Looking for a new Bank!

[RedCardRef]

Hey!

So as we all know PPBL is shutting down, this was the main bank I was using all along mainly because it was fast and hassle free. It mainly had a fast app and a slick interface. I created a direct "Scan to Pay" shortcut on my home screen and payments are seamless. (Scan -> Authenticate with Fingerprint -> Enter Amount -> Complete Payment with Fingerprint). No, this is not UPI Lite. Bank apps can make payments using biometrics. I was even authenticating UPI payment requests via Fingerprint it was just very convenient. Also I dont think PPBL ever enforced the 1L/day UPI Limit as I was making transactions well over that using this app in a day! I was using this app to make CC payments, but they started charging platform fee, so stopped using it.

I am also a customer of DBS Digibank for 4+ years now. It has a decent app and website. It doesn't bug you to change your password and have separate passwords each for profile password/net banking password/transaction password which you need to change every 6 months with stupid password restrictions like you can't have consecutive letters or numbers and other such weird stuff enforced by certain banks. The DBS digibank has a scan to pay feature but it doesn't allow me to create a shortcut on the home screen and completing a payment from start to finish takes at least 3x longer compared to PPBL. (The app is slow as in it keeps showing the loading screen each time I navigate to any section). This bank is not supported by netbanking in Amazon(just tried to pay a CC bill through Amazon Pay). Amazon Pay did not show me the option of paying the CC bill through DC, it only had UPI and net banking.

I have a salary account with Axis, the Axis Mobile app does have the ability to create a "Scan to Pay" shortcut on the home screen but it does not have biometric authentication to complete the payment, so I was forced to enter the UPI pin. Tried to use Axis netbanking to complete the CC payment on Amazon pay but it kept failing even though I had enough balance to make the payment. So this is ruled out totally.

I also have an account with SBI (the less we talk about this the better). I also want to stay away from Cred, it feels less like a payment app and more like a gambling/rewards app. The amount of permissions it asks with regards to the phone is too high. But DBS Digibank net banking was an option in Cred and I finally choose this to make the CC payment.
iMobile Pay(ICICI) and HDFC Bank App both support UPI payments via biometrics, confirmed this through friend's phones (both are not zero balance). iMobilePay was fast compared to HDFC and both were slow compared to PPBL.

I am looking for a bank with the following requirements.

• Fast UPI Payments with Biometrics
• Supports a "Scan to Pay" shortcut on the home screen
• Has good net banking support
• Zero Balance/Zero Annual Fee is preferred
• App has to function with developer mode enabled. (iMobilePay complains about developer mode being enabled each time I open the app, but it is functional for the most part)

TLDR; Looking for a new bank with a fast app which supports payments via biometrics and preferably has a zero balance requirement. Please share your recommendations and experiences.

 

[quino]

I just force the setting via developer options for all apps that dont have a native dark mode.

that's cool. which android version are you on? im on 11 & this option isn't there for me. or could it be Samsung specific?

 

[RedCardRef]

that's cool. which android version are you on? im on 11 & this option isn't there for me. or could it be Samsung specific?

I use two devices one on A13 and one on A14, both have this option. Both my devices are Samsung, I am not entirely sure if you have this option on other Androids.


Update: Installed Slice, no option to create a shortcut for "Scan to Pay" directly and the PIN less transaction is capped at 5K. Doesn't meet my core requirements. So this is ruled out for now.

Will likely give kotak a try soon.

 

[SSV]

I use two devices one on A13 and one on A14, both have this option. Both my devices are Samsung, I am not entirely sure if you have this option on other Androids.


Update: Installed Slice, no option to create a shortcut for "Scan to Pay" directly and the PIN less transaction is capped at 5K. Doesn't meet my core requirements. So this is ruled out for now.

Will likely give kotak a try soon.

I don’t know why it restricted you to 5k, here is what I had done from my first day onwards..
And all transactions were done with face recognition on my iPhone by scanning QR code
Have you done kyc?

 

[RedCardRef]

Yep, I did the full KYC.

 

[SSV]

Yep, I did the full KYC.

My current setting at the same place:



I think this PIN based restriction applies on the devices where there is no biometric authentication facility available…
In the devices where fingerprint/ face recognition is available and used will override this restriction

 

[RedCardRef]

My current setting at the same place:

View attachment 44640

I think this PIN based restriction applies on the devices where there is no biometric authentication facility not available.
In the devices where fingerprint/ face recognition available and used will fulfill this requirement

You are correct. I was able to make the transactions just using biometrics!

 

[Chhota Bheem]

Can anyone provide a list of bank apps with fingerprint feature for UPI payment.