The Short Answer

With the exception of larger purchases (like accommodations) and those at more upscale establishments (nicer restaurants and stores), the vast majority of your shopping will be conducted using cash.

The Long Answer

The majority of your everyday expenses will be done with cash without an option for paying with card. This includes but is not limited to transportation, food and souvenirs. Most higher scale establishments and accommodations will accept credit cards. We generally advise people against using the currency exchanges at the airport and around the tourist areas. More often not, we find the exchange rate to usually be unfavorable to travelers. Instead we recommend using the ATM to procure your cash. ATMs are usually readily available but will charge an added fee for foreign cards. If you travel international with a decent frequency, you should look into getting a card which will wave these international fees or give you travel related perks (points towards hotels, airline tickets, etc). On a similar note, you will want to inform your card providers of your trip prior to arrival. The majority of your payments here will otherwise set off fraud alerts. Once you have some rupees, you will be almost ready to go! One final thing for you to be aware of is that you will want to keep a variety of bills at the ready. Often vendors will not have a plethora change available to them, so it is helpful to be able to give close to exact payments at your average dukaan (store or restaurant). There are multitude of opportunities waiting for you here. We at Project Mehrauli are passionate about providing you with unique, local-oriented experiences at an affordable price. So we look forward to hosting you soon, connecting you with our much loved neighborhood, Mehrauli.