How much Rs. to have on hand upon arrival?

You can get rupees from banks in Canada and the rate isn't bad. Probably better than the exchange you pay via the ATM plus the $5 per withdrawal fee when you get to India. You can also get rupees at the airport money exchange in Pearson and there the rate IS very bad.

I've taken a few thousand in and out a couple of times and never even been asked if I was carrying any.

You are correct in what you are saying, however Nick is also correct. Thomas Cook can get them for you at an inflated rate.

We never pay a fee on our ATM withdrawals & got good rates everytime. Of course, we worked hard to find a card that had no fees but that's how we roll.

Know nothing about Canada but it's still illegal to bring in a lot of rupees though they never check.

Hi camelgirl,

I know we've had this conversation before. So - what's the card?

As to ATM fees - are you talking about the fees charged by your bank or the convenience fees charged by the ATM machine for using it there?

I don't even want to begin a discussion currency conversion fees charged by various bank cards nor the so-called free conversion cards offered by some banks.

As far as bringing rupees into India, we always come in with whatever we left with from the previous trip, making sure before we leave that we have enough for arrival tips, water purchase at inflated airport prices and arrival needs. And we always try to get loads of 10 and 20 notes while there and before we leave to have tip money, even though the bank tellers laugh at us when we leave with a huge stack of cash.

@ MissBees - Getting rupees in the US is possible through places like International Currency Express here. I don't know if there is a similar site for Canadians. Not very good rates (read not very good at all), but it provides you with arrival walking-around money. For example today it's 45 rupees to the dollar while the bank rate is hovering around 50/dollar. Plus they accept credit cards (additional surcharge) for phone or online orders. We don't use them any more but we did find them reliable when we did.

distaff

I have 2 ATM cards that refunded any fees from the local (foreign) bank & charged no fees themselves. They are both linked to checking accounts. One is an online bank I've had for years called Bank of Internet (yup, an online bank!). They recently stopped refunding foreign bank fees but still refund any U.S. bank fees so I stopped using the BofI card for foreign travel. The other is Schwab Bank & they charge no fees & refund any foreign fees. I don't know if you need to keep a minimum amount. Anyway, there are very few banks that offer free ATMs outside their own bank.

We also use a CapitalOne card which doesn't charge any foreign transaction fee & it's the only one I could find that doesn't.

Some general reflections on ATM use (mine and others') at ATM frequency?.

Hi,
I believe for each person 25,000 rupees would be fine. You need to have ATM's or places from where you can take money when you want. Do know the rates especially while travelling or else if you travel in taxi drivers might charge extra from you.

That would be illegal, even for a resident!

I take, and return with, about 1,000. That covers my cab home with a little spare. If I did not live here, I should have the cost of my first-night accommodation in case it is demanded before I can get to an ATM. Call it two or three thousand, then, or even five to be comfortable. This, for non-residents, can be exchanged at the airport without worrying much about the rate.

Anyone who needs 25,000 for their immediate needs is likely to be travelling on quite a high budget. If they are staying in star hotels, they are probably pre-booked, and will be paid by plastic.

Hello Friends!

Is the currency exchange at the airport open at ALL hours?

Has anyone used Citibank? I did a search and discovered that they have many branches throughout India, so was thinking of opening an account with them to avoid all those ATM charges.

I recently read to only bring LARGE US$ bills -- $50 and $100 that are new. Has anyone heard of this?

What denominations are the best to get?

Finally what is an appropriate amount to tip for small services?

Many thanks for any and all responses!

Is the currency exchange at the airport open at ALL hours?
Mostly yes

Has anyone used Citibank? I did a search and discovered that they have many branches throughout India, so was thinking of opening an account with them to avoid all those ATM charges.
Citibank does not have as many ATMs as other banks. They may have a few in every big city / metro but to travel such distances in a big city may by itself be an issue

I recently read to only bring LARGE US$ bills -- $50 and $100 that are new. Has anyone heard of this?
Never heard of such a thing but it always make sense to change a few hundreds each time instead of 10 or 20

What denominations are the best to get?
See above

Finally what is an appropriate amount to tip for small services?
Tips are not as common in India as many other countries. Big restaurants bill a "service charge" as it is so do NOT pay any tip there unless you are bowled over by their service. Valets, door-person, porters, etc. are okay with anything above Rs. 10. Same goes for waiters at small restaurants

Goa 76.5 Rs to £ this weekend

This seems a very odd statement to me. From our experience, there is no other place we've been where tips are so commonly expected. Perhaps it's because we stay in three-star hotels, but pretty nearly anyone besides the managerial staff expects something.

The good news, MissBees, is that traveller is right that the tips can be small by Western standards. We were told, for instance, to tip the porter Rs 20 for each suitcase. We travel with two standard-sized but heavy suitcases and two small but light ones. We tip Rs 30 for each heavy one, Rs 20 for the little ones if the porters have to haul a long distance, and they seem quite satisfied.

We find it a useful trick to carry a wad of small bills – mostly Rs 10 but some Rs 5's if they're available – to dole out as needed. And we keep the small bills well separated from the big bills. That way if you lose the wad, or if some pickpocket notices where you've put it and takes action, you'll lose only the little diddly.

A friend of ours who is a perpetual traveler alerted us to the idea of getting from the bank a large amount of small bills, say Rs 1,000, when first you arrive for a trip of any length. I carry at least a couple of hundred in my pocket every time we check out of or into an hotel – they dribble away incredibly quickly.

You will perhaps note in glancing through other IM threads that manymany Western travelers complain of people hanging around waiting for tips. This is partly because they know Westerners are suckers and are uncertain, so are likely to dole out rupees even when no service was performed. The other trick, of course, is to force upon you services you don't want. The most polished practitioners of this are spurious "priests" in temples who offer to lead you through some puja you never wanted. We try our best to avoid tipping all such people. To encourage them only makes it worse for others and for yourself on later trips.

Likewise, avoid the temptation to tip extravagantly. You will only be thought foolish, and even more will be expected of you next time.

Me too. I'd limit tips to Rs5 to Rs 10 per service rendered. I might be a little more generous if there was a lot og baggage --- and, at the end of a stay, if someone had been really helpful.

On the other hand, I recognise inflation (can't help it: suffering from it!) and my minimum Rs.5 has, in practice, become Rs.10. I'm not always as mean as I pretend to be!

We've heard from at least one other IM'er that you're not mean at all. In fact, your not-meanness is legendary!

You should have seen the look I got from a Delhi waiter when I left a Chennai-local tip !