Sindh Bank SMS Banking Codes 8987: Balance, ATM Start, IBFT and Every Command (2026 List)
Sindh Bank SMS banking runs on 8987. Get every command for balance, ATM card on and off, IBFT, top-up and bills, plus bank short codes and daily ATM limits.
Sindh Bank's SMS banking number is 8987. Send BALA to 8987 for your balance, and register for the full service by sending NEWA followed by your CNIC without dashes. The same number switches your ATM card on and off, opens international use, sends money to other banks and pays bills. Below is every command in the exact format, the bank short codes for transfers, and the daily ATM limits for each Sindh Bank card.
We read Sindh Bank's SMS banking page and its ATM and debit cards page on 27 October 2026. The commands below are copied from those pages, with the spaces shown as the bank shows them.
Sindh Bank SMS banking starts with NEWA and your CNIC
Send NEWA, a space and your 13-digit CNIC without dashes to 8987 to register for the complete SMS service. To stop it, send NEWB and your CNIC the same way. After stopping, you still get free SMS alerts for transactions.
- Use the mobile number registered with Sindh Bank.
- Type NEWA, a space, then your CNIC with no dashes, for example NEWA 4210112345671.
- Send it to 8987.
- Send BALA to 8987 to confirm the service works.
- Send HELP to 8987 for the list of commands, or HELP followed by a command for its details.
The CNIC in the example above is made up. Use your own. Your network charges its normal SMS rate. Sindh Bank's page does not list a separate fee for SMS banking, so check the bank's schedule of charges if you send many messages.
Every Sindh Bank SMS command for 8987
BALA gives your balance, LFTR your last few transactions, PAYC moves money within Sindh Bank, IBFT sends it to another bank, and ELOAD tops up a phone. ATM START and ATM STOP control the card, and INT START opens it for use abroad.
| What you want | Send to 8987 |
|---|---|
| Balance | BALA |
| Last few transactions | LFTR [account no] |
| Transfer within Sindh Bank | PAYC [amount] [account no] [reason code] |
| Transfer to another bank | IBFT [last 6 digits of ATM card] [bank short code] [account no] [amount] [reason code] |
| Mobile top-up | ELOAD [amount] [network code] [mobile no] |
| Reactivate ATM card | ATM START [last 6 digits of card] |
| Stop ATM card | ATM STOP |
| Allow use abroad and online abroad | INT START [last 6 digits of card] |
| Block use abroad again | INT STOP [last 6 digits of card] |
| Online shopping for 30 minutes | ECOM [card number] A |
| Register email | EMRE [email address] |
| Statement by email | EMAIL [date as yyyymmdd] |
| Pay FBR tax | FBRT [PSID] |
Sindh Bank says all its ATM and debit cards are blocked by default for cash, shop and online use abroad. INT START opens that, and INT STOP closes it again. The ECOM command opens online shopping on a Visa debit card for only 30 minutes, which is a good safety design: send it just before you pay.
IBFT by SMS needs a bank short code and a reason code
An IBFT message ends with two codes: the receiving bank's short code and a reason code from 1 to 16. Sindh Bank publishes both lists. For example, HBL is HBL, Meezan is MBL, NBP is NBP, and reason 5 means transfer to family and friends.
| Bank or wallet | Short code |
|---|---|
| Habib Bank | HBL |
| Meezan Bank | MBL |
| National Bank of Pakistan | NBP |
| United Bank | UBL |
| Allied Bank | ABL |
| Bank Alfalah | BAF |
| Muslim Commercial Bank | MCB |
| Bank of Punjab | BOP |
| SadaPay | SDP |
| NayaPay | NYA |
The reason codes run from 1 to 16. The ones most people need are 1 for bill payment, 2 for donations, charity or zakat, 3 for education, 4 for your own accounts, 5 for family and friends, 9 for medical expenses and 13 for salaries or wages. The full lists, covering dozens of banks and wallets, are on Sindh Bank's page.
So a transfer of Rs 5,000 from a card ending 052481 to an HBL account for family would read: IBFT 052481 HBL [account no] 5000 5. Check the account number twice. SMS has no "confirm name" screen like an app. Transfer fees between banks are set out in IBFT charges in Pakistan.
Sindh Bank ATM card limits run from Rs 50,000 to Rs 100,000 a day
A Classic card, whether UnionPay, Visa or PayPak, withdraws up to Rs 50,000 a day at ATMs. Gold cards allow Rs 75,000 and the Visa Platinum Rs 100,000. Daily fund transfer limits run from Rs 200,000 to Rs 500,000.
| Card | ATM cash per day | Shop purchases per day | Fund transfer per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| UnionPay Classic | Rs 50,000 | Rs 100,000 | Rs 200,000 |
| Visa Classic | Rs 50,000 | Rs 100,000 | Rs 200,000 |
| Visa Gold | Rs 75,000 | Rs 200,000 | Rs 300,000 |
| Visa Platinum | Rs 100,000 | Rs 500,000 | Rs 500,000 |
| PayPak Classic | Rs 50,000 | Rs 100,000 | Rs 200,000 |
| PayPak Gold | Rs 75,000 | Rs 100,000 | Rs 200,000 |
One conflict on Sindh Bank's own page: the Visa section first lists daily shop purchases of Rs 100,000 for Classic and Rs 200,000 for Gold, then a second box lists Rs 200,000 for Classic and Rs 300,000 for Gold. We used the first figures in the table. Ask the bank if the higher figure matters to you. Limits at other banks are compared in ATM cash withdrawal limits in Pakistan.
Bills can be paid by SMS to 8987 too
Sindh Bank lists bill commands for K-Electric (KESC and the account number), SSGC, SNGPL, PTCL, KWSB, HESCO, LESCO, MEPCO and GEPCO, among others. Each starts with the company code and then your consumer or reference number.
For example, SSGC and your customer number pays a Sui Southern gas bill, and HESC and the reference number pays a Hyderabad electricity bill. Other ways to pay the same bills are in SSGC bill payment online.
Common questions
What is the Sindh Bank SMS banking number?
8987. All commands, from BALA for balance to IBFT for transfers, are sent there.
How do I check my Sindh Bank balance by SMS?
Send BALA to 8987 from your registered mobile number.
How do I activate my Sindh Bank ATM card by SMS?
Send ATM START and the last six digits of your card to 8987, for example ATM Start 052481. Sindh Bank describes this as reactivating a card.
How do I use my Sindh Bank card abroad?
Send INT START and the last six digits of the card to 8987. Cards are blocked for international use by default.
What is the Sindh Bank ATM withdrawal limit?
Rs 50,000 a day on Classic cards, Rs 75,000 on Gold and Rs 100,000 on Visa Platinum.
What is the Sindh Bank helpline?
The call centre is +92-21-111-11-7632, which the bank writes as 111-11-SNDB.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 27 October 2026. We read Sindh Bank's SMS banking page at sindhbank.com.pk, covering every 8987 command, the utility bill codes, the IBFT bank short codes, the reason codes and the telco codes, and its ATM and debit cards page for daily limits and eligibility. Sindh Bank's own page gives two different shop limits for Visa Classic and Visa Gold, which we flagged. We did not send the commands, because they need a registered Sindh Bank number.
About the author
Senior Writer, Public Services and Technology
Shahid joined us in 2024 as an author. He is a senior contributor to Pakistan's leading technology websites. He writes detailed articles, mostly covering his expertise in the latest tech, mobiles, apps, gadgets, and step-by-step guides. His ideology is to help people understand the latest trends and explain complex methods through very easy-to-understand guides.
