[kylehotchkiss]

Foreigner who spends a lot of time in India here - I find the heavy reliance on SMS/phone numbers to be a frustrating part of the system. If I want to get something with my wife's card, I have to have her phone nearby. I wish they'd think of some creative additions to only using phone number for 2fa. After all, if somebodies card can be stolen, there's a chance their phone can get stolen at the same time.

[sm_4096]

India's largest state bank (SBI) has somewhat moved away from just using SMS, their debit card now supports 2FA using their app and their credit cards now support 2FA over app, E-mail and SMS. Though I think RBI regulation still require a 2FA for all online domestic transactions.

[rudiv]

The regulations require it to be enabled by default afaik. SBI (I don't have experience with other banks) allows you to turn off 2FA for different classes of transactions. It's hidden away in the settings on their legacy web interface.

[tumblewit]

Not to mention the fact that if both card and phone (associated with the card) are stolen at the same time it is a headache to block the card since now you don’t have the phone to log in to your account to block it which requires 2FA. Calling customer care is possible but if they ask for verification then again you don’t have your phone.

[jeswin]

> Calling customer care is possible but if they ask for verification then again you don’t have your phone.

Card blocking is easier with phone calls. With most banks, there's a direct option right at the start via IVR - the operator will confirm basic personal details (like DOB), and done.

I have had to do it more times than I should have had to.

[manojlds]

My bank sends email too. Not really a solution, but it helps, especially when travelling abroad and had to transaction in India.