Frequently Asked Questions

FoodtoIndia is a cross-border food delivery service that lets NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) and anyone abroad order food from local restaurants in India for delivery to loved ones. We solve the OTP and payment barriers that prevent you from using Swiggy or Zomato directly.

Yes! That's exactly what FoodtoIndia does. Unlike gift delivery sites that only offer pre-packaged items, we deliver fresh, hot meals from local restaurants: biryani, dosa, pizza, cakes, and more.

Swiggy and Zomato require an Indian phone number for OTP login and Indian payment methods (UPI). FoodtoIndia lets you order from the same restaurants without needing either. Just pay with any credit card.

Yes. With FoodtoIndia you can order food for delivery anywhere in India without an Indian phone number, OTP, or UPI. You order using your own international number and pay in USD with any credit or debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. Your recipient in India doesn't need an app or an Indian SIM either - they just need to be available to receive the food.

Swiggy has added an international login, but delivery usually still requires an Indian contact number for the recipient, and you generally can't log in from inside India on a foreign SIM. FoodtoIndia needs no Indian number on either end - you order from the same local restaurants, pay in USD with an international card, and we handle the local order and delivery.

FNP and IGP deliver flowers, pre-packaged sweets, and gifts, but not hot, fresh restaurant food. FoodtoIndia gives you access to local restaurants, bakeries, and sweet shops. We also deliver sweets, cakes, and flowers. Just enter a location and search for what you want.

It's simple: Enter your parents' address on FoodtoIndia, browse restaurants near them, select food items, and checkout in USD. We'll handle the local order and delivery. Your parents just need to be available to receive the food. No app download or OTP needed on their end.

If the person is in India, FoodtoIndia lets you send them fresh restaurant food from abroad. Enter their area in India, pick a local restaurant, and pay in USD with your own card - no Indian phone number, app, or UPI needed on either end. We place the local order and handle delivery; they just need to be available to receive it.

From the USA, enter your recipient's neighborhood in India on FoodtoIndia, browse local restaurants and menus, choose a meal, cake, or sweets, and pay in USD with any US card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. No Indian phone number, OTP, or UPI is required. We place the order with the local restaurant and manage delivery to your recipient the same day.

Absolutely! Search for bakeries and cake shops near the delivery address. You can order custom cakes, pastries, and desserts delivered fresh on the special day.

Yes! During festival seasons, you can order from local sweet shops and mithai stores. Send ladoos, barfis, rasgullas, and other festive treats to celebrate Diwali, Rakhi, Holi, and other occasions with your family.

Yes, if the restaurant delivers to the address you've entered, you'll see it in your search results. We work with the same restaurants available on major food delivery apps.

Delivery times are similar to local food delivery, typically 30-60 minutes depending on the restaurant and location. We show estimated delivery times before you place your order.

If your order is significantly delayed for reasons on our end, we'll give you the option to cancel for a full refund - refunded to your original payment method within 5-10 business days. Our dispatchers actively track every order to minimize delays. Some delays happen because we're unable to reach the recipient to confirm timing or address - for example, if they're unreachable or not answering our calls. If we haven't placed the order yet, we'll work with you to reschedule it for another time or day that works - just email us with a new time before the order is dispatched. Where a delay is caused by incomplete or unreachable recipient details, we may not be able to refund, but we'll always try to make it right with a credit or a reschedule.

Yes. At checkout, choose Schedule and pick a time in 30-minute increments, anywhere from 1 hour from now up to 3 days out (8 AM-10 PM IST). Best effort, subject to restaurant hours.

Once your order is placed, we send a tracking link your recipient in India can follow, and we keep you updated on your order's progress along the way - so you're never left guessing from another timezone.

Before we place any order, we confirm the delivery time directly with your recipient so someone's there to receive it. Because of that step, once the order is placed and the restaurant has made the food, we can't refund it if no one's available - but that's exactly why we confirm first.

Occasionally an item isn't available at the time your order is being prepared - this can happen with scheduled orders, since some dishes are only served at certain times of day. If that happens, we'll arrange an equivalent item of the same value so your order still goes through. If there's no suitable equivalent, we'll refund that item, including its share of tax. We coordinate this with your recipient where we can, and you're always welcome to email us.

We deliver to 500+ cities across India, including all major metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune) and hundreds of smaller cities and towns. Enter any address to see available restaurants.

FoodtoIndia delivers to 500+ cities across India, including all major metros - Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune - and hundreds of smaller cities and towns. Enter any address to see the local restaurants that deliver there.

Anything available on local food delivery apps: restaurant meals (Biryani, Pizza, Chinese, South Indian, North Indian), cakes and bakery items, sweets and mithai, beverages, and more. If a local restaurant delivers it, you can order it.

You can order from any country in the world. We accept payments via Stripe from 190+ countries, so whether you're in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Singapore, or anywhere else, you can send food to your loved ones in India.

We accept payments via Stripe from 190+ countries. You can pay using credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Stripe Link. No Indian bank account or UPI needed. You're always charged in USD, and the amount you pay won't increase after you order - the total you see at checkout is what you pay.

One flat delivery fee, shown clearly at checkout before you pay - there are no surprises after. It covers the local delivery charge plus our service for placing and managing the order on your behalf. The amount depends on the restaurant and distance, but you'll always see the exact total in USD before confirming.

You always see the full price in USD before you pay, and it won't increase after you order. Most orders run roughly $15-40 USD including the delivery fee, depending on the restaurant, the items, and the delivery distance. You pay in USD with any international card - there are no hidden charges after checkout.

Yes. If you're visiting India on a foreign SIM, FoodtoIndia lets you order food from local restaurants using your own international phone number and card - no Indian SIM, OTP, UPI, or Indian bank account needed. Enter the address where you're staying, choose a nearby restaurant, and pay in USD. It works the same whether you're in a hotel, an Airbnb, an office, or an apartment.

Yes. FoodtoIndia is built for self-use too, not only for sending food to family. Enter your hotel, Airbnb, office, or apartment address in India, pick a restaurant nearby, and check out with your own international number and card. No Indian phone number or UPI required. We place the local order and coordinate delivery - you just need to be reachable (ideally on WhatsApp) if the rider needs to confirm the handoff.

Yes. Add the hotel or building name and full address, your room number or a front-desk instruction, and a reachable WhatsApp number at checkout. Because a clear handoff is what makes hotel delivery smooth, we confirm the address, contact number, and timing with you before placing the order, and take extra care with the delivery details. For a full hotel-delivery checklist, see our travelers page: https://www.foodtoindia.com/food-delivery-in-india-for-travelers

Pay with an international credit or debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay - you don't need an Indian bank account, UPI, or any Indian wallet. FoodtoIndia charges you in USD, places the local restaurant order for you, and handles delivery to wherever you're staying in India.