India, Africa and Asia.

We just used an ATM at the airport on arrival in India. State Bank of India or something. Used NAB(ex citi)… no fees or charges, and the interbank rate.
 
One time I went to India, the government had just done their snap currency change-over (trying to flush out the vast amounts of stashed cash that were being untaxed). Couldn’t get INR of either sort in Australia, or Singapore, and in country the lines at ATMs were horrendous ( and for India, that’s saying something). Fortunately, my private guide, anticipating this, acted as my ATM for a few days until we found an accessible ATM.
 
Elevate your business spending to first-class rewards! Sign up today with code AFF10 and process over $10,000 in business expenses within your first 30 days to unlock 10,000 Bonus PayRewards Points.
Join 30,000+ savvy business owners who:

✅ Pay suppliers who don’t accept Amex
✅ Max out credit card rewards—even on government payments
✅ Earn & transfer PayRewards Points to 10+ airline & hotel partners

Start earning today!
- Pay suppliers who don’t take Amex
- Max out credit card rewards—even on government payments
- Earn & Transfer PayRewards Points to 8+ top airline & hotel partners

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

One time I went to India, the government had just done their snap currency change-over (trying to flush out the vast amounts of stashed cash that were being untaxed). Couldn’t get INR of either sort in Australia, or Singapore, and in country the lines at ATMs were horrendous ( and for India, that’s saying something). Fortunately, my private guide, anticipating this, acted as my ATM for a few days until we found an accessible ATM.
We got caught up in that and not in a good way. We'd saved our INR from a trip a few years earlier. Went to use it at a store and the guy looked at us almost in horror and said he might have to report us to the police as the note size we were using was now illegal contraband. I think the. 20,000? This was in 2023. Not sure if he was joking but we exited.
 

Become an AFF member!

Join Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) for free and unlock insider tips, exclusive deals, and global meetups with 65,000+ frequent flyers.

AFF members can also access our Frequent Flyer Training courses, and upgrade to Fast-track your way to expert traveller status and unlock even more exclusive discounts!

AFF forum abbreviations

Wondering about Y, J or any of the other abbreviations used on our forum?

Check out our guide to common AFF acronyms & abbreviations.
Back
Top