Travellers'' Cheques, Credit Cards and Atms
In addition to your cash, carry some travellers' cheques to cover all eventualities, with a few small denominations for the end of your trip, and for the odd foreign-currency purchase such as tourist-quota rail tickets which can be bought with American Express travellers' cheques. US dollars are the easiest currency to convert, with pounds sterling a close second. Major hard currencies can be changed easily in tourist areas and big cities, less so elsewhere. If you enter the country with more than $10,000 or the equivalent, you are supposed to fill in a currency declaration form. Travellers' cheques aren't as liquid as cash, but obviously more secure (and you get a slightly better exchange rate for them at banks). Not all banks, however, accept them, and those that do can be quirky about exactly which ones they will change. Well-known brands such as Thomas Cook and American Express are your best bet, but in some places even American Express is only accepted in US dollars and not as pounds sterling. A credit card is a handy back-up, as an increasing number of hotels, restaurants, large shops and tourist emporia as well as airlines now take plastic; American Express, Access/Mastercard, Visa and Diners Club are the most commonly accepted brands. If you have a selection of cards, take them all; you'll get much the same exchange rate as you would in a bank, and bills can take a surprisingly long time to be charged to your account at home. The Bank of Baroda and Standard Chartered Grindlays issue rupees against a Visa card at all their branches. Train tickets can now be paid for by credit card, but only in the major cities. Several banks now have ATM machines but only in the cities, and not all ATMs will accept foreign cards even if they sport Visa and Mastercard signs; you are best advised to enquire first before sticking your card into the slot. Delhi and Mumbai branches of the Hong Kong Bank and Bank of America have 24hr ATMs that take Visa and Mastercard, while some of Standard Chartered Grindlays banks also have foreigner-friendly ATM machines. It is illegal to carry rupees (besides spending money) into or out of India, and you won't get them at a particularly good rate in the West anyhow (though you might in Thailand, Malaysia or Singapore). Both American Express and Thomas Cook have offices in other major cities throughout India; see the relevant accounts in the guide and collect a full list when you purchase your travellers' cheques
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