Money in India: Currency, Cash, Cards, UPI and Tipping

India's currency is the Indian rupee; one rupee is 100 paise. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issues the banknotes, in 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500-rupee denominations, and the Government of India mints the coins: 50 paise, and 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20-rupee coins. You will also meet older designs. Every 10-rupee coin, with or without the rupee sign, is legal tender, as are the old 2- and 5-rupee notes still in circulation. The RBI withdrew 2,000-rupee notes from circulation in 2023; they remain legal tender, but you are unlikely to be handed one.

The RBI asks people not to staple banknotes or write on them. Any bank branch must exchange a soiled note for its full value, for customers and non-customers alike, and commercial bank branches can judge torn notes under the RBI's note refund rules. To check a note, the RBI's advice is to look at it, feel it and tilt it: genuine notes carry security features you can see and touch.

Most visitors use all three, and the right mix depends on where you are.

• International cards are taken at hotels, larger restaurants and shops in the cities, and ATMs give rupees against them. Our guide to ATMs and cards in India covers fees, safety and what to do if a card is lost.
• UPI, India's instant payment system, runs on QR codes at counters large and small. A visitor can join in through UPI One World, a prepaid rupee wallet that the RBI allows for foreign nationals and NRIs visiting India; see UPI for foreigners.
• Cash still settles small purchases: street food, markets, auto-rickshaws, tips and temple offerings, and many places in the countryside. Keep a supply of 10, 20, 50 and 100-rupee notes, because change for a 500 is not always to hand.

Your phone needs data for UPI and for most payment apps, so sort out connectivity before you land; our eSIM and connectivity service can help.

Change foreign currency only with an authorised person: a bank licensed to deal in foreign exchange, or a full-fledged money changer licensed by the RBI. A money changer must display a copy of its RBI licence and a chart of its buying and selling rates, updated each morning, near the counter. Authorised dealers can also sell you rupees against an international credit or debit card.

Ask for an encashment certificate every time you change money. At the end of the trip, authorised dealers will turn unspent rupees back into foreign currency for a visitor against that certificate; without one, they may do so only for a small sum and at their discretion. If you draw cash from ATMs instead, keep the slips: authorised dealers may also reconvert rupees for foreign tourists, though not for NRIs, against original ATM slips.

There is no limit on the foreign currency you can bring, but customs needs a Currency Declaration Form on arrival when your foreign notes exceed 5,000 US dollars, or notes and travellers' cheques together exceed 10,000 US dollars. Indian rupee notes are capped at 25,000 Indian rupees for a visitor. The detail, along with the rules for gold, jewellery and duty-free goods, is in our guide to customs rules for gold and jewellery.

No law sets a tip in India. Tipping is voluntary, and in tourism it is customary to tip guides, drivers and hotel staff for good service, in rupees. A restaurant or hotel may not add a service charge to your food bill by default: under consumer guidelines upheld by the Delhi High Court in March 2025, it is voluntary and you can ask for it to be taken off. Our guide to tipping in India explains who is usually tipped and how.

Prices in markets, at street stalls and with unmetered auto-rickshaws are open to negotiation, and haggling politely and with good humour is normal there. Fixed-price shops, malls, restaurants and metered or app-booked transport are not the place for it. Agree the price before a ride or a purchase, not after.

For what the rest of a trip costs, see how much a trip to India costs and our advice on travelling India on a budget. NRIs with Indian bank accounts will find more in our guide to money and SIM cards for visitors.