Rush to upgrade SBI debit cards in city

PATNA: A day after the

State Bank of India

(SBI) announced revised withdrawal limit for certain category of cards across the country citing security reasons, its branches in the state capital on Wednesday witnessed rush of customers to apply for their debit cards upgrade.


The Classic and Maestro debit card holders of SBI will now be able to withdraw only Rs20,000 per day from the ATMs, instead of Rs40,000 allowed earlier.

SBI officials said those required more than Rs20,000 can apply for higher variant of Classic and Maestro debit cards, which have greater security features.

The step is learnt to have taken in response to complaints from customers about cyber frauds by cloning ATM cards.

SBI assistant general manager (public relations) M K Singh said: “The step is taken to control ATM frauds. The customers can apply for higher variant of cards in both online and offline mode.”

He said there was no fixed deadline to upgrade the cards. “Those who apply for higher variant of cards would get it within five days. The new cards would be chip-based and more secure for customers,” Singh said.

The SBI official said over 80% debit card holders in Bihar use Classic and Maestro cards for shopping and cash withdrawal from ATMs, but most withdrawals from ATMs are below Rs20,000. Therefore, it is unlikely to have any major impact on customers.

Ravindra Kumar of Raja Bazaar, who is also a SBI customer, said: “The step ahead of festive season will definitely have some impact on customers. But security is most important. Therefore, we welcome the step.”