WhatsApp UPI Payment Feature Now Available in India: Here’s How to Send, Receive Money

WhatsApp Payments feature which is based on UPI has started rolling out in India which will mean that you will be able to send money to your friends and family right from WhatsApp. The most widely used messaging service across the globe started rolling out the UPI-based Payments feature in India to select users last week. The app is already popular with Indian users across different age groups who love to send "good morning" texts to kick start the day and adding the Payments feature just makes more sense for the messaging app.

The rollout of WhatsApp Payments has started from India which means that the company is looking to end the dominance of apps like Paytm, Google Tez, and other digital wallet apps that have been around for a long time. Also read: 10 secret WhatsApp tricks you (probably) didn't know about

With over 200 million monthly active users in India, WhatsApp shouldn't face any trouble bringing its large user base to get a taste of Payments feature. Facebook's move to bring Payments feature to India first on WhatsApp clearly seems a way to cash in on the digital payment in its early days. The WhatsApp Payments feature was being tested as a beta feature with select users but now more users have started receiving the feature. Also read: WhatsApp UPI-based payments feature rolling out in India

It was no secret as WhatsApp was reportedly in talks with top Indian banks for months to integrate Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Unlike previously believed, the WhatsApp Payments feature is being rolled out to both Android as well as iOS users simultaneously.

How to send money using WhatsApp payments

The WhatsApp Payments will be limited to peer-to-peer payment and does not offer merchant payment, as of now.

Before getting started with WhatsApp Payments, users will have to note few things like:

• For WhatsApp Payments to work, both sender and receiver should be running the latest WhatsApp version as well as have WhatsApp Payments option enabled.
• Another important fact is WhatsApp number should be same as your mobile number linked to your bank account with UPI option support as well. 

WhatsApp users who have already received the feature can head to Settings > Payments to start setting up the Payments option. As of now, WhatsApp Payments is working on an invite basis which means those who have received the Payments feature can activate for others by choosing the option from chat.

On tapping the option, users will be welcomed by a new message saying "Send and receive money securely with UPI" and users need to tap on "Accept and Continue" to start accepting the WhatsApp Payments. The users will be also offered the Terms and Privacy policy and the payment provider's terms and privacy policy which they can read or just skip to the next option.

Users then will have to verify their phone numbers by choosing "Verify via SMS" and that can be done by tapping on the green coloured send button on the next screen to send a verification SMS from your phone. It's worth noting that the SMS charges will be applicable.

Once the WhatsApp number has been configured then add your bank from a vast list of over 70 banks. WhatsApp has managed to get all major banks for its new WhatsApp Payments feature on-board which include Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Yes Bank, Airtel Payments Bank, Allahabad Bank, Andhra Bank, Bank of Baroda, and more.

If you already have UPI option enabled with your bank then you will need to verify with SMS.

New users need not to worry as WhatsApp Payments offers an option to create a UPI account with a pin (much like your ATM pin) for authenticating the payments. This can be done in less than 10 minutes by just following the instructions.

Users need to remember that the WhatsApp number and the mobile number registered with your bank should be same or else you need to get it linked with your bank before proceeding with WhatsApp Payments.

Now, how to send money to a friend using Payments feature on WhatsApp. To start sending money, tap on the menu in any chat to access Payment option apart from other options like send a photo, video, file, contact, or location.

Choose a WhatsApp contact you want to send your first payment, select the bank account and amount > Enter the UPI Pin > Money sent. One of the biggest highlights of the WhatsApp Payment is it uses UPI to send money in no time.

Once the transaction is complete, WhatsApp also notifies the user about the money sent to a contact. You can also keep a track of Payments from within the app, by using the Payment history option in WhatsApp.

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