Use cards instead of cash, Britons in India told

Britain has revised its travel advice for India in the wake of the demonetisation drive, asking its citizens in the country to use credit or debit cards instead of cash.

Britain has revised its travel advice for India in the wake of the demonetisation drive, asking its citizens in the country to use credit or debit cards instead of cash.

A man displays new currency notes of Rs 2,000 denomination in Ahmadabad. (AP)

Several Britons in India have complained about their inability to use British credit and debit cards at ATMs or to exchange currency notes.

Some called the situation “absolute shambles”, while others said they understood the reasons behind the move to withdraw Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, but the government should have been better prepared for its fallout.

The updated advisory from the Foreign Office states: “If you’re exchanging money at a bank, take a form of photographic identification and expect long queues…If you have debit or credit cards, use them instead of cash where possible.”

The advisory states Britons in India should access further information from the Reserve Bank of India and the finance ministry.

More than 800,000 British nationals visit India every year. Most visits are trouble-free, the advisory said.