Bangladesh Bank widens international card use for buying airline tickets

Bangladesh Bank has allowed resident Bangladeshi nationals to buy tickets from foreign airlines operating in Bangladesh using international cards, even when the airlines settle the payments outside the country.

The central bank issued a circular today, modifying its earlier instructions of November 19, 2025.

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Under the revised rules, residents with valid visas, where applicable, can use international cards to buy tickets for overseas travel.

Previously, the facility applied only where ticket-sale proceeds were settled through authorised dealer (AD) banks -- bank branches licensed by BB to deal in foreign exchange and execute cross-border transactions -- in Bangladesh.

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The new circular also covers purchases where foreign airlines settle payments through their own international acquiring and payment arrangements abroad.

The facility will cover 17 foreign airlines operating in Bangladesh. AD banks will identify eligible purchases using the airlines' Merchant Category Codes (MCCs), which are four-digit numbers that classify a merchant's business type.

Such purchases will not count towards the cardholder's travel entitlement. After verifying an eligible transaction, banks may replenish the amount spent on the card, subject to their existing arrangements with the cardholder.

The central bank has also directed AD banks to report such transactions through the prescribed reporting system.

Business insiders have welcomed the decision, saying it will make it easier for foreign airlines to sell tickets online without setting up local acquiring arrangements to settle sales proceeds in Bangladesh.