Bangladesh Bank has allowed using of international cards for purchasing outbound air tickets directly from airlines operating in the country.
BB issued a circular in this regard on Wednesday.
The decision was made to reduce the price gap between tickets bought in Bangladesh and those bought overseas, while making payments easier for travellers who often struggle to get competitive fares inside the country.
From now on travellers can use their international card to buy air tickets from airlines that are operating in Bangladesh, but the purchase must be made through their Bangladesh operations, including local office, their Bangladesh website or mobile app, any channel where the airline settles the ticket proceeds inside Bangladesh through an AD bank, according to the circular.
Until now, international cards could only be used for travel-related purchases made abroad. This limitation created many problems.
Many passengers found that airlines offered cheaper tickets on foreign websites or overseas sales channels because those platforms could process international card payments.
Local counters and online portals could not offer the same prices due to the lack of digital settlement options. The new instruction removes that barrier.
Under the revised policy, resident Bangladeshis with valid visas can pay for outbound flights, such as Dhaka鈥揝ingapore or Dhaka鈥揇ubai, using their international cards inside Bangladesh.
The central bank has also laid out steps to ensure the foreign exchange involved in these payments remains fully traceable.
Airlines must route all ticket sale proceeds through authorised dealer banks in Bangladesh.
This ensures that every dollar earned enters the formal banking system.
The central bank says this will help it monitor foreign exchange flows more accurately at a time when the country has been facing pressure on reserves.
Cardholders who use their international cards to buy tickets will be allowed to refill the spent amount, but only after their banks confirm that the airline has settled the proceeds through a local authorised dealer.
Banks will keep separate records for each refill so the use of travel entitlement rules remains clear and auditable.
Bangladesh Bank has also expanded the facility for foreign airlines to keep their ticket proceeds in foreign currency accounts maintained with local banks.
These balances can be used to remit eligible surplus earnings abroad without converting them into taka.
Locally owned airlines, however, must convert their sales proceeds into local currency. These rules reduce the need for repeated currency conversions and make settlement smoother for foreign carriers.
