Debit card pin by sms.. new initiative by HDFC bank

It seems as part of it s green initiative hdfc bank is planning to send out debit card pin to its new customers via SMS vs snail mail.

Its an interesting move and definitely green and cost saving .. though I am.not sure of the safety of the move for its customers.

Lets take a look at areas where such things are difficult.

1. One doesn't want the debit pin to be on SMS for everyone to see
2. Smartphones have lots of apps that have access to SMS folders and hence it can create quite a bit of an issue if these apps get this delicate information.

I recently had called up hdfc bank for a new pin( big co incidence) and they offered to send me a green pin.

My experience however wasn't great. They promised that I would get the pin within 24-48 hrs but nothing came even after repeated followups.
They also charged me Rs 56 for this service.

Finally I got my pin through regular snail mail.

So I am not sure if HDFC processes are really strong enough to really start the green pin.

I would suggest you wait and trust the snail mail until some time has passed to use the green pin initiative.

Be safe.