ALOHA!
Bus can be a convenient way to travel around India.
There are often many bus options on popular routes, and you don’t have to worry about booking so far in advance compared to trains.
As an American, I booked my bus ticket through redbus.in.
So, you’ve searched on redbus for your route, and you’ve found a bus you want to take.
And so you go to book the bus ticket!
But then…
ERROR!
What to do?!
Issues for foreigners in booking bus tickets online
These are the 2 issues I encountered when I booked my redbus ticket in 2018.
Both have a pretty easy fix, so you can book your bus ticket for travel around India using redbus, even if you’re overseas!
Side note!
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ISSUE #1: Can’t proceed to make payment without entering Indian phone number
THE FIX when you only have an international number
I think the best fix for this is to find someone with an Indian phone number.
And I think the easiest way to do so is to ask the place you’re staying in India if you can use their phone number. If you haven’t arrived in India yet, send an e-mail to a hotel you’ve booked explaining the situation. Likely, they will not mind.
You don’t have to log in to buy bus tickets, so the phone number won’t be attached to any specific account. It will just be attached to that bus ticket.
Whoever’s number you enter, they will get your bus itinerary via text if it’s a mobile number. So just make sure you don’t mind that the person will have these details.
As for getting the details for yourself, you will get the bus ticket confirmation via e-mail. You’ll also have the chance to download the e-ticket immediately upon making the payment.
ISSUE #2: Error message when submitting foreign credit card info
Originally, I tried paying with my MasterCard that was issued in the United States. That didn’t work.
THE FIX when you can’t pay using your foreign credit card
Use Amazon Pay to pay your bus ticket.
We all trust Amazon, right?! So I think this is a good way to go.
If you have an Amazon account, this is quite simple.
I don’t remember if I automatically had an Amazon Pay account since I have an Amazon account, or if I had to take a few extra steps to connect the 2 accounts.
Either way, it was pretty simple.
The credit card details I have saved with my Amazon.com account are automatically loaded into my Amazon Pay account. If you want to include new credit card details, I believe you’ll log into your Amazon.com account to do so.
As a bonus, I even received a 100 rupee credit to use on Amazon.in after using Amazon Pay! 😀 (That credit will probably go unused.)
You don’t need to create an account to buy a bus ticket on redbus.in
You can do all of this without signing in!
Also…
Best guidebook for planning a trip around India
If you’re traveling in India right now, consider getting this e-book as a pdf for your phone.
Otherwise, if you’re still at home planning your trip to India, consider getting this ultimate India guidebook.
It can make planning how to get from one place to another easier. The book will list how to get to nearby destinations, what your best transportation options are, and how much you can expect to pay to get there.
You’ll get restaurant recommendations to lessen the chance of food poisoning in India. (Here’s how to treat traveler’s diarrhea naturally though!)
It will also tell you the best hotels for different budgets and the best places for street shopping. You’ll also get an idea of estimated prices for activities, rickshaws, and hiring guides in each city. This means that you can feel better knowing that you won’t get ripped off and pay too much!
You can get both the book and e-book as a bundle here.
Even though they have the same information, they can both be helpful for different reasons. You can flip through the book to make general plans at home or in your guesthouse in India. When you’re on the road, rather than take the big book with you when you’re out and about, you can scroll through the e-book on your phone.
I’m now an affiliate for Lonely Planet because I believe Lonely Planet India guidebooks are really one of the best books for planning travel to India.
It makes it easier to plan the best trip to India ever! And that includes tips on bus travel!
Stay at a beach hut in South Goa!
HAPPY INDIA BUS TRAVEL!
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