Bangladesh Bank (BB) has permitted passengers to purchase tickets for foreign airlines operating in the country directly using international credit and debit cards, providing an alternative to traditional banking channels and travel agencies.

The central bank’s Foreign Exchange Policy Department (FEPD-1) issued a circular on Monday and dispatched it to all Authorized Dealer (AD) banks across the country.

According to the circular, Bangladeshi citizens holding valid visas can use international cards to buy tickets for foreign airlines operating in Bangladesh.

This facility will also apply to foreign airlines whose ticket sales are settled outside Bangladesh through international acquiring and payment settlement systems.

As per Bangladesh Bank instructions, purchasing tickets via international cards under this provision will remain outside the consumer's fixed annual travel quota.

However, issuing banks can verify the authenticity of ticket purchases to refill or adjust the spent limit on the customer's card.

To identify such transactions, banks must follow the specific Merchant Category Code (MCC) assigned to the respective airlines.

However, the central bank clarified that this facility will not apply to domestic Bangladeshi airlines if booked through foreign platforms operating outside Bangladesh.

The circular further stated that 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. Additionally, banks must regularly report these transaction details through Bangladesh Bank’s Transaction Monitoring (TM) module.

The directive, signed by BB Director (FEPD-1) Dr. Md. Abu Bakkar Siddique, comes into effect immediately.