Federal Bank launches RuPay NCMC wallet debit card: Know steps to use it, transaction limit and more

Federal Bank on Monday, February 5, launched National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) integrated debit cards. NCMC is a feature introduced on RuPay Contactless Debit Card which allows cardholders to make payments across NCMC-enabled terminals at metro stations, buses, etc in an offline mode, just by tapping the card on the card reader.

Federal Bank stated that this initiative is a step towards streamlining travel experiences by digitising payments.

To activate the NCMC functionality and begin using the card for offline transactions, cardholders are required to enable the "contactless feature" through mobile banking, internet banking, or IVR.

After activation, users can visit the customer care desk at metro stations to initiate activation and load money onto the card, either through cash or their existing savings account.

The maximum top-up limit for the card balance is set at ₹2,000.

Users can reload the card balance through various channels, including cash transactions at authorised transit points or by linking the card to their savings/current account.

The balance on the offline wallet can be enquired at designated transport operators' POS terminals, and customers can update their balance after performing an "Add Money" transaction through the bank's e-channels.

For offline transactions, customers must activate the offline wallet, maintain a necessary balance, and tap the card at the entry and exit gates of metro stations.

The Automatic Fare Calculator (AFC) system will deduct the fare from the offline wallet.

The upper limit for an offline payment transaction is set at ₹200, with potential changes based on guidelines, Federal Bank mentioned on its website.

Differentiating NCMC RuPay Debit Cards from regular RuPay Debit Cards, Federal Bank highlighted that the former is a dual-interface card supporting both online (contact and contactless) and offline (contactless) transactions.

Cards issued after April 2022 will exclusively support the NCMC feature.

Customers can identify the RuPay Contactless feature by checking for the contactless indicator printed on the card, the lender said.