How to activate your SBI debit card online, or via call, SMS, and ATM

Gone are those days when the State Bank Of India debit card came inside the delivery packet with its PIN and you had to wait for days to get to use your card. Nowadays, they send us only Debit Card as a part of the green earth initiative. However, activating SBI Debit Card by generating an ATM pin is easy and can be done within minutes. Let us have a look at the various ways through which SBI Debit Card can be activated. 

To activate the SBI debit card, you will need these things done first:

1. Your mobile number should be linked to your bank account. Without this, OTP authentication will not be possible.
2. You must be registered for the internet banking services like OnlineSBI to activate online.
3. You should know the location of your nearest SBI ATM, as some alternate methods will require you to visit an SBI ATM.

Activate SBI debit card Online

You can activate your SBI debit card online through the OnlineSBI portal.

1. Visit the OnlineSBI web portal and log in to personal banking using your internet banking user ID and password.
2. Select e-services and navigate to ATM card services, where you will find the option for ATM PIN generation. Click on it.
3. Log in using your profile password or OTP for authentication.
4. Select the account number to which your debit card is linked.
5. Select the debit card for which you want to create a new PIN. You can also change the existing PIN.
6. Enter the first two digits of the PIN as per your choice. When you do that, the last two digits of the PIN will be sent to the registered mobile number.
7. Now verify the PIN by entering all four digits. Confirm the change.
8. You now have a new PIN for your debit card, and now the card is ready for use.

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Activate SBI debit card via call

You can also generate your SBI debit card PIN by calling the customer care helpline number, which is toll-free.

1. First, call SBI customer care at 1800112211 or 18004253800.
2. Follow the instructions given and choose the ‘ATM and Prepaid Card Services’ option.
3. Tap/Press ‘1’ to generate the SBI card PIN.
4. Enter your debit card number, enter the same again, and confirm.
5. Enter your account number linked to the debit card, and press confirm.
6. Once you confirm all the details you will receive an SMS with an OTP, which will be valid for 2 days.
7. Visit any State Bank ATM and select the option PIN Change.
8. Enter the current OTP.
9. Enter your new PIN and confirm.

Activate SBI debit card via SMS

You can also generate the SBI card PIN by sending a message from your registered mobile number.

1. SMS ‘PIN 5678 ABCD’ to 567676.
2. Here, 5678 represents the last four digits of your debit card number and ABCD represents the last four digits of your bank account number linked to the debit card. Once the SMS is sent, you will receive an OTP number on your mobile.
3. The OTP will be valid for 2 days and you can use it to generate a debit card PIN by visiting any of the SBI ATMs. 
4. Upon visiting an SBI ATM, select the option PIN change, and enter the current OTP. After that, enter your new PIN and confirm. That’s it!

Activate the debit card by visiting an SBI ATM

Since both of the steps above require you to visit an ATM anyways, you can skip both of these steps and directly visit an SBI ATM.

1. Insert your debit card at any SBI ATM
2. Select ‘PIN Generation’
3. Enter your 11-digit account number and confirm
4. Now enter your 10-digit mobile number that is registered with the bank and confirm
5. You will receive an OTP
6. Now you can again insert the card and select the ‘PIN Change’ option
7. Enter the OTP to authenticate and set a new PIN as per your choice
8. That’s it! Now you can use your debit card to make purchases at your local store.

General Queries

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Why can’t I use my SBI debit card for online purchases after activation?

This is because as of October 2020, the Reserve Bank of India has mandated that all banks will have to ship new debit cards with e-commerce transactions disabled to prevent fraud and misuse of cards. You can easily activate it by sending an SMS. Here is the format:

SMS “SWON ECOM 1234” to 09223966666 (1234 are the last four digits of your card).

Can my debit card be used for international transactions?

It depends on the card you have chosen. As of this writing, only SBI Global International card, SBI Platinum International card, SBI Gold International card, and sbiINTOUCH debit cards can be used for international transactions.