WhatsApp Pay Finally Launches in India Without Any Hiccups

Starting today, people across India will be able to send money through WhatsApp. This secure payment experience makes transferring money just as easy as sending a message. People can safely send money to a family member or share the cost of goods from a distance without having to exchange cash in person or going to a local bank. WhatsApp designed the payments feature in partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) using the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), an India-first, real-time payment system that enables transactions with over 160 supported banks.

Starting today, people across India will be able to send money through WhatsApp 💸 This secure payments experience makes transferring money just as easy as sending a message. pic.twitter.com/bM1hMEB7sb

— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) November 6, 2020

To send money on WhatsApp in India, it’s necessary to have a bank account and debit card in India. WhatsApp sends instructions to banks, also known as payment service providers, that initiate the transfer of money via UPI between sender and receiver bank accounts. WhatsApp will be working with five leading banks in India: ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, the State Bank of India, and Jio Payments Bank. People can send money on WhatsApp to anyone using a UPI supported app. Payments on WhatsApp is now available for people on the latest version of the iPhone and Android app.

How to Send Money Using UPI in WhatsApp?

Sending money using UPI in Whatsapp is a simple and straightforward process but before that, you will need to set up your UPI account. Creating a UPI account in WhatsApp is similar to how we have seen it on other UPI apps like PhonePe or PayTm. To set up your UPI follow the steps given below:

1. First, open the chat of the contact you wish to send the money to in WhatsApp.
2. Then open the attachments. The icon for it is a paperclip in android and a "+" in iOS.
3. There you will see a "payments" option. From here you will be able to connect your bank account with UPI on WhatsApp.
4. Select the "Payments" option and you will then see a list of banks that WhatsApp supports.
5. Choose your bank and then proceed to verify your account with your phone number.
6. Once the verification is done, you will be able to send money to contacts using the same "payments" option.
7. The contact also needs to set their UPI up following the same process or they won't get that payment.
8. If both contacts have the UPI setup then the payment process will be similar as it is with other UPI apps. Via the UPI pin.