Big Bazaar to dispense cash up to Rs2,000 through PoS from Thursday

With the queues at ATMs getting longer with continuing curbs on withdrawal amounts and the people still facing a cash crunch, Big Bazaar on Tuesday announced that customers can withdraw cash up to Rs2,000 by using debit cards at all its stores from 24 November.

In a statement, the Future Retail company said its stores across the country, including all fbb stores, ''will be enabled to allow customers to withdraw up to Rs2,000 from their own bank accounts, using their debit / ATM cards''.

The facility will be available at 258 Big Bazaar and fbb stores in over 115 cities and towns across the country,it added.

The facility is being extended by State Bank of India by activating PoS machines at Big Bazaar to dispense the bank's cash. The facility will allow Food Bazar customers to withdraw cash from their accounts of any scheduled bank in the country, the company said.

''We are trying hard to ease any difficulties faced by customers due to the demonetisation of some currency notes and support the government's initiative in meeting its objective,'' Kishore Biyani, chairman, Future Retail, said.

''Now with customers being able to withdraw cash at Big Bazaar stores, they are welcome to visit our stores instead of qeueing up at banks and ATMs.''

Customers can follow four simple steps to withdraw cash: Visit the dedicated cash counter at the store, swipe their debit/ATM cards, enter the PIN and withdraw up to Rs2,000 from their accounts.

The cash withdrawal facility will be subject to all applicable restrictions imposed by banks, Reserve Bank of India and government notifications from time to time.

The government recently allowed the withdrawal of cash of up to a limit of Rs2,000 by swiping debit cards at select petrol pumps using point-of-sale transactions (PoS) machines.