UPI: meaning and how it works

UPI, the Unified Payments Interface, is India’s instant bank-to-bank payment system used by apps like Google Pay, PhonePe and Paytm.

You can pay with any UPI app, using a QR code or a collect request. We never see your UPI PIN.

How it works in practice

UPI payments are instant and work 24 hours a day. You can use QR scanning, a collect request or your UPI ID depending on the app.

Example

Example: scan the QR with Google Pay, approve with your PIN and see the payment confirmed.