New Delhi, April 21 -- Customers will now receive alerts at least 24 hours before any automatic payment is deducted from their accounts, as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday issued the Digital Payments - E-mandate Framework, 2026, to streamline and safeguard recurring transactions.

In a move aimed at preventing unexpected debits, the central bank said, "An issuer shall send a pre-transaction notification to the customer, at least 24 hours prior to the actual charge / debit."

The framework consolidates all existing rules on e-mandates -- commonly used for subscriptions, utility bills, and SIPs -- and makes them more transparent and customer-friendly.

To ensure better control, RBI said customers must explicitly approve auto-debi...