How To Make Cardless Cash Withdrawals At ATMs?

As the COVID-19 pandemic threat continues to loom, especially in large cities, it is wise to avoid contact with surfaces touched by countless individuals on a daily basis. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine said that the coronavirus can live up to three days on plastic and stainless steel, both of which you will encounter while operating an ATM machine.

To maintain minimum contact with the machine and get sooner to withdrawing cash, some major banks are allowing their customers to withdraw cash from ATMs without having to use their debit card, ATM card or credit card. These transactions come with daily withdrawal limits of Rs 10,000-20,000. The limit and accessibility depend on the bank. The facility is currently available at a few bank ATMs only.

How to make cardless cash withdrawals at ATMs?

The process varies among banks. In the case of public sector banks like SBI (State Bank of India) and Bank of Baroda or private bank ICICI Bank, customers have to download the respective apps of the bank. For SBI, it is the YONO App (go to YONO cash option); ICICI Bank has iMobile app (go to 'cardless cash withdrawal' option) and Bank of Baroda has BOB MConnect plus (go to "Cash on mobile" option). Customers can initiate the transaction over these apps.

After using the designated option for cash withdrawal without a card on the respective mobile app, the customer will have to enter the amount they wish to withdraw and enter the app's PIN number to initiate the process. The app will generate a unique PIN for the transaction like an OTP, that has limited period validity (a few minutes or hours, depending on the bank).

You need to enter this unique pin generated on the ATM machine of the designated bank and withdraw the cash.

Some banks have an SMS facility as well. For example, Axis Bank customers can simply choose the "IMT" option (part of the Instant Money Transfer (IMT) service) on the ATM and enter their mobile number on which the customer has received the IMT details, the sender's code, the SMS Code and the IMT amount. Cash will then be dispensed.