Taking Legal Action Against RBL

So, we were on our dream trip to europe, and guess what? My RBL card straight-up refused to work. Declined everywhere—airport, train stations, even major tourist spots. We were left stranded multiple times, unable to pay for basic necessities. And this was after I had already confirmed with RBL’s support before leaving India that my card would work internationally!

And get this—there was no way to reach customer support from abroad. No WhatsApp, no international helpline, nothing. I had to email them, and their response? “It might take 24-48 hours to unblock your card.” What the hell was I supposed to do for two days in a foreign country with no access to my own money? Spoiler alert: even after waiting, the card remained blocked.

I had to scramble for emergency cash from other sources, cut down on activities we had planned, and waste time that should have been spent enjoying the trip. It completely ruined what should have been an amazing experience.

So yeah, I’m not letting this go. I’m planning to take legal action against RBL for their negligence and false assurances. I’ll also be filing a complaint with the RBI Banking Ombudsman and escalating this further.

Has anyone else faced similar bullshit with RBL or any other bank? Any advice on the legal route? Would love to hear your thoughts before I move forward with this.

NOTE:

Just to mention to everyone who commented:

I had backup cards and am not looking for recommendations for other cards.

I had all sorts of international transactions on. Enough free limit and all. The block was only due to banks system thinking me doing international transaction was "suspicious" even though the card is literally meant for that, they had prior information about my trip and all my settings were on.

This post is only to enquire about what kind of steps and legal action I can take against them.