Dhaka:Bangladesh Bank has authorized passengers to purchase tickets for foreign airlines operating in the country using international credit and debit cards. This provides an alternative to traditional banking channels and travel agencies.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the central bank's Foreign Exchange Policy Department issued a circular to all Authorized Dealer banks. This circular allows Bangladeshi citizens with valid visas to use international cards to buy tickets for foreign airlines operating in Bangladesh.
This facility extends to foreign airlines whose ticket sales are settled outside Bangladesh through international acquiring and payment settlement systems. The purchases made using international cards will not count against the consumer's fixed annual travel quota.
To ensure the authenticity of these transactions, issuing banks can verify and adjust the spent limit on the customer's card. Banks must use the specific Merchant Category Code assigned to the respective airlines to identify such transactions.
The facility is not applicable to domestic Bangladeshi airlines if tickets are booked through foreign platforms operating outside Bangladesh. Additionally, foreign currency earned through ticket sales must be calculated and adjusted as remittable surplus under existing regulations when sending money to the airline's home country. Banks are required to report these transaction details through Bangladesh Bank's Transaction Monitoring module regularly.
The directive, signed by Dr. Md. Abu Bakkar Siddique, Director of the Foreign Exchange Policy Department, is effective immediately.