This change has come into effect from December 1, 2025 and the bank has said it is a result of increase in interchange fees, that is, the fee has been increased due to the expense the bank incurs on ATM services.
How many free transactions can you do?
First of all, it is important to know that the new policy does not apply equally to every customer. Some free ATM transactions have been fixed every month for SBI customers, within which you can withdraw money or avail other services without paying any charges. After this, when you cross this free limit, you will have to pay ₹ 23 + GST for withdrawing money. Before this new rate, this fee was ₹21 + GST, which has now been increased.
SBI has also clarified that there has been no reduction in the number of free transactions, but the charges have been increased so that the burden of interbank interchange fees can be reduced. This means that if you use the ATM more times than the free limit in a month, now the bank will send you a thick receipt every additional time you withdraw money.
The rule will apply to other ATMs also
This rule applies not only to SBI's own ATMs but also to using ATMs of other banks when the number of free transactions is exceeded. Earlier, many banks used to give priority to customers at their own ATMs and used to charge more at other banks' ATMs, but now the rules for both the places have become stronger and expensive.
It is important to know about the new ATM charges because people often think that withdrawing money from ATM is still always free, but it is not so. Most banks now keep the first few transactions of the month free and impose charges only after that. In the case of SBI, there is a deduction of ₹23 + GST after the free limit is crossed, which means that every time you withdraw personal cash from the ATM, your balance will be reduced.
The reason why the bank made this change is said to be the increase in interchange fees made by RBI, which has directly affected the customers. That is, when banks use another bank's ATM network, they have to pay more money than before, and that is why the service charge has been increased. The purpose of implementing this change is to meet the bank's expenses of maintaining the ATM network.
