Handling Costs, Money, And Tipping In New Delhi

Although New Delhi is modernizing, one of the cornerstones of commerce is the practice of bargaining. Whenever you buy something in a street shop or pay for a taxi ride, be prepared to haggle over the ultimate cost. If you do not, you will certainly be overcharged. Once you move away from street-level areas, however, the question of bargaining, tipping, and service overall becomes more complex.

Tipping In Upscale Hotels And Restaurants

In general, the more Westernized a given institution appears to be, the more expected it is that you will tip. You will never be asked to tip a taxi driver; take one ride in a rickshaw or any form of Indian cab, and you'll see why.

Service in hotels and restaurants tends to be upscale in proportion to the surroundings, and you are expected to tip if the service was particularly good. The more upscale the hotel, the larger the tip, but 10% is a good baseline amount. Porters at hotels and train stations should be tipped for helping with your luggage. The tip need not be large, and can be only 20 or so rupees a bag.

How To Haggle

Unless you are traveling by prepaid private car and going nowhere but westernized hotels and restaurants, you will need to haggle. The best technique is to maintain your focus while never appearing to become upset; expect a wide variety of techniques from the various people you bargain with, and be prepared to resist some very convincing sad tales of woe.

Understanding Money In New Delhi

If you first see your airfare in rupees, you might be tempted to wonder how you will afford travel to New Delhi. However, the exchange rate is extremely favorable to most Western countries.

Although it does change daily, a US dollar is equivalent to some 50 Rupees. A single rupee is subdivided into paise, which are denominated into coins of 5, 10, 20, 25, and 50 each. Rupees come in coins of 1, 2, 5, and 10 rupee. Bank notes are available in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1000 rupee amounts.