When you pay a hotel in a foreign currency with an Indian debit card, your bank may add a charge for converting the currency. This post does not tell you how to avoid it, because the charge is set by your card issuer. It shows where to find it.
What the RBI says. Para 24(c) of the RBI's Master Direction on credit and debit cards (the version RBI lists as updated 7 March 2024) says issuers shall not levy any charge that was not explicitly indicated to the cardholder at the time of issue and without the cardholder's explicit consent, and that all charges associated with cards shall be displayed on the issuer's website.
Where to look
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Your bank's website: the card's fees and charges page or "Key Fact Sheet". Look for words like "forex mark-up", "cross-currency mark-up" or "foreign currency transaction".
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Find the line for your own card variant. Charges differ by variant.
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Check the date on the document. Fee documents change.
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Ask the bank if you cannot find it.
Why we quote no figure. On 24 October 2026 we read two HDFC Bank pages for the same debit card variant (Infiniti). The Key Fact Sheet PDF, dated "as on 16th Aug, 2024", lists a forex mark-up with a lower preferential figure for that variant. The bank's live fees page for that variant states a different, higher cross-currency markup. We cannot tell from the pages which is current for a given cardholder. That is the point of the steps above: use the document your bank links for your card, check its date, and confirm with the bank. The same HDFC sheet states the rate used is the Visa/Mastercard wholesale rate at the time of transaction or merchant settlement.
At the hotel counter. Hotels may offer to charge you in rupees instead of local currency. That is the DCC choice in our DCC guide: the rate then comes from the hotel's side. If you choose local currency, the conversion is done by your issuer, and the charge you found above applies. Compare before choosing.
What this post does not cover: credit card charges, forex prepaid card charges, or any rate. Read your own card's document.
Sources and dates
RBI card direction, updated 7 March 2024 | HDFC debit card KFS, dated 16 August 2024 | HDFC Infiniti fees page
Quick questions
Where do I find my card's overseas charge? On the issuer's website; the RBI Master Direction says all card charges must be displayed there.
Can the bank add a charge I was not told about? The Master Direction says no charge not explicitly indicated at issue without explicit consent, apart from statutory taxes.
What is a cross-currency or forex mark-up? A line in an issuer's fee sheet for foreign-currency transactions. HDFC's debit card pages are one example, and two of its pages show different figures for the same variant, so confirm with your bank.
Is the rate the same everywhere? No. It differs by issuer and card variant.
Should I pay the hotel in rupees or local currency? See our DCC guide: check both screens, and compare with your card's charge.
A Miranda House graduate and lawyer who traded courtrooms for slow travel. Cheshta travels with the batches we host ourselves, with a soft spot for travelling alongside elders.
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