In a move that reinforces its commitment to innovation and customer-centricity, Thomas Cook (India) Limited has expanded its prepaid Forex Card portfolio to 28 currencies, making it one of the widest currency offerings available on a prepaid forex card in India. The enhancement reflects the company’s focus on enabling secure, seamless and digital-first payment solutions for the growing community of globally mobile Indian travellers.
As international travel patterns continue to evolve, convenience, security and speed have become critical considerations for travellers. With shorter booking cycles, increased adoption of cashless transactions and rising interest in emerging destinations, today’s travellers are seeking smarter payment solutions that work effortlessly across borders. Thomas Cook India’s expanded forex card portfolio addresses these changing needs by allowing customers to load and spend directly in local currencies, reducing dependency on multiple currency conversions and offering a secure alternative to carrying cash.
The company’s latest expansion adds 16 new currencies to its prepaid Forex Card portfolio: Chinese Yuan, Swedish Krona, Vietnamese Dong, Malaysian Ringgit, Indonesian Rupiah, Danish Krone, Hong Kong Dollar, Qatari Riyal, Norwegian Krone, Omani Riyal, Kuwaiti Dinar, Bahraini Dinar, Bangladeshi Taka, South African Rand, South Korean Won and Philippine Peso. These complement the existing 12 currencies already available on the card, including the US Dollar, British Pound, Euro, Japanese Yen, Singapore Dollar, Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar, Swiss Franc, UAE Dirham, Thai Baht, Saudi Riyal and New Zealand Dollar.
The addition of these currencies comes at a time when Indian travellers are increasingly exploring destinations across Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and other emerging markets. Access to local currencies in many of these destinations is often limited, resulting in costly and inconvenient multi-step currency conversions. By enabling direct transactions in local currencies, Thomas Cook India’s forex cards offer greater transparency, cost efficiency and convenience for travellers.
The expanded 28-currency suite is available across both Visa and Mastercard prepaid Forex Cards, ensuring broad international acceptance. Customers can purchase and load currencies through Thomas Cook India’s omnichannel network of retail outlets and digital platforms. In addition, the company’s partnership with Blinkit enables customers to buy and load forex on prepaid cards in under an hour, while its Forex on WhatsApp service provides round-the-clock assistance, including live rates and end-to-end transaction support.
The prepaid Forex Cards also feature contactless payment functionality and are compatible with digital wallet integrations such as Google Pay on enabled POS terminals, offering travellers a fast and convenient payment experience across global destinations.
Speaking on the development, Deepesh Varma, Chief Business Officer – Foreign Exchange, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, said: “At Thomas Cook India, innovation and customer-centricity are at the core of our offerings. We are witnessing strong and sustained growth in travel demand from Indian consumers to emerging and short-haul destinations across Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and beyond. Our expansion to 28 currencies for our prepaid Forex Cards is a direct response to evolving travel patterns, enabling our customers to transact seamlessly in local currencies while benefiting from greater transparency and cost efficiency.
Importantly, this initiative also supports our strategic focus on driving a digital-first approach to forex usage—shift from cash towards secure, smarter prepaid solutions. Additionally, through our partnership with Blinkit, we have further enhanced convenience by enabling customers to buy and load forex on their prepaid cards in under an hour—delivering speed, flexibility and ease to today’s digitally savvy and globally mobile Indian traveller.”
Highlighting the significance of secure cross-border payments, Ravi Datla, Senior Vice President, Customer Solutions, South Asia at Mastercard, said: “As international travel from India diversifies into newer and emerging markets, access to simple, secure and widely accepted payment solutions becomes increasingly critical. Mastercard’s deep expertise in cross-border payments, coupled with our global acceptance network, enables seamless transactions across geographies and currencies. Thomas Cook India’s expanded prepaid forex card suite, now offering access to 28 currencies, builds on this strength by allowing travellers to transact directly in local currencies, reducing the need for multiple conversions. The result is a truly cash-light, transparent and secure payment experience that delivers consistent convenience and confidence wherever their journeys take them.”
Adding further perspective, Sridhar Keppurengan, Head of Cross-Border Payments, India and South Asia, Visa, said: “Our cross-border strategy is rooted in creating seamless, secure, and accessible payment solutions for travellers. The expansion of Thomas Cook Visa forex card portfolio to 28 currencies further leverages our vast international footprint and extends the same security, transparency, and convenience to cardholders making cross border transactions. This offering is yet another pivotal step in our broader vision to foster global connectivity for the Indian consumer, through continued innovation and service excellence.”
With international travel demand continuing to diversify and digital adoption accelerating, Thomas Cook India’s expanded prepaid Forex Card portfolio is positioned to offer travellers greater flexibility, enhanced security and a seamless payment experience across a wider range of destinations worldwide.