UPI Payment- How to use UPI without a Debit Card?

Digital payments, which were once considered novel and revolutionary, have now become the norm. The United Payments Interface (UPI) system has been critical in standardising digital payments. You can send and receive money using your mobile phone with UPI. By linking multiple bank accounts to a single UPI mobile application, you can conduct instant fund transfers. With so many advantages, using UPI for financial transactions is a wise decision. Many people are perplexed by its application. The question of whether we need a debit card for UPI payments arises frequently. So, let's find out if debit cards are required for UPI transactions.

NPCI launched the UPI payment system in 2016 at the time that in order to conduct UPI transactions, interested users needed to link their debit cards to the UPI app. You essentially had to log into the UPI app and enter your debit card information, such as the 16-digit card number, card expiration date, and 3-digit CVV number.

By completing this one-time process, you will be able to link bank accounts linked to your debit cards, allowing you to conduct UPI transactions. The NCPI also stated that multiple bank accounts could be linked to a single UPI application.

You can send and receive money without sharing each other's bank details once you've set up the UPI payment system. You can transfer funds by logging into the UPI app and entering the phone numbers or QR codes of the recipients. All of this would take only a few seconds, and the payee would be credited with funds immediately.

UPI payments without Debit Card

While the process described above is still in place, the NCPI realised that without debit cards, individuals who do not own debit cards could not access UPI payments. This was especially true for people living in India's rural areas. The NCPI filled this void by introducing new methods for making UPI payments with debit cards.

Can we use UPI without a Debit Card?

UPI can be used without a debit card. Your Aadhaar number will be required. The only caveat is that you must still have a bank account and link the bank account used for UPI transactions to the registered mobile number associated with your Aadhaar Card. The NCPI made UPI payments more accessible to all segments of society by introducing UPI through Aadhaar, allowing them to make payments using feature phones.

How can we use UPI without Debit Card?

The steps are outlined below.

• Go to the 'Add UPI ID' option in your preferred UPI mobile application. Remember to select the bank account associated with your Aadhaar number.
• After determining whether your UPI ID is available, create it based on the app's requirements.
• Choose the 'Aadhaar-based verification' option and agree to the terms and conditions.
• To validate your Aadhaar number, enter the first six digits and click 'confirm'.
• Set the four or six-digit UPI pin, which may differ depending on the UPI application.
• You will receive a One-Time Password (OTP) on your registered mobile number, which is linked to your Aadhaar card, which you must enter into the app's specific tab.
• To finish the registration process, enter the UPI PIN you created earlier and click 'confirm'.

After that, you can start using the UPI app to make payments.