Are you planning for travelling abroad forex card might be your best companion but we know with the variety of option its harder to find a perfect forex card but in this article we will compare the charges and benefits of more than 20 most popular forex card so that you can easily understand which card to choose with a glimpse .
Note that we are not ranking the card from best to worst , we are only showing the card detail charges so that you can choose your card with a glimpse , we have also provide details feature , charges link so that you can see the detail feature of individual card .
Before comparing cards you should aware of all the Fees and charges of forex cards
1) HDFC multicurrency forex card
HDFC multicurrency currency forex card is one of the most popular forex card option in India it supports 22 currencies and have zero forex markup . You will get many features in this card like complimentary insurance , Emergency Cash Delivery incase of card lost , Contactless Tap & Pay etc.
Currencies :
Australian Dollar, AED (Dirhams), Canadian Dollar, Euro, Hongkong Dollar, Japanese Yen, Singapore Dollar, Sterling Pound, Swiss Franc, Swedish Krona, Thailand Baht, South African Rand, Omani Rial, New Zealand Dollar, Danish Krone, Norwegian Krone, Saudi Riyal, Korean Won, Bahrain Dinar, Qatari Riyal, Kuwaiti Dinar and US Dollar .
click here to see all the detail feature , charges and benefits
| card issuance fee | INR 500 + GST |
| reload fee | INR 75 + GST |
| ATM withdrawal charges | USD 2 + GST |
| Cross currency usage Fee | 2% of transaction amount |
| currency supported | 22 currencies |
2) HDFC Student forex card
HDFC Student forex card is one of the most popular student forex card in India . It offers zero forex markup , complimentary insurance and you will get a Complimentary globally recognised ISIC Identity Card. , which is internationally recognized by universities, academic institutions, student unions, national governments, financial institutions and ministries of education around the world.
| card issuance fee | INR 300 + GST |
| reload fee | INR 75 + GST |
| ATM withdrawal charges | USD 2 + GST |
| Cross currency usage Fee | 2% of transaction amount |
| currency supported | 3 currencies |
3) HDFC Regalia Forex card:
| Card issuance fee | INR 1000 + GST |
| Reload fee | INR 75 + GST |
| Cash withdrawal charges | USD 4 + GST |
| Cross currency usage fee | NIL |
| Balance enquiry fee | USD 0.50 per transaction |
| Daily Limit for ATM Cash Withdrawal | USD 5000 |
4) Axis Bank Multicurrency forex card
| card issuance fee | INR 300 + GST |
| reload fee | INR 100 + GST |
| ATM withdrawal charges | USD 2.25 + GST |
| Cross currency usage Fee | 3.5% of transaction amount |
| currency supported | 16 currencies |
| Replacement Card Fee (Domestic) | NIL |
| Replacement Card Fee (International) | USD 15 |
5) Axis Bank Club Vistara
Axis Bank Club Vistara Forex card
| card issuance fee | INR 500 + GST |
| reload fee | INR 100 + GST |
| ATM withdrawal charges | USD 2.25 + GST |
| Balance enquiry fee | USD 0.5 |
| Cross currency usage Fee | 3.5% of transaction amount |
| currency supported | 16 currencies |
6) ICICI Multicurrency forex card :
ICICI Multicurrency Forex card comes with many features and benefits like zero forex markup , free comprehensive travel insurance , emergency cash assistance incase of lost card .
There was annual charges comes with icici forex cards but icici bank have removed annual fee to make it more attractive in the market.
Currencies list :
United States Dollar (USD), Great Britain Pound (GBP) , Euro (EUR),Canadian Dollar (CAD), Australian Dollar (AUD), Singapore Dollar (SGD), United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED), Swiss France (CHF), Japanese Yen (JPY), Swedish Krone (SEK), South African Rand (ZAR), Saudi Riyal (SAR), Thai Baht (THB), New Zealand Dollar (NZD), Hong Kong Dollar (HKD)
| card issuance fee | NIL |
| reload fee | INR 100 + GST |
| ATM withdrawal charges | USD 2 + GST |
| Cross currency usage Fee | 3.5% of transaction amount |
| currency supported | 15 currencies |
| inactivity fee | INR 500+GST (Charged every 6th month of inactivity) |
| Cash withdrawal@POS | 0.5% of transaction amount |
7) ICICI student forex card :
| card issuance fee | INR 499 + GST |
| reload fee | INR 100 + GST |
| ATM withdrawal charges | USD 2 + GST |
| Cross currency usage Fee | 2% of transaction amount |
| currency supported | 15 currencies |
| Inactivity Fee | INR 500+GST (Charged every 6th month of inactivity) |
8) ICICI coral forex card
| card issuance fee | INR 499 + GST |
| reload fee | INR 100 + GST |
| ATM withdrawal charges | USD 2 + GST |
| Cross currency usage Fee | 3.5% of transaction amount |
| currency supported | 15 currencies |
| Inactivity Fee | INR 500+GST (Charged every 6th month of inactivity) |
9) ICICI Sapphiro Forex card:
| card issuance fee | INR 2999 + GST |
| reload fee | INR 100 + GST |
| ATM withdrawal charges | USD 2 + GST |
| Cross currency usage Fee | 3.5% of transaction amount |
| currency supported | 15 currencies |
| Inactivity Fee | INR 500+GST (Charged every 6th month of inactivity) |
10) SBI Multicurrency forex card
| card issuance fee | INR 300 + GST |
| reload fee | INR 75 + GST |
| ATM withdrawal charges | USD 2 + GST |
| Cross currency usage Fee | 2% of transaction amount |
| currency supported | 9 currencies |
11) Niyo global forex card:
| card issuance fee | NIL |
| reload fee | NIL |
| ATM withdrawal charges | INR 100 + GST |
| Cross currency usage Fee | NIL |
| currency supported | 150+ currencies |
12) Thomas cook Multicurrency Forex card
| Card issuance fee | NIL |
| Reload fee | NIL |
| Cash withdrawal charges | USD 2 + GST |
| Cross currency usage fee | 4.5% of transaction amount + GST |
| Currency Supported | 9 currencies |
| inactivity Fee | USD 6.99 per month (charged after 6th month of inactivity) |
13) Thomas cook one currency Forex card
Although you can add only 1 currency in Thomas cook one currency forex card but due to its unique feature zero cross currency fee you can do transaction in any currency without giving extra conversion charges.
| card issuance fee | INR 150 |
| reload fee | INR 100 |
| ATM withdrawal charges | USD 4.99 + GST |
| Cross currency usage Fee | NIL |
| currency supported | 1 currency(supported) |
| inactivity fee | USD 6.99 per month (charged after 6th month of inactivity) |
14) Indusind forex card
currencies :
United States Dollar, Euro, Australian Dollar, Great Britain Pound, Singapore Dollar, Saudi Riyal, Canadian Dollar, UAE Dirham, Hong Kong Dollar, Swiss Franc, Japanese Yen, New Zealand Dollar, South African Rand & Thai Baht
| card issuance fee | INR 300 + GST |
| reload fee | INR 100 + GST |
| ATM withdrawal charges | USD 2 + GST |
| Cross currency usage Fee | 2% of transaction amount |
| currency supported | 14 currencies |
| Inactivity fee | INR 250.00 equivalent per quarter post 18 months of inactivity |
15) IDFC First Bank Multicurrency Forex card :
currency supported :
IDFC Multicurrency Forex card supports 14 currencies these are :
United States Dollar (USD), Euro (EUR), Great Britain Pound (GBP), Singapore Dollar (SGD), Australian Dollar (AUD), Canadian Dollar (CAD), Japanese Yen (JPY), Swiss Franc (CHF), Hong Kong Dollar (HKD), New Zealand Dollar (NZD), Dubai Dirhams (AED), Norwegian Kroner (NOK), Chinese Yuan (CNY) & South African Rand (ZAR).
| Card issuance fee | NIL |
| Reload fee | NIL |
| Cash withdrawal charges | USD 1.5+ GST (3 withdrawal pm free) |
| Cross currency usage fee | 3.5% of transaction amount + GST |
| Currency supported | 14 currencies |
| free comprehensive Travel insurance | yes |
does forex card have lounge access ?
Few forex cards comes with lounge access benefits but not every forex card have lounge access .
is forex card better than cash ??
A forex card is generally better than cash for international travel because it offers safety and convenience, and often provides better exchange rates with lower transaction fees. Unlike cash, it also reduces the risk of loss or theft and can be easily reloaded.
