Head-to-head · Remittance charges
HDFC Bank vs ICICI Bank
Side-by-side fee comparison between HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank on outward remittance from India. The verdict matrix below shows the cheaper bank at ₹50K, ₹1L, ₹5L across USD, GBP, EUR, AED, with the rupee delta.
Updated 9 Oct 2026
Outward fee components
| Component | HDFC Bank | ICICI Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | Outward Remittance Commission Tiered by USD amount: ≤500: ₹500, >500: ₹1000 | Outward Remittance Commission Flat ₹750 by corridor (USD ₹1000, GBP ₹1000, EUR ₹1000, AUD ₹1000, CAD ₹1000) |
| GST Commission | GST on Commission (18%) 18% on commission | GST on Commission (18%) 18% on commission |
| GST Exchange | GST on Amount Exchanged Slab by ACE; 3 bands | GST on Amount Exchanged Slab by ACE; 3 bands |
Exchange rates side-by-side
TT Selling = rate the bank uses when you send money abroad. TT Buying = rate applied when you receive money from abroad. A tighter spread (lower %) means less hidden FX cost.
| Currency | HDFC Bank | ICICI Bank | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sell | Buy | Spread | Sell | Buy | Spread | |
| USD | 98.3500 | 94.9000 | 3.64% | 98.1100 | 95.1200 | 3.14% |
| GBP | 131.4700 | 124.3700 | 5.71% | 131.4200 | 124.8300 | 5.28% |
| EUR | 110.7900 | 106.1300 | 4.39% | 110.8900 | 106.0600 | 4.55% |
| AED | 27.1300 | 25.4900 | 6.43% | 27.1600 | 25.5100 | 6.47% |
Verdict matrix
| Send | Currency | HDFC Bank | ICICI Bank | Winner | Saving (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹50,000 | USD | ₹1,270 | ₹1,270 | Tie | — |
| ₹1,00,000 | USD | ₹1,360 | ₹1,360 | Tie | — |
| ₹5,00,000 | USD | ₹1,720 | ₹1,720 | Tie | — |
| ₹50,000 | GBP | ₹1,270 | ₹1,270 | Tie | — |
| ₹1,00,000 | GBP | ₹1,360 | ₹1,360 | Tie | — |
| ₹5,00,000 | GBP | ₹1,720 | ₹1,720 | Tie | — |
| ₹50,000 | EUR | ₹1,270 | ₹1,270 | Tie | — |
| ₹1,00,000 | EUR | ₹1,360 | ₹1,360 | Tie | — |
| ₹5,00,000 | EUR | ₹1,720 | ₹1,720 | Tie | — |
| ₹50,000 | AED | ₹1,270 | ₹975 | ICICI Bank | ₹295 |
| ₹1,00,000 | AED | ₹1,360 | ₹1,065 | ICICI Bank | ₹295 |
| ₹5,00,000 | AED | ₹1,720 | ₹1,425 | ICICI Bank | ₹295 |
HDFC Bank — Things to know
Applies to:Sending money abroad through HDFC as a Resident Individual, online or at a branch. You're charged at the T.T. Selling rate live at the moment of debit.
- Card-rate cap. Card rates apply up to ₹20 lakh equivalent; above that, your Relationship Manager can often negotiate a better rate.↗
- GST is charged twice. You pay 18% GST on the commission, plus a separate slab GST on the amount converted (₹45 minimum, ₹10,800 cap).↗
- The 'Self' option adds a hidden cost. At checkout you pick who pays the correspondent bank: 'Self' bills it to you in INR after the transfer (an extra we can't show — HDFC lists no fixed amount), 'Beneficiary' takes it from the recipient, 'Full Value' waives it. Our total covers HDFC's commission + GST only.↗
- TCS on large transfers. For general purposes, 20% TCS applies on LRS spending above ₹10 lakh in a financial year — you claim it back as a tax credit when you file your ITR.↗
- Split to stay in the lower tier. Keep each transfer at or below $500 equivalent to pay the ₹500 commission instead of ₹1,000.↗
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Other things to know
- Fees aren't refundable. Once charged, HDFC's commission and fees aren't refunded unless stated otherwise.↗
Other ways to save
- Lock the rate at the last moment. HDFC updates rates through the day, so refresh right before you confirm — the live card rate is what you'll get.↗
- Full Value for an exact amount. Need the recipient to get an exact figure? HDFC's Full Value facility absorbs the correspondent fee (USD online; EUR/GBP branch-only). HDFC advertised a 100% waiver until 30 Sep 2026 and hasn't updated the page since — check what Full Value costs at checkout.↗
ICICI Bank — Things to know
Applies to:Sending money abroad through ICICI NetBanking or iMobile as a Resident Individual. Branch and NRI cases aren't modelled here.
- Home corridors cost ₹1,000 — with guaranteed delivery. Since 1 Apr 2026, USD→USA, GBP→UK, EUR→Eurozone, AUD→Australia and CAD→Canada carry a ₹1,000 commission that ICICI labels 'Full Value Credit (Guaranteed Delivery)': no intermediary deductions, the full amount reaches the beneficiary bank. Every other route is ₹750 and non-guaranteed.↗
- ₹750 routes can lose money in transit. On the ₹750 non-guaranteed routes ICICI's charges don't include intermediary or correspondent bank fees — those banks can deduct their own charges from what the recipient receives, and ICICI publishes no amount for them.↗
- Branch costs more. At a branch the ₹750 routes cost ₹1,000 and USD→USA costs ₹1,500 (vs ₹1,000 online); the other four home corridors are ₹1,000 either way.↗
- GST is charged twice. GST applies to both the commission and the currency conversion (a slab), so your total GST is more than 18% of the commission alone.↗
- TCS on large transfers. For general purposes, 20% TCS applies on LRS spending above ₹10 lakh a year — refundable as a tax credit at ITR time.
- Skip the branch. Use NetBanking or iMobile instead of a branch: ₹250 cheaper on most routes and ₹500 cheaper for USD→USA.
- Compare the ₹1,000 with other banks' OUR totals. On the five home corridors the extra ₹250 buys guaranteed full-value delivery, so weigh it against other banks' commission plus correspondent charge — not their base commission alone.
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Other things to know
- Card-rate cap. Card rates cover up to USD 25,000 per request and are indicative — the rate at debit time is what applies; above the cap, contact the branch or your RM.↗
FAQ — HDFC Bank vs ICICI Bank
Which bank is cheaper for outward remittance — HDFC Bank or ICICI Bank?
ICICI Bank is cheaper in 3 of 12 benchmark scenarios (₹50,000, ₹1,00,000 and ₹5,00,000 across USD, GBP, EUR and AED), with total savings of ₹885 across the matrix. Rates and fees refresh regularly — the verdict matrix above always shows today's numbers.
Do HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank use the same exchange rate?
No — each bank publishes its own TT Selling rate, and the gap between them is often worth more than the difference in visible fees. The side-by-side rate table on this page compares both banks' TT Selling and TT Buying rates, along with the spread each bank keeps.
What fees should I compare between HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank?
Four things decide the real cost: the commission each bank charges, SWIFT / correspondent charges, 18% GST on those fees, and — usually biggest — the TT Selling exchange rate each bank applies. The verdict matrix on this page computes the all-in total for both banks so you don't have to compare line by line.
Try it
TRANSFER
You pay in INR; recipient receives USD.
Used to determine if this transfer crosses the ₹10L TCS threshold.
Best deal: Indian Overseas Bank. You save ₹3,948.89 vs the most expensive.
TT Selling rate from Indian Overseas Bank's published forex sheet — edit to model a quoted rate.
BREAKDOWN
Outward remittance
Amount being sent $1,000.00 × ₹96.89 | ₹96,890.00 |
| Outward Remittance Commission (0.075%) | ₹250.00 |
| Swift Payment Message | ₹500.00 |
| GST on Commission + Swift (18%) | ₹135.00 |
| GST on Amount Exchanged | ₹174.40 |
| Total charges | ₹1,059.40 |
| Total payable (INR) | ₹97,949.40 |
- Amount being sent
- ₹96,890.00
- Outward Remittance Commission (0.075%)
- ₹250.00
- Swift Payment Message
- ₹500.00
- GST on Commission + Swift (18%)
- ₹135.00
- GST on Amount Exchanged
- ₹174.40
- Total charges
- ₹1,059.40
$1,000.00 × ₹96.89
Total payable (INR)
₹97,949.40
Indian Overseas Bank
₹97,949.40
Cheapest
TT Selling rate from Indian Overseas Bank's published forex sheet — edit to model a quoted rate.
- Amount being sent$1,000.00 × ₹96.89
- ₹96,890.00
- Outward Remittance Commission (0.075%)
- ₹250.00
- Swift Payment Message
- ₹500.00
- GST on Commission + Swift (18%)
- ₹135.00
- GST on Amount Exchanged
- ₹174.40
- Total charges
- ₹1,059.40
- Total payable (INR)
- ₹97,949.40
State Bank of India
₹98,282.54
+₹333.14 vs cheapest
TT Selling rate from State Bank of India's published forex sheet — edit to model a quoted rate.
- Amount being sent$1,000.00 × ₹97.05
- ₹97,050.00
- Branch Commission
- ₹970.50
- Correspondent Bank Charge (Remitter mode)
- ₹87.35
- GST on Amount Exchanged
- ₹174.69
- Total charges
- ₹1,232.54
- Total payable (INR)
- ₹98,282.54
ICICI Bank
₹99,466.60
+₹1,517.20 vs cheapest
TT Selling rate from ICICI Bank's published forex sheet — edit to model a quoted rate.
- Amount being sent$1,000.00 × ₹98.11
- ₹98,110.00
- Outward Remittance Commission
- ₹1,000.00
- GST on Commission (18%)
- ₹180.00
- GST on Amount Exchanged
- ₹176.60
- Total charges
- ₹1,356.60
- Total payable (INR)
- ₹99,466.60
Kotak Mahindra Bank
₹99,697.01
+₹1,747.61 vs cheapest
TT Selling rate from Kotak Mahindra Bank's published forex sheet — edit to model a quoted rate.
- Amount being sent$1,000.00 × ₹98.34
- ₹98,340.00
- Outward Remittance Commission (Online)
- ₹500.00
- Correspondent Bank Charge
- ₹500.00
- GST on Commission + Correspondent (18%)
- ₹180.00
- GST on Amount Exchanged
- ₹177.01
- Total charges
- ₹1,357.01
- Total payable (INR)
- ₹99,697.01
HDFC Bank
₹99,707.03
+₹1,757.63 vs cheapest
TT Selling rate from HDFC Bank's published forex sheet — edit to model a quoted rate.
- Amount being sent$1,000.00 × ₹98.35
- ₹98,350.00
- Outward Remittance Commission
- ₹1,000.00
- GST on Commission (18%)
- ₹180.00
- GST on Amount Exchanged
- ₹177.03
- Total charges
- ₹1,357.03
- Total payable (INR)
- ₹99,707.03
Axis Bank
₹1,01,898.29
+₹3,948.89 vs cheapest
TT Selling rate from Axis Bank's published forex sheet — edit to model a quoted rate.
- Amount being sent$1,000.00 × ₹98.45
- ₹98,450.00
- Remittance Commission
- ₹1,000.00
- Correspondent Bank Charge (OUR)
- ₹1,772.10
- GST on Commission + Correspondent (18%)
- ₹498.98
- GST on Amount Exchanged
- ₹177.21
- Total charges
- ₹3,448.29
- Total payable (INR)
- ₹1,01,898.29
TCS is refundable when you file your ITR — it's a tax credit, not a fee.