounts. The daily limit seems to be 10000/- INR. I'm unsure how non-Indian bank account limits are affected.

The cash situation is pretty much normal now...

I don't use the ATMs. I go directly to the bank and get new notes.