ATM Rules: The new financial year is about to commence on April 1st. With this new financial year, several significant changes are on the horizon. Some of these changes pertain to banking. HDFC Bank, Punjab National Bank (PNB), and Bandhan Bank have updated their policies regarding cash withdrawals, fees, and transaction limits. Let’s delve into the specifics.
Changes in HDFC and PNB
HDFC Bank, a private sector bank, has implemented a significant alteration to its ATM regulations, now incorporating UPI-based cash withdrawals into its monthly free transaction limit. This implies that if customers withdraw cash from an ATM using UPI, these transactions will also count towards the free limit. Previously, such withdrawals were not included. Now, if customers exceed their free transaction limit, they will incur a fee of Rs 23 per transaction plus tax.
In addition, Punjab National Bank has lowered the daily ATM withdrawal limit for its customers. Previously, some PNB debit cards allowed daily withdrawals of up to Rs 1 lakh, which has now been decreased to Rs 50,000. The affected PNB debit cards include the RuPay NCMC Platinum Domestic Debit Card, RuPay NCMC Platinum International Debit Card, RuPay Women Power Platinum Debit Card, VISA Gold Debit Card, and PNB Mastercard Platinum Rise. Furthermore, the withdrawal limit has also been reduced on certain premium cards like RuPay Select, Visa Signature, and Master Business cards. Previously, these cards permitted daily withdrawals of up to Rs 1.5 lakh, which has now been cut down to Rs 75,000.
Bandhan Bank has modified the number of free ATM transactions. Beginning April 1, 2026, customers will be allowed to make five free financial transactions each month at their bank’s ATMs. This means there will be no fees for these five transactions. Non-financial transactions, such as balance inquiries, will continue to be unlimited. However, the usage limit for ATMs of other banks has been restricted.
It should be noted that customers in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi will be able to make only three free transactions per month, while in non-metro cities this limit will be five. After exceeding the free limit, customers will be charged Rs 23 per financial transaction and Rs 10 per non-financial transaction. Additionally, if a transaction fails due to insufficient balance in the account, a charge of Rs 25 will also be levied.