Once upon a time, if you had to go abroad, you would have to go through a lengthy and time-consuming procedure to get foreign exchange. You would be required to visit the office of the Reserve Bank of India, stand in a queue, fill up a form and so on. Even after doing all that, you would probably end up getting limited foreign exchange. And this would lead to a fear that you might run out of foreign currency while abroad.

Today, it?s an entirely different story. Whether you are going on a holiday or on a business trip, all you need to keep in your wallet is your international debit card or credit card or may be both. And you can make all your payments, including hotel, travel, food and shopping bills, using the cards.

In short, these international credit and debit cards have facilitated seamless money transactions. One has begun to bank on these completely for all expenses on a foreign trip. A pretty picture no doubt. However, imagine your plight if the bank fails to honour your card without any valid reason!

Recently, the Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission adjudicated over one such case. On a trip to London, Raj Mohan presented his credit card for a payment of Rs 3,000. The credit card company refused to honour it. On his return to India, he filed a complaint alleging that he had a credit limit of Rs 95,000 on which there was a balance of Rs 28,000. In spite of that, he was denied a transaction of Rs 3,000. The state commission, after considering all factors, held that the bank had no right to decline the transaction.

Holding the bank guilty of deficient service, it upheld the order of the Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum awarding the consumer a compensation of Rs 20,000, in addition to Rs 5,000 towards the cost of litigation (Standard Chartered Bank vs Raj Mohan, appeal no A-335/2002, decided on February 18, 2005).

As a precaution, I would like to suggest that before going on a holiday, check your card details and ensure that your expenditure remains within the credit limit on your card. However, if you are unjustifiably denied the service promised to you, then remember, you have every right to demand compensation for any inconvenience or harassment caused.

Besides the consumer court, you can also present your case before the banking ombudsman or the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission.