Visitbritain ties-up with Standard Chartered

For the convenience of those travelling to the UK, Britain's national tourism agency - Visitbritain - has tied-up with banking giant Standard Chartered to provide a pre-paid travel money card.

The cards that can be purchased from a StanChart branch before travel, will be loaded in Indian Rupee and will automatically convert to pound sterling without any commissions, Standard Chartered said in a release issued here.

Cardholders can withdraw the amount as cash through automated teller machines or use it for merchant transactions.

The card will carry the visa logo and have security features like a four digit PIN to complete a transaction and a round-the-clock call centre to block it in case of theft or misplacement, it said.

Cardholders will also be able to avail discounts of up to 20 per cent in over 1,500 restaurants and cafes in UK, it added.

Any outstanding currency can be converted back into rupees on return to India, or alternatively, the card will remain valid for one-year and can be loaded again for further trips, the release added.