Getting a forex card for your international travel is much simpler with HDFC Bank’s online application process. This guide walks you through the entire procedure for obtaining the Regalia ForexPlus Card, with special notes for both HDFC Bank customers and non-customers.
HDFC Multi Currency Forex Card has a fee of ₹750 while Regalia Gold has a fee of ₹1000, however you can get it for free. Read below for a simple solution.
Initial Setup
- Go to HDFC Bank Smart Forex portal to get Regalia Forex Card
- Select whether you have an HDFC Bank account
- If you have account with them, you will be authorised with OTP after entering your Customer ID
- If you don’t have HDFC account, you will need to process it with your PAN
Personal & Travel Details
- I have an account with them so all my details were pre-filled.
- Enter you Travel details
Validate Currency Rate & Get Card for Free
- On this screen, you will be able to validate the rate at which you are buying your forex.
- Typically there is a markup of around ~2%. At the time of writing, USD to INR was 86.81 while the bank was charging 88.41. This is a fair mark up fee.
- Notice that you are being charged a fee of 1000+GST as card issuance fee. However, you can get it for free with this simple trick
- Load 1000 USD or more in the card to get your card issuance fee waived off. Simple & efficient. Notice the fee being removed in the screenshot below
Passport & Delivery Details
- Enter your Passport Details
- They ask for Passport File No as well which you can find out on the last page of your passport
- There are two types of deliveries
- Home
- You can select this if you dont want your name embossed on the card.
- Branch
- This option is available for both embossed and non-embossed card
- Home
Employment & Bank Details
- Enter your Employment Details like Source of Funding, Occupation, etc
- Enter Bank Account Details
Make Payment
- You can select payment method as UPI, Credit Card, Netbanking, Debit Card for your purchase
Confirmation
You will receive confirmation email & sms from the bank after completing the payment. You can download the application form for your reference.
My Experience
I recently applied for the HDFC Regalia ForexPlus Card through their online portal, taking advantage of their special 5x Reward Points offer on forex card loading. While I typically use my Infinia card for all international transactions, this reward multiplier was too good to pass up.
I opted for the embossed version of the card (which looks more premium and allows easier identification). The card will be delivered to my nearest HDFC branch for collection.
Share your experience below if you are already using the card