How to track HDFC Bank spending from your SMS alerts
HDFC Bank texts you for almost every rupee that moves. Some of those texts are spending, many aren't. Here's how to tell them apart, and how to turn the right ones into a monthly picture.
By PennyWise AI Team · Updated
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The short answer
HDFC Bank sends an SMS for UPI payments, debit and credit card spends, and money coming in. An expense tracker that reads those texts on your phone can log each spend with its amount, merchant and card, and skip the texts that only look like spending: OTPs, card bill payments, statements, loan offers and autopay reminders.
1 crore+
downloads for the new HDFC Bank App on Google Play, rated 4.6 from 14 lakh reviews
What a real HDFC Bank spend alert looks like
HDFC's alerts come from senders such as AX-HDFCBK-S or VM-HDFCBK-T. The middle part, HDFCBK, is HDFC's registered header; the last letter says what kind of message it is (S for service, T for transactional, P for promotional). These are the formats PennyWise AI is tested against, with numbers changed:
| The text says | What it is | Logged as |
|---|---|---|
| Sent Rs.640.00 From HDFC Bank A/C *1234 To SWIGGY ... Ref 523456789012 | UPI payment | ₹640 spend at Swiggy, UPI |
| Spent INR 1,299.00 on HDFC Bank Card x4321 at AMAZON | Credit card purchase | ₹1,299 spend at Amazon, credit card 4321 |
| Rs.2000.00 withdrawn from A/c XX1234 at ATM | Cash withdrawal | ₹2,000 spent as cash |
| debited with Rs.5,000.00 ... towards NACH-DR-ACME MF SIP | Auto-debit (SIP) | ₹5,000 auto-pay |
| INR 85,000.00 deposited in HDFC Bank A/c XX1234 ... NEFT Cr ... ACME TECHNOLOGIES | Money in (salary) | ₹85,000 income from Acme Technologies |
| Refund of Rs.300.00 credited to your HDFC Bank Debit Card ... from FLIPKART | Refund | Money back, not spending |
| Payment of Rs.12,345.00 has been received towards your HDFC Bank Credit Card | Card bill paid | Skipped: the purchases already counted |
| HDFC Bank Credit Card XX4321 statement: Total due Rs.12,345.00 | Statement | Skipped |
| 123456 is the OTP for txn of INR 1,299.00 at AMAZON | OTP | Skipped |
| Rs.499 will be debited on 05-Oct for your NETFLIX mandate | Autopay reminder | Skipped: money hasn't moved yet |
| Get Rs.5,00,000 credited instantly with a pre-approved Personal Loan | Loan offer (from a -P sender) | Skipped |
What the HDFC Bank app shows, and what it can't
HDFC's new app lists your savings and current accounts, deposits and credit cards in one place, and its listing promises "personalized banking insights" to help manage expenses. For HDFC money, that's a good view.
It's a view of HDFC money. If your salary lands in HDFC but you also hold an SBI account, an ICICI card or pay through PhonePe from another bank, HDFC's app sees only its part. Most people's month is spread over two or three banks and cards, which is why the texts on your phone, from every bank, are a fuller record than any one bank's app.
How to track HDFC spending automatically
Install PennyWise AI on Android
Free to start. It reads SMS on your phone; it never asks for your NetBanking login or card PIN.
Allow SMS access
New HDFC texts are read as they arrive. On Plus, your last six months of bank texts are read at once, so your history is there on day one.
Spend as usual
Each HDFC spend logs itself with the merchant, method and card or account ending, and a notification offers Undo.
Check the month
HDFC spends sit next to your other banks, cards and UPI apps, sorted by category, with what you can still spend today.
Only texts from a bank's registered sender are logged on their own. A text from a phone number is never read, so a message pretending to be HDFC can't add a fake payment.
Track HDFC with your other banks and UPI apps
HDFC, SBI, ICICI and UPI, in one month
PennyWise AI turns your bank's texts and UPI alerts into one list, with Undo on every entry. Then ask the AI Coach what changed this month. No bank login.
Free on Android, no card needed. 40% off Plus for your first 3 months.
Questions people ask
How do I track my HDFC credit card spending?
HDFC texts you for each card purchase with the amount, merchant and the card's last four digits. An expense tracker that reads those texts logs each purchase under its category. The card bill payment is left out, so nothing is counted twice.
Does HDFC Bank have a spend analyser?
HDFC's new app shows your accounts and cards together and offers personalised insights. It only covers HDFC accounts and cards, not your other banks or UPI apps linked to other accounts.
Is it safe to let an app read HDFC Bank SMS?
Reading texts lets an app see the alert, not your account. PennyWise AI reads SMS on the phone, saves only the payment (amount, merchant, date), never reads texts from personal numbers, and never asks for your NetBanking password or card PIN.
Why is an HDFC loan offer not logged as income?
A pre-approved loan offer quotes a big number, but no money moved. Offers come from HDFC's promotional sender (ending in -P) and use words like "apply" and "pre-approved", so they're skipped.
Sources
General information, not financial advice. Facts checked on 9 Oct 2026; apps and fees change, so check before you act.