Need help about banks

techbulb

eUREKA...
I am getting my debit card next month so can someone tell me that from which bank should i get it so that i can use it on international sites also like amazon.com because i read somewhere that Indian banks have some extra safety feature on debit cards so we cannot use them on international sites. Please help me choose a bank that provides good services or any special feature .

Thnx in advance
peace out ;-D
 
OP
techbulb

techbulb

eUREKA...
Bump please help as soon as i get it my first purchase will be subscription to digit
peace out ;-D
 

Skud

Super Moderator
Staff member
Any VISA or Mastercard should do, but no idea about international sites.
 
OP
techbulb

techbulb

eUREKA...
Any specific reason for sbi and is standard chartered good because i can get a/c and card fast there thanx for replying

peace out ;-D
 

dashing.sujay

Moving
Staff member
Largest bank having biggest chain of ATMs (biggest point). And I can't find what
"extra" services do private banks provide?
 

johnybravojr

Broken In
All additional charges like ATM maintenance fees, card replacement fees, other charges, etc are higher in private banks compared to nationalized banks. And private banks keep calling you with offers for credit cards, loans, etc. Nationalized banks are slightly more 'stable' than private ones during economic crisis. Nationalized banks have better loan features(interest, repayment options, etc) than private banks.

In short, private banks are quick but expensive; less genuine/reliable in some aspects. Nationalized banks are cheap, but everything is slow and/or hard to get processed(loans, etc); more genuine/reliable.

My experience with HDFC MasterCard, SBI Maestro, SBI MasterCard Debit Cards were negative with Amazon, and non-Indian eBay sites, and any transaction involved in collaboration/using with PayPal.

My opinion would be to apply for SBI Gold MasterCard/VISA Debit Card. Write specifically for this card. They have a reward program called FreedomRewardz(FreedomRewardz | India's Most Rewarding Loyalty Program for SBI - State Bank Group Debit Card Customers), where they add 2.5 to 4 points per Rs. 100 to your account whenever you do any payment(not ATM withdrawal) with your debit card. And the above card gives the maximum points. They have a longer expiry period, and you can redeem them with merchandize, air/bus/movie tickets, or even gift cards. I've purchased merchandize but they are useless. You may redeem tickets or gift cards, the best option of them all. A Rs.1000 gift card costs 4200 freedom points for which you have to do POS transactions worth Rs. 1,05,000 over a period of time(don't be shocked, you will have used your card for that value pretty soon if you started buying everything-grocery, EB bill, online shopping, and that huge gadget purchase you've got in your mind-using debit card) using Gold card. That would be like an almost 1%(0.95%) cash-back. Sliver and below cards gives you only 2.5 points.

In short, don't just go for speed and convenience alone. They'd pamper you and prod you to go for that attractive-looking personal loan or credit card, and then when they start charging you with all sorts of innovative charges/interests, you will feel sorry for falling prey to the trap.

Sorry about the long explanation, and no, I'm not associated with any of the nationalized banks. I am only a customer with SBI & HDFC.
 

Skud

Super Moderator
Staff member
All additional charges like ATM maintenance fees, card replacement fees, other charges, etc are higher in private banks compared to nationalized banks. And private banks keep calling you with offers for credit cards, loans, etc. Nationalized banks are slightly more 'stable' than private ones during economic crisis. Nationalized banks have better loan features(interest, repayment options, etc) than private banks.

In short, private banks are quick but expensive; less genuine/reliable in some aspects. Nationalized banks are cheap, but everything is slow and/or hard to get processed(loans, etc); more genuine/reliable.

My experience with HDFC MasterCard, SBI Maestro, SBI MasterCard Debit Cards were negative with Amazon, and non-Indian eBay sites, and any transaction involved in collaboration/using with PayPal.

My opinion would be to apply for SBI Gold MasterCard/VISA Debit Card. Write specifically for this card. They have a reward program called FreedomRewardz(FreedomRewardz | India's Most Rewarding Loyalty Program for SBI - State Bank Group Debit Card Customers), where they add 2.5 to 4 points per Rs. 100 to your account whenever you do any payment(not ATM withdrawal) with your debit card. And the above card gives the maximum points. They have a longer expiry period, and you can redeem them with merchandize, air/bus/movie tickets, or even gift cards. I've purchased merchandize but they are useless. You may redeem tickets or gift cards, the best option of them all. A Rs.1000 gift card costs 4200 freedom points for which you have to do POS transactions worth Rs. 1,05,000 over a period of time(don't be shocked, you will have used your card for that value pretty soon if you started buying everything-grocery, EB bill, online shopping, and that huge gadget purchase you've got in your mind-using debit card) using Gold card. That would be like an almost 1%(0.95%) cash-back. Sliver and below cards gives you only 2.5 points.

In short, don't just go for speed and convenience alone. They'd pamper you and prod you to go for that attractive-looking personal loan or credit card, and then when they start charging you with all sorts of innovative charges/interests, you will feel sorry for falling prey to the trap.

Sorry about the long explanation, and no, I'm not associated with any of the nationalized banks. I am only a customer with SBI & HDFC.


For loans, all banks act slow unless there are other things involved. Of course, I am talking about retail loans only. Nationalized banks are not necessarily slower than private ones, its just that their number of customers are much higher. All the banks now provide ready kit containing your A/c details and ATM-cum-debit card. The account generally gets opened within a couple of days max. All you have to do is apply for Internet Banking, which gets activated within 24-48 hrs, and you are good to go.

Regarding online purchase, its better to stick with VISA I think.
 

dashing.sujay

Moving
Staff member
^ +1, I'd also like to share some words of my father (who is a manager in SBI).

Once I asked him, "Papa, why do people say, getting loan passed in SBI is so tough :| "?

Dad : "See son, people have a belief that getting work done/loan passed either requires bribe or source, which is not the case. The problem is the stricter bank norms, more paper works required and other formalities , which makes the process slow." :)

Once I took my friend for getting his education loan passed. He had some very poor marks :p, my father outright rejected saying, this is not ethical and he'll have to answer senior authorities.

Plus, I'd like to say, PSU banks are no more following kachhua chal trend which they used to, they're now giving good competition to private peers. But one thing I must say. The level of service in metro cities PSU banks and lower tier cities branches have got much difference.
 
OP
techbulb

techbulb

eUREKA...
I just need a debit card for online transactions and a savings a/c which i guess is necessary for a debit card i am not gonna take loan from a bank because i have debit card of that bank please tell me a bank and debit card which i can use to make transactions online nationally and internationally and i saw on the icici site that one of its debit card gives 5 points for 100 rs transaction



peace out ;-D
 

dashing.sujay

Moving
Staff member
^With ICICI min bal=10k, that pisses me off :x

Any master/visa card would do. But best would be HDFC because of its netsafe (dummy credit card) functionality.
 

ajaybc

Youngling
SBI provides an international debit card called 'Yuva'. It is a VISA card and I have used it successfully to buy stuff online. The card is completely free and available only for account holders between 18 - 30 years. Just give a seperate application at the nearest SBI branch after getting your account for getting the Yuva card.
 

johnybravojr

Broken In
^With ICICI min bal=10k, that pisses me off :x

Any master/visa card would do. But best would be HDFC because of its netsafe (dummy credit card) functionality.
HDFC Netsafe did not work for me with paypal. Netsafe can only be used for one time transaction. You have to create a card for a specific amount. Money gets debited from your account instantly. When you add your card to Paypal, it debits approx 1$ from the card for verification. And the card becomes invalid after that, though it gets verified and added to paypal. Finally the 1$ is refunded in a couple of days after deducting exchange rates. However, the remaining amount in your card takes another whopping 35 days to be returned to your account.

I have tried twice, and this was what happened. If 'SBI Yuva' card works, that seems to be the best option. Otherwise you'll have to go for a Credit Card only. A friend's HDFC Mastercard Credit card worked for the same international transaction like a knife through butter.
 
OP
techbulb

techbulb

eUREKA...
SBI provides an international debit card called 'Yuva'. It is a VISA card and I have used it successfully to buy stuff online. The card is completely free and available only for account holders between 18 - 30 years. Just give a seperate application at the nearest SBI branch after getting your account for getting the Yuva card.

On which site did u use it
 
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