Forex for a USA Trip from India: World Cup 2026 Money Guide

The United States hosts the most matches of the 2026 World Cup, with 11 host cities and the final at MetLife Stadium near New York on 19 July. If your trip is built around US matches, here is the money side of it: where the games are, the visa position, how to handle US dollars, and the spending quirks first-time visitors do not expect.

Where the matches are: the 11 US host cities

The 11 US host cities are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle. Group-stage matches are spread across all of them, with the later knockout rounds concentrated in the larger venues, including the final near New York.

Three regional clusters help with planning. The eastern group runs through New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta and Miami. The central group covers Dallas, Houston and Kansas City. The western group is Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle. Picking matches within one cluster keeps internal US travel manageable.

Visa: B1/B2 for Indian fans

An Indian passport holder needs a B1/B2 visitor visa to enter the United States. There is no visa on arrival.

Demand is higher than usual this year, so apply as early as you can. If you already have a confirmed match ticket, you can apply for a priority interview slot under the US FIFA Pass scheme. The priority slot moves up the appointment queue but does not guarantee approval. You still have to meet the standard requirements: ties to India, funds for the trip, and a clean travel record.

If your B1/B2 is valid from an earlier trip, you can use it for the World Cup. The visa is typically issued for 10 years from the date of approval.

US spending quirks: sales tax, tipping and contactless

Three things about US spending that are different from India.

Sales tax is added at the till, on top of the displayed price. A meal listed as $30 comes out to around $32 to $33 once tax is added, anywhere from about 6 to 10 percent depending on the city. New York and Los Angeles sit at the higher end; Boston and Miami sit lower. You see the final number only on the bill.

Tipping is part of the bill in the US. At full-service restaurants, 15 to 20 percent is the norm, with the higher end common in larger cities. Taxis and rideshare apps expect 10 to 20 percent. Hotel housekeeping is around $2 to $5 a night, and a porter expects about $1 to $2 per bag. Many counter-service places now show tip prompts on the card terminal as well; those are optional and people often skip them.

Card payments are nearly universal, and contactless is the default in most places. You can tap a forex card or your phone for almost any transaction. Two situations still call for cash: tipping where the bill is settled before the tip is added, and small vendors or farmers' markets in some cities.

Forex card vs cash for the United States

For a US trip, a forex card carries the bulk of the spend and cash covers the gaps. The mix that works for most fans is around 80 percent on the card and 20 percent in cash.

A forex card holds US dollars at the rate you bought them at, and the amount is debited in dollars when you spend. That insulates you from the daily movement of the rupee while you are travelling. Cash is for tipping, the odd cash-only spot, and small purchases where pulling out a card feels excessive.

How much US dollar cash you can carry from India

The limit is USD 3,000 per trip in foreign currency notes for travel to the United States. The rest of your forex sits on a card.

If you arrive in the US carrying more than USD 10,000 in any combination of cash and instruments, you have to declare it to US customs on arrival. For a fan's trip, that does not come up. USD 3,000 is well below the declaration threshold.

A practical split is around USD 800 to USD 1,500 in notes, in a mix of $1, $5, $20 and a few $50s. The $1s and $5s are for tipping. The $20s and $50s cover airport transfers, small cash spends and a buffer. Anything beyond that is better held on the card.

Using a forex card in the US

A forex card runs on the same Visa or Mastercard rails as any other card, so you tap, insert or swipe it the same way. The Matrix Forex Card is on Visa and is accepted at any US merchant that accepts Visa, which is nearly all of them.

For ATM withdrawals, expect two small fees: the card's own foreign ATM fee, and a fee charged by the US ATM itself, commonly $3 to $5 per withdrawal. To keep that down, withdraw a larger amount once rather than smaller amounts multiple times.

For online purchases, including rideshare and food-delivery apps, the card works like a standard Visa card. Use the cardholder details registered against the card, not the details of your Indian credit card, to avoid the transaction being flagged. If you have not used a forex card before, here is how a forex card works.

Buying US dollars in India: airport vs buying ahead

The worst rate on a US trip is almost always at an airport exchange counter, at either end of the journey. Those counters carry the widest margin because they rely on last-minute need.

When a bank or exchange sells you dollars, it adds a markup to the underlying exchange rate. It does not show as a separate fee, but it sits inside the rate you are quoted. The usual range is 2 to 5 percent. On a US trip from India that runs around ₹4 lakh to ₹7 lakh per person, a few percent on the currency is a real amount.

Matrix Forex sells US dollars at the live interbank rate, the rate banks trade at between themselves, with no markup added on top. Buy ahead while you can still see the rate, rather than at a counter once you have landed.

TCS on a USA trip from India

For most fans on a single US trip, TCS does not apply.

TCS on travel spending starts once your total foreign spending crosses ₹10 lakh in a financial year. A standard US trip stays under that, so the 20 percent rate does not come in. If your total foreign spending across the year does cross ₹10 lakh, the 20 percent applies only to the amount above the threshold, and it is adjusted against your income tax when you file your return. More on how TCS and the LRS limit work in our travel-money guide.

Frequently asked questions

How much cash can I carry to the USA from India?

Up to USD 3,000 per trip in foreign currency notes. The rest of your forex should sit on a card. If you carry more than USD 10,000 into the US, you have to declare it on arrival using FinCEN Form 105.

Is a forex card better than cash for the United States?

For most spending, yes. The US runs on cards and contactless payments are universal. Cash mainly covers tipping and the occasional cash-only vendor. A useful split is around 80 percent on the card and 20 percent in cash.

How do I use a forex card in the USA?

You tap, insert or swipe it like any other Visa or Mastercard. For ATM withdrawals, expect a small fee from the card and another from the US ATM, so withdraw larger amounts less often.

Can I use a forex card for online payments in the US?

Yes. It works at US online merchants that accept Visa, including rideshare and food-delivery apps. Use the cardholder details registered against the card.

What is the US dollar buying rate in India today?

The buying rate moves through the day with the interbank market. The cleanest reference is the live interbank rate that authorised dealers use between themselves. Matrix Forex publishes that rate live and sells dollars at it without adding a markup.

Read next: our combined World Cup money guide, the Canada and Mexico money guides if you are crossing borders for matches, and forex card vs cash for travel for the deeper card explainer.