SBI’s ‘contactless’ debit card option: All you need to know

The State Bank of India (SBI) recently announced an option to enable ‘contactless’ debit card services. Under this facility, an SBI debit card does not need to enter the PIN number while making transactions at Point of Sales (POS) terminals at stores, restaurants etc.“Enjoy the convenience and safety to pay with your SBI Visa Debit Card. Activate contactless transactions on your card by sending an SMS SWON NFC CCCCC to 09223966666 or via the #SBI website. Note: CCCCC last 5 digits of your card. T&C apply,” the Mumbai-headquartered financial institution said in a tweet on July 24.

How does SBI’s ‘contactless’ debit card work?A customer can make electronic payments simply by waving the contactless card near the PoS terminal; this will also ensure that the card is always in the customer’s custody.Meanwhile, at near-field communication (NFC) terminals, the PIN will not be required if the NFC-enabled card is being used for payments of up to ₹5,000. According to the largest lender’s website, as many as five such transactions are allowed. Also, this feature is available on RuPay, MasterCard and Visa variants of SBI’s Global International Debit Cards.How to activate this feature?At present, this facility is available only through net banking, SBI Quick app, YONO Lite and SMS. Development for other modes is underway, the bank said in a note.There are, therefore, two ways to activate SBI’s contactless debit card system:Via SMS: Those who hold SBI’s Global International Debit Cards can send an SMS to 09223966666 with the text ‘SWON NFC CCCC’ (without quotes). To switch off the facility, drop a message on the same number with the text ‘SWOFF NFC CCCCC’. Via YONO app: Log in to the app and go to ‘Menu’, ‘Service Request’ and then ‘ATM/Debit Card’. Now, click on ‘Manage Card’ and then select your account and card number. Finally, select ‘NFC Enable/Disable On-Off’ and click on ‘Submit’.

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