Bangladesh Bank has allowed passengers to purchase tickets for foreign airlines operating in Bangladesh directly using international credit and debit cards.
As a result, in addition to traditional banking channels or travel agencies, passengers will now be able to pay for tickets directly using international cards.
On Monday (September 28), the Foreign Exchange Policy Department (FEPD-1) of Bangladesh Bank issued a circular in this regard and sent it to all authorized dealer (AD) banks.
The circular states that, subject to holding a valid visa, Bangladeshi citizens can use international cards to purchase tickets for foreign airlines operating in the country for overseas travel.
This facility will also apply to foreign airlines whose ticket sales proceeds are settled outside Bangladesh through international acquiring and payment settlement systems.
According to Bangladesh Bank instructions, this card-based ticket purchasing facility will remain outside the prescribed annual travel quota.
However, after verifying the authenticity of the ticket purchase, the respective bank can refill or adjust the funds used on the customer's card.
Banks must follow the specific Merchant Category Code (MCC) of the respective airline to identify such transactions.
However, this facility for purchasing tickets through foreign platforms will not apply to domestic airlines of Bangladesh.
That is, if a ticket for a Bangladeshi airline is purchased through a platform providing services from outside the country, this facility will not be available.
The circular further states that foreign currency earned from ticket sales must be calculated and adjusted as remittable surplus according to existing guidelines when remitting it to the airline's home country.
Additionally, information on these transactions must be regularly reported through Bangladesh Bank's TM (Transaction Monitoring) module.
The circular, signed by Md Abu Bakkarr Siddique, director of Bangladesh Bank (FEPD-1), has been ordered to take effect immediately.
