April 26, 2023

Punjab National Bank - (PNB) SMS Banking

You are on the edge of a step, 'be watchful buddy' says a passerby
- You are reversing your car, you hear a beep, an alert, as the sensors mounted on the rear bumper sense objects in its path.

All of us have experienced these 'nudges' in our everyday lives, haven't we?

Let us say you have used your debit card for say e-commerce or at a PoS or for netbanking transactions. Wouldn't it be useful, if your bank sends you an SMS alert immediately after your debit card transaction?
Your monthly credit card payment is due, wouldn't it be useful, if your bank sends an SMS alert on the dues outstanding and the credit card balance available?
You are tempted to make an impulse purchase, you just want to view your account statement.

What if your bank sent your mini account via SMS alert?

You are in a zone where access to uninterrupted internet connection is a bit of a challenge. You are eager to know if your salary cheque has been credited to your account.
Wouldn't it be helpful if your bank sent you an SMS alert, letting you know about the details of the amount credited to your account?
You don't like the buzzing sound of SMS alerts and the urge to view them each time you receive one. Wouldn't you like to turn off the SMS alert facility as per your convenience?
You are so deeply involved in your routine life chores that you keep forgetting to change your online password as necessary practice to safeguard your account from potential cyber security hazards. Wouldn't a gentle reminder, SMS alert be helpful?
As a joint account holder, you want to take a quick look at the series of ' large ticket' impulse purchases made by your teenage child who is accessing your debit card frequently. Large ticket SMS alerts would allow you to correct the overspending behaviour before it is too late.

Welcome to SMS banking services, a channel which allows customers to avail a range of services by simply sending a text message from their registered mobile number.

From enquiring about your account balance to viewing your mini account statement to transferring funds to making cheque book requests and much more, SMS bank alerts give you real-time updates , a nudge, so that you know exactly what’s going on inside your bank account.

Consequently, you are in better control of your finances and can make informed financial decisions.

As a caveat, always ensure that the SMS alerts you receive on your registered mobile number are being communicated directly by your bank and your bank only.

In case of suspicion, get in touch with the customer care help desk at your bank's branch.

So basically, the advantages of the SMS banking channel are clearly evident, be it 247365 availability or its convenience or the ease with which one could use it.

However, if you say your phone gets lost/stolen, there is a risk of your account related sensitive data getting misused.

Are you now tempted to register for SMS banking?

Let us take an empirical example of Punjab National Bank ( PNB) SMS banking to understand the nuances of the process.

To begin with, get your mobile number registered at the nearest PNB Branch. Once this is done, all you have to do is send a SMS to 5607040 with the specified keyword.

You can access the SMS banking facility through PNB MobiEase which is an android app for PNB Bank.

Let us take a look at the keyword format to fulfil SMS based banking transactions.

Say for example: For Balance Enquiry, you need to type BAL space followed by your 16 digit account number.

BAL 161307XXXXXXXXXX

To Self-Transfer Funds

SLFTRF 161307XXXXXXXXXX

17261527XXXXXXXX 1800

Request for a mini statement

MINSTMT 161307XXXXXXXXXX

Enquiry for cheque status

CHQINQ 124325 161307XXXXXXXXXX

To stop payment of a cheque

STPCHQ 123451 161307XXXXXXXXXX

Request for a new cheque book

CHKBK 161307XXXXXXXXXX HYTEJQUEY 30

Change SMS password

CHNGPWD PASSWORD NEW SMS PASSWORD

So basically, you can avail these services by just typing the keywords in a predefined format ( as described above) snd simply send an SMS @ 5607040.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Q. How can I transfer funds using PNB SMS Banking?

As an active account holder with PNB, you just need to type the keywords ( pre fixed format) send it to 5607040 to avail fund transfer facility

For example: Type the keyword, SLFTRF from account number to account number AMC.

You can also SMS “PNB PROD” to 5607040 to avail the list of services offered by the PNB SMS Banking.

Q. Is there a fund transfer limit via SMS ?

Yes, there is a maximum daily threshold limit of ₹5000/- for self transfer of funds via the SMS banking channel. In case of pension account, the threshold amount is ₹1000/-

Q. What are the charges for PNB SMS Alerts?

Customers with savings accounts with PNB are liable to pay SMS alerts service charge of ₹15 per quarter + service tax.

Other than savings accounts, the service charge for SMS alerts is ₹25 per quarter + service tax.

Student account, senior citizen account, mitra account, staff and ex-staff account, accounts under PMJDY and basic saving deposit accounts are exempted from the above charges.

Q. What is 'PNB sleep easy' ?.

If you're concerned about the security of your password, you can avail the ' PNB slèep easy' facility which essentially disables the net banking/mobile banking password when not in use.

Just send an SMS, BLOCK IBS to 92640 92640 or 5607040 for retail net banking users or BLOCK MBS to 92640 92640 or 5607040 for mobile banking users.

Subsequently, you could enable your password yet again with a single click.