After the go-ahead from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Facebook-owned messenger app WhatsApp launched its payments feature in India recently. Known as WhatsApp Pay, it is a UPI-based payment feature that allows you to make payments to anyone in your WhatsApp contacts list. This in-chat payment service was being tested by WhatsApp in India for more than a year.
WhatsApp Pay was earlier launched in the country back in February 2018 as a trial run. WhatsApp got approval from NPCI to launch its digital payment service in a phased method from February this year. As said by NPCI, a capping of 30% will be applied on total payment volumes through each third-party payments app w.e.f. January 1, 2021, and thus, WhatsApp Pay will only be applicable for 20 million WhatsApp users.
How to set-up
- Download and install the latest version of WhatsApp on your device. Your WhatsApp mobile number and the number linked to your bank account should be the same.
- Open WhatsApp, go to Settings, and then click on Payments.
- Click on the Add payment method and then choose your respective bank.
- Once you have selected your bank, you need to verify your contact number via SMS.
- Once the verification process is done, you can see your bank details under Payment methods.
How to make payments
- Open the desired WhatsApp chat and click on the attachment symbol.
- Click on Payment, type in the amount that is to be transferred, and click enter.
- Punch in your UPI pin to complete the payment. Once done, a confirmation message will appear after the payment completion.
How to transfer money to Google Pay or PhonePe users
- Open WhatsApp, go to Settings, and click on Payments.
- Click on the New Payment option and select Send to a UPI ID.
- Type in the desired UPI ID and tap on Verify.
- Once verified, type in the amount and click enter.
- Enter your UPI pin for payment completion.
