ATM rules change from April 1: Know limits and charges
What's the story
HDFC Bank, Punjab National Bank (PNB), and Bandhan Bank have announced changes to their ATM usage rules. The revisions will come into effect from April 1, 2026. The changes mainly affect the counting of free ATM transactions and daily cash withdrawal limits for debit cards.
Policy change
HDFC counts UPI withdrawals as ATM transactions
HDFC Bank has made a major change in its ATM usage calculation. From April 1, UPI-based cardless cash withdrawals at ATMs will be counted like regular ATM withdrawals for the monthly free transaction limit. This means that once the free limit is exhausted, customers will be charged ₹23 per transaction plus taxes. Currently, savings and salary account holders at HDFC Bank get five free cash withdrawals at their own bank's ATMs.
Limit reduction
PNB cuts daily debit card limits
PNB has reduced the daily withdrawal limits for several debit card variants, effective April 1. The new limit for Platinum, Gold, and Business debit cards is ₹50,000 as opposed to the previous ₹1 lakh. For Select and Signature debit cards, the limit has been halved from ₹1.5 lakh to ₹75,000. This marks a significant cut in withdrawal limits for certain categories of customers.
Policy update
Bandhan Bank revises ATM transaction policy
Bandhan Bank has also revised its ATM transaction policy. At its own ATMs, customers get free financial transactions per month and unlimited non-financial transactions. However, at other bank ATMs, they only get three free transactions per month in metro cities and five in non-metro cities. The new rules were announced ahead of the new financial year starting April 1, 2026.