Travelling is one of life's greatest joys. Exploring new places, trying new cuisines, and making memories with loved ones are experiences everyone should be able to enjoy. However, the costs associated with travel can be prohibitive for many. Flights, hotels, tours, and food can quickly add up, making that dream vacation seem out of reach. This is where a gold loan for holiday expenses can be a suitable solution to turn your travel dreams into reality.
Gold loans for travel allow you to leverage the value of your gold jewellery to obtain financing for travel expenses. Offered by banks and Non-banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), these loans use gold as collateral, making them relatively easy to qualify for. In this comprehensive gold loan guide for travel, we will explore everything you need to know about gold loans for travel so you can evaluate if they are the right option for you.
What Types of Travel Can Gold Loans Fund?
Gold loans can fund a wide variety of travel goals and expenses. Here are some common types of travel that gold loans are ideal for financing:
- Leisure Travel: For domestic trips within India, an easy gold loan for vacations can help cover expenses like flights, hotel, sightseeing, food and shopping. You can also finance international holidays and cruises to exotic destinations using a loan against gold for travel.
- Adventure Travel: If you are an adventure lover looking to trek, raft, scuba dive, and do other sports activities that involve higher costs, gold loans can fund these adventurous trips, too.
- Medical Tourism: If you need to travel overseas for medical treatments that are not available in India, gold loans allow you to finance the entire costs including surgery, hospital stay, travel and accommodation.
- Destination Weddings: For couples planning a luxurious destination wedding, gold loans for travel can pay for extravagant venues, photography, decor, and travel and stay for guests.
- Religious Travel: Gold loans for travel can also fund religious travel to pilgrimage sites in India, such as Vaishno Devi and Tirupati, or overseas holy sites, such as the Hajj, Vatican, and Jerusalem.
- Business Travel: Gold loans for business trips can help with domestic or overseas travel, whether to cover flights, stay, local travel, or miscellaneous expenses.
- Study Abroad: For those planning international education, quick gold loans for travel can help pay expensive tuition fees, hostel costs, flight tickets, and day-to-day living expenses.
How Much Loan Can You Get Against Gold for Travel?
The amount of loan you can avail against your gold depends on several factors:
- Current market value: Financial institutions will appraise your gold to determine its prevailing market price based on purity and weight. Higher gold prices mean higher loan amounts.
- LTV ratio: The maximum permissible loan-to-value (LTV) ratio, as per the Reserve Bank of India, is 75% of gold value. So, typically, 60-75% LTV is offered.
- Type of gold: Pure gold fetches maximum value. Jewellery with higher carats (22K and 24K) results in bigger loan amounts compared to 18K jewellery or lower.
- Lender’s terms: Each financial institution has their own LTV limits, margins, and other criteria that impact loan amount.
To give you an estimate, for 10 grams of 22K gold valued at ₹80,000, you can get a loan amount of around ₹50,000-₹60,000 at 75% LTV. This amount can fund trips within India and to some international destinations. With bigger gold holdings, you can finance more expensive vacations too.
What are the Eligibility Criteria for Availing Gold Loans for Travel?
Gold loan providers have minimal eligibility criteria:
- Minimum age is usually 18 or 21 years
- You need to be an Indian resident. NRIs can apply with an Indian guarantor.
- A PAN card and valid ID proof are required as KYC
- Gold ornaments and jewellery of the specified purity and quantity (as per the loan provider)
- Ownership proof for gold jewellery like invoice or certificate
How to Apply for a Gold Loan for Your Travel?
Applying for a gold loan is quick and convenient through the following steps:
- Research different lending institutions and compare interest rates, LTV, fees, etc., to identify the best loan offer.
- Calculate your estimated loan amount based on gold value, LTV ratio and required travel expenses.
- Select a preferred lender and submit basic documents online, such as an ID/PAN copy, passport, gold jewellery invoice, etc.
- Once the application process is complete, the financial institution will schedule a branch visit. You will need to bring your gold ornaments for evaluation.
- The financial institution will provide a valuation of your gold on the spot and confirm the loan amount.
- Pledge your gold and sign a loan agreement. The loan amount will be disbursed to your bank account.
The entire process, from application to disbursal, can take as little as a few hours to 1-2 days, making it ideal for urgent travel financing needs.
What Are the Charges Involved in Gold Loans for Travel?
The main costs involved in taking a gold loan for travel are:
- Interest rate: The annual interest rate is the lowest cost, usually starting from 9% p.a.
- Valuation fees: A one-time fee for gold appraisal and valuation by the lender may be charged.
- Processing fee: Some loan providers charge administration fees for loan processing, which is approximately 0.5% to 5% of the loan amount.
- Late payment penalty: Loan providers may charge a penalty for delayed instalments, often a specific percentage on outstanding Equated Monthly Instalments (EMIs).
- Foreclosure charges: If you choose to foreclose your gold loan early, the financial institution may charge a fee, typically ranging from 0% to 2% of the loan amount if closed before tenure. However, zero foreclosure plans are available too.
Factor in all costs to determine your total repayment obligation. Compare fees across lenders to get the most affordable loan. It is important to read all terms and conditions carefully before committing to any loan offer. Priority should be lender reputation, transparency and flexible services.
How to Improve Your Gold Loan Eligibility?
You can qualify for a higher gold loan amount for your travel by:
- Opting for 22K or 24K pure gold jewellery, which fetches maximum value
- Maintaining a good relationship with your existing financial institution
- Topping up old gold ornaments with new gold to increase value
- Adding a co-applicant and including his/her gold ornaments in the application to pool together a bigger quantity
A little planning goes a long way in helping you get significant gold loans at attractive terms for your travel plans.
Conclusion
Gold loans for travel provide a smart financing option to fund your travel aspirations without selling your precious gold. Pledging your gold assets is one of the best travel loan options. By using idle gold as collateral and making timely repayments, you can enjoy cost-effective loans for your holiday, pilgrimage, destination wedding or international education needs.
