India
South Asia
Travel guide essentials
India is a rapidly digitizing market with a massive mobile-payment culture (UPI), but international travelers still rely heavily on cards and cash as UPI setup usually requires a local bank account.
What matters most
- Cards work in hotels, upscale retail, and modern restaurants, but are less common for small daily purchases
- International cards cannot easily use UPI, which is the dominant local payment rail
- Reliable data and some cash are essential for moving around and small transactions
Payments and the UPI gap
India's payment landscape is dominated by UPI, which is incredibly convenient for locals but difficult for tourists to access. Most international visitors should rely on a mix of cards for larger venues and cash for everything else.
- Don't expect your home QR wallets to work with local UPI codes
- Upscale and urban merchants take international cards; small vendors usually don't
- Keep small-denomination cash for rickshaws, markets, and street food
Connectivity and apps
Data is affordable and essential in India. Apps for ride-hailing and food delivery are high-quality but often need a local number or verified profile for the smoothest experience.
- Get a local SIM or eSIM immediately for maps and ride-hailing
- Mainstream global apps work, but local super-apps are better for daily logistics
- Keep a backup power bank as heavy phone use is guaranteed for navigation and payments
Available Services Overview
| Service | Category | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal | Payment | Fully Supported | View |
| Apple Pay | Payment | Not Supported | View |
| Google Pay | Payment | Fully Supported | View |
| Stripe | Payment | Not Supported | View |
| Alipay | Payment | Fully Supported | View |
| WeChat Pay | Payment | Fully Supported | View |
| Venmo | Payment | Not Supported | View |
| Revolut | Banking | Not Supported | View |
| N26 | Banking | Not Supported | View |
| Wise | Remittance | Not Supported | View |
| Social | Fully Supported | View | |
| Social | Fully Supported | View | |
| YouTube | Video | Fully Supported | View |
| Netflix | Video | Fully Supported | View |
| Messaging | Fully Supported | View | |
| LINE | Messaging | Not Supported | View |
| Airalo | Telecom | Fully Supported | View |
| Holafly | Telecom | Fully Supported | View |
| Uber | Transport | Fully Supported | View |
| Grab | Transport | Not Supported | View |
| Spotify | Video | Fully Supported | View |
| TikTok | Social | Fully Supported | View |
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