Pay for US bookings from India with UPI.
Your child is at NYU. Their spring-break flight is $480. Your HDFC card just got declined on Expedia for the third time. Here's how to actually pay.
Indian credit and debit cards have been getting flakier on international USD sites for years now — RBI's LRS rules, 20% TCS on foreign transactions, and fraud filters that flag any unfamiliar US billing address. The result: parents wiring money to students, kids running up Forex cards, and a lot of frustration on both sides.
Why UPI is the cleanest path
UPI lets you pay in INR from any Indian bank account via PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, or your bank's app. No card. No CVV. No 3D Secure dance. No LRS form. Just scan a QR or enter a UPI ID and approve.
The catch: UPI is rupee-only. There's no direct way to "pay UPI to Expedia." You need someone in the loop who can take UPI on their end and pay USD on the other.
The Getzy flow, end to end
- Student tells us what they need. Flight, hotel, anything. Message via Telegram or WhatsApp.
- We send a quote. Total in USD, plus equivalent INR at current rate.
- We send a UPI link to the parent. They pay in INR via PhonePe / GPay / Paytm. Takes about 10 seconds.
- We book. The booking goes under the student's name, with a real airline confirmation email landing in their inbox.
The exchange rate we use is close to the live INR/USD rate — better than what HDFC, ICICI, or SBI quote you on their cards (those usually load a 3-4% markup plus GST).
What about LRS limits?
LRS (Liberalised Remittance Scheme) caps Indian outbound remittance at $250k per individual per year, and adds 20% TCS on remittances above ₹7 lakh. Both apply to bank-wire remittances and Forex card loads. They don't apply when you pay an Indian merchant in INR, which is what UPI-to-Getzy is.
That's a meaningful tax saving for families paying $5-20k per year in their child's travel and living expenses.
How fast is it really?
From "I need to book X" to confirmation email: typically 30-60 minutes. Last-minute (same-day flights): often under 20 minutes. The UPI step itself takes 10-30 seconds once we send the link.
What kinds of bookings work?
Flights, hotels, Airbnbs, car rentals, concert tickets, restaurant reservations, even movie tickets. Anything bookable online in the US, payable in USD on our end, paid for in INR on yours. Full list here.
Send us your child's next trip.
Quote in 10 min, paid in INR, booked under their name.