PhonePe founder and CEO Sameer Nigam said UPI will remain free for Indian consumers, dismissing concerns that users could be charged for digital payments. Nigam said consumers would not have to pay any fee for making UPI transactions.
In a post on X, Nigam wrote, "UPI is and will remain free for all Indian Consumers! ‘Consumers will NOT BE CHARGED anything for making UPI payments."
𝐔𝐏𝐈 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬!
— Sameer Nigam (@_sameernigam) August 8, 2026
‘Consumers will NOT BE CHARGED anything for making UPI payments.
The Payments Council of India on Friday said consumers and small merchants will continue to enjoy free Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services even as the Lok Sabha passed a Bill to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
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The statement comes a day after the Lok Sabha passed a Bill to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, which authorises the government to permit banks and other service providers to levy charges on payments through UPI and other notified electronic payment modes.
In a post on X, the association said, "UPI has always been free for consumers since its launch in 2016. Every Indian can continue making instant digital payments without paying any transaction charges."
Clarifying the ongoing debate around UPI charges, Payments Council of India said small merchants, including kirana stores, will also continue to accept UPI payments without paying the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR).
It said the recent discussions are centred on developing a sustainable financial model to support the infrastructure behind UPI, which has evolved into the world's largest real-time payment system, while ensuring that consumers and small businesses remain protected.
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(with inputs from PTI)
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