Indian duty free shops to display prices in Rupees; Customs issues new ruling on credit card payments

INDIA. Duty free stores will have to display their prices in Indian Rupees after Customs clarified rules governing credit and debit card payments.

Shoppers can now make credit and debit card payments in local currency, meaning they will no longer have to pay currency conversion charges on these cards. Prices at Indian duty free shops have long been displayed in US Dollars, with Customs noting that “passengers have had to bear conversion charges alongside transaction fees and other charges”.

In an updated clarification of rules introduced in 2016, Customs noted: “It has also been decided that for the effective implementation of the above, duty free shops shall henceforth mandatorily display the price of all goods on sale in Indian Rupees only”.

Special offer: Retailers such as Mumbai Duty Free (pictured) will have to display prices in Rupees, according to Customs’ latest clarification

The Customs update also noted that the Rs25,000 (US$370) purchase limit for shoppers in Rupees, which was introduced in 2016, will apply only in arrivals. In departures, there will be no limit on purchases that are made in Rupees through debit and credit cards.

When the new rules were introduced in 2016, travel retailers hailed the move, saying it would encourage Indian travellers to spend more in their own currency.

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