Thomas Cook India partners with Blinkit to deliver forex cards in minutes

Through this collaboration, Blinkit will provide doorstep delivery of Thomas Cook's Borderless Travel Card (for leisure travellers) and Study Buddy (for students) in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai

Thomas Cook India has partnered with quick-commerce firm Blinkit to deliver “borderless” foreign exchange cards in minutes, said the travel company on Thursday as it seeks to strengthen its digital distribution channel.

 

The partnership will help Thomas Cook India strengthen its digital distribution channels, said Deepesh Verma, executive vice-president, foreign exchange and payment solutions, Thomas Cook India.

 

Blinkit will provide doorstep delivery of Thomas Cook’s Borderless Travel Card (for leisure travellers) and Study Buddy (for students) in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. Customers will get a blank foreign exchange card in 10 minutes, after which they can either complete the KYC process by going to Thomas Cook India’s nearest branch or opt for a virtual process. The required amount on the card can then be loaded through a link provided by the company. Thomas Cook India issues its own forex prepaid cards (it has a license for it) and works with Mastercard, Visa, and Rupay.

   

Thomas Cook plans to expand the service to other metro and Tier-II and -III. The company has 140 branches in 70 Indian cities. It expects the forex service business will grow 35 per cent over the years in terms of customer reach.

 

The move comes a day after Delphi World Money, a forex services provider for travellers acquired a substantial equity stake, along with management control, in Ebix Travels, expanding its purview beyond financial services to become a provider of comprehensive travel services. 

 

The expansion of services by travel companies comes as the number of Indians travelling to international locations is growing. Outbound travel numbers reached 8.44 million in the April–June quarter, compared to 7.59 million in the January-March quarter, according to the Quarterly Tourism Snapshot released by the Ministry of Tourism. India’s foreign exchange earnings stood at $6.02 billion in the April-June quarter.

 

Industry developments like the Thomas Cook and Blinkit partnership may help in issuing forex cards, said Ravi Gosain, president of Indian Association of Tour Operators.

 

“A few years back, travellers would carry around 70 per cent in cash and 30 per cent in cards. This trend has completely reversed, especially post-pandemic. In 2025, travellers have around 60-65 per cent of the amount in card and about 30-35 per cent in cash,” Verma noted.

 

Anish Shrivastava, senior vice-president for revenue at Blinkit, said: “We handle the delivery, while Thomas Cook India manages the secure virtual KYC process and card activation. We’re turning what was once a time-consuming task into a simple and seamless experience for customers.”