Protecting USD Income for Indie Developers via Dollar Cards

Stripe, Gumroad, and direct retainers are great—until INR volatility erases gains. Build a treasury system that lets you choose when to convert.

Signal: Devs who mix Niyo Global + Axis Atlas-credit-card/)-credit-card/)-credit-card/) + IDFC Wealth keep effective forex under 1.6% and stash rewards for annual summits.

Treasury Flow

1. Receive USD into Wise/Payoneer.
2. Fund Axis Atlas-credit-card/)-credit-card/)-credit-card/) or IDFC Wealth cards for USD spending (software, ads).
3. Convert to INR only when rates favor you; park in liquid funds.
4. Redeem points for conference travel.

Dashboard Columns

• Client
• Invoice amount (USD)
• Rate locked
• INR realized
• Card funded
• Conversion date

Safeguards

• Keep FEMA + tax paperwork tidy; consult a CA quarterly.
• Track invoices + FX rates for each payment.
• Use cashback to cover compliance tools (Bookkeeping SaaS, CPA fees).

Next Steps

1. Audit all subscriptions—shift USD ones to forex-light cards immediately.
2. Build a “forex strike price” doc: at what rate will you convert? Stick to it.
3. Share anonymized data with other indie devs; collective intelligence beats bank marketing.