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UPI for NRI

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willremainnameless

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Hi all,

This is my first post here so hope it is in the correct place. I was getting a message saying I don't have the privilege to post in the banking section yet

Anyways, I wanted to know how an NRI with a foreign passport (with OCI) can use the UPI system. I have an NRO account with a local bank and the phone number registered with with the bank is my international number. The number I have while in India is a temporary one

I believe recently UPI One world was announced which allows international travellers to India to make UPI transactions. My understanding is that that is for travellers with no ties to India - No bank account, phone number etc - and requires opening something similar to a forex account on arrival at select airports

Is there a way I can use any of the numerous payment platforms. I am still a bit confused around the various terminologies but my understanding is that UPI is the payment architecture and Paytm, PhonePe and Google Pay are apps that are used to make the transactions

Are there any advantages to using one app over the other - will GooglePay work at merchant stores where they have a Paytm or PhonePe QR code ?

Apologies if these questions seem very rudimentary but any help will be much appreciated

Thanks
 
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willremainnameless said:
Hi all,

This is my first post here so hope it is in the correct place. I was getting a message saying I don't have the privilege to post in the banking section yet

Anyways, I wanted to know how an NRI with a foreign passport (with OCI) can use the UPI system. I have an NRO account with a local bank and the phone number registered with with the bank is my international number. The number I have while in India is a temporary one

I believe recently UPI One world was announced which allows international travellers to India to make UPI transactions. My understanding is that that is for travellers with no ties to India - No bank account, phone number etc - and requires opening something similar to a forex account on arrival at select airports

Is there a way I can use any of the numerous payment platforms. I am still a bit confused around the various terminologies but my understanding is that UPI is the payment architecture and Paytm, PhonePe and Google Pay are apps that are used to make the transactions

Are there any advantages to using one app over the other - will GooglePay work at merchant stores where they have a Paytm or PhonePe QR code ?

Apologies if these questions seem very rudimentary but any help will be much appreciated

Thanks
Click to expand...
Real Live Experience - NRI use UPI with American, European Mobile Numbers -

A

Thread 'Real Live Experience - NRI use UPI with American, European Mobile Numbers'

Real Live Experience - NRI use UPI with American, European etc Mobile Numbers:

This info is shared by one twitter user Sunil Bhai -

UPI with American Phone Number:

So I had heard that this is possible but never tried.

Yesterday I found time and thought why not give it a shot.

Pre-requirement is that you need NRE/NRO account.

I had one with ICICI. I also had their iMobile Pay app.

Opened the iMobile App. Tapped on "UPI Payments" It composed a text message for me.

I hit send.

Spinner came.

Asked me to select which account i want to send...
  • Abhishek012
  • america bank europe global international nri rupay uae upi
  • Replies: 1
  • Forum: UPI
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NRE/NRO accounts with international mobile numbers can now use UPI -​


A

Thread 'NRE/NRO accounts with international mobile numbers can now use UPI'

NRE/NRO accounts with international mobile numbers can now use UPI:

The UPI ecosystem members have to comply with NPCI's directions by April 30, 2023

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has instructed members of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) ecosystem to allow non-resident account types such as non-resident external (NRE)/ non-resident ordinary (NRO) accounts having international mobile numbers to get onboarded and transact through UPI.

This is subject to the fact that the member banks have to ensure such types of accounts are only allowed as per extant...

UPI is interoperable, meaning it can work seamlessly with other QR systems.

UPI apps list -

UPI Apps - List of UPI 3rd Party Apps | NPCI

www.npci.org.in www.npci.org.in

Note - Currently, i dnt know how many UPI apps are live with international mobile numbers but i think GPay, Paytm, Phonepe, ICICI bank's Umobile are already live.
 
I don't have international roaming on the number which is registered with my NRO account. So does that mean I won't be able to use UPI during my travels ? The number I have currently is a temporary prepaid one. I am concerned that these numbers get reused and recycled thereby someone else getting this number and thus OTPs sent to them once I stop renewing this number

If it helps, my bank is HDFC
 
willremainnameless said:
I don't have international roaming on the number which is registered with my NRO account. So does that mean I won't be able to use UPI during my travels ? The number I have currently is a temporary prepaid one. I am concerned that these numbers get reused and recycled thereby someone else getting this number and thus OTPs sent to them once I stop renewing this number

If it helps, my bank is HDFC
Click to expand...
Once you activate UPI, you don't need to recharge your number (only first time you will receive OTP and you also need to enter your Debit Card last 6 digit and expiry date to activate the UPI).

Activate your UPI before traveling to India. The only requirement is that your SIM card should be in your phone. Don't remove your sim or dnt change the sim slot.

Note - UPI transactions are UPI PIN based transaction, no OTP required (registration time, you need to set UPI PIN).

Whenever you register your UPI on a new phone, you will need to enter again your Debit Card last 6 digit and expiry date or all these procedures are also required for UPI PIN reset time.

If you dnt use your UPI. Inactive UPI IDs and UPI Number will be deactivated after 1 year -

A

Thread 'Inactive UPI IDs and UPI Number will be deactivated after 1 year'

Inactive UPI IDs and UPI Number will be deactivated after 1 year:

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has emerged as the most preferred digital payment method, owing to its exceptional blend of security, reliability, and seamless transactional experience.

In the realm of digital payments, it is essential for customers to regularly review and verify their information within the banking system to ensure a safe and secure transactional experience. However, it has come to our attention that customers may change to a new mobile number without disassociating their previous number from the...
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  • Wow
 
Abhishek012 said:
Once you activate UPI, you don't need to recharge your number (only first time you will receive OTP and you also need to enter your Debit Card last 6 digit and expiry date to activate the UPI).

Activate your UPI before traveling to India. The only requirement is that your SIM card should be in your phone. Don't remove your sim or dnt change the sim slot.

Note - UPI transactions are UPI PIN based transaction, no OTP required (registration time, you need to set UPI PIN).

Whenever you register your UPI on a new phone, you will need to enter again your Debit Card last 6 digit and expiry date or all these procedures are also required for UPI PIN reset time.

If you dnt use your UPI. Inactive UPI IDs and UPI Number will be deactivated after 1 year -

A

Thread 'Inactive UPI IDs and UPI Number will be deactivated after 1 year'

Inactive UPI IDs and UPI Number will be deactivated after 1 year:

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has emerged as the most preferred digital payment method, owing to its exceptional blend of security, reliability, and seamless transactional experience.

In the realm of digital payments, it is essential for customers to regularly review and verify their information within the banking system to ensure a safe and secure transactional experience. However, it has come to our attention that customers may change to a new mobile number without disassociating their previous number from the...
  • Like
  • Hehe
  • Wow
Click to expand...
Okay, so looks like it will not work for me

Activate your UPI before traveling to India. The only requirement is that your SIM card should be in your phone. Don't remove your sim or dnt change the sim slot.
Click to expand...
I am already in India and I don't have access to my international number. Correct me if I am wrong here - what I understand from what you have described the international SIM must always be in the phone I am using to make the transactions ? If that is the case, a temporary number would not work because whenever I visit India I get a temporary prepaid number
 
willremainnameless said:
Okay, so looks like it will not work for me


I am already in India and I don't have access to my international number. Correct me if I am wrong here - what I understand from what you have described the international SIM must always be in the phone I am using to make the transactions ? If that is the case, a temporary number would not work because whenever I visit India I get a temporary prepaid number
Click to expand...
Yes, if you have dual sim phone then use International sim on slot 1 and temporary prepaid number on sim slot 2.
 
willremainnameless said:
Also, what is UPI handle ?
Click to expand...
A UPI handle, also known as a Virtual Payment Address (VPA), is a unique identifier that's automatically assigned to a UPI ID when it's linked to a bank account. The handle is usually an @ symbol followed by a few characters, such as @ybl, @ibl, or @axl. For example, a UPI ID for PhonePe might look like rajesh.jain@bankname, where "rajesh.jain" is the account holder's chosen identifier and "bankname" is the bank associated with the ID.

UPI IDs can vary in format depending on the UPI-enabled app or the user's preferences. For example, a UPI ID for Google Pay might use a handle like @okicici or @okaxis and you can linked your HDFC bank account.

UPI IDs can be used to send or request money without sharing sensitive information like a bank account number, mobile number, or IFSC code.
 
1) I don't have a dual sim phone. Even if I did have a dual sim phone my international mobile provider does not have international roaming enabled. I will need to switch to a different plan or provider which is not a viable option as I am in India already. So, looks like I cannot get UPI activated on my phone. I will need to set it up before my next trip to India

Are there any other alternatives to this ?


2) Do I need to create my own UPI handle ? and can one handle be used in case I am trying out different Apps like paytm, gpay, phonepe etc
 
I downloaded GooglePay. I wanted to setup a UPI number. Here is what I did

1) I open the app and go to settings by clicking on my profile
2) I click press "Link UPI number"

Now when I do this I get a message saying "Could not set UPI Number. Try again later in settings"

I go to settings and I am not able to find a way to set up a UPI number

I also have an option to pay with credit or debit card. Is this any different to the way UPI transactions are done ?
 
willremainnameless said:
1) I don't have a dual sim phone. Even if I did have a dual sim phone my international mobile provider does not have international roaming enabled. I will need to switch to a different plan or provider which is not a viable option as I am in India already. So, looks like I cannot get UPI activated on my phone. I will need to set it up before my next trip to India

Are there any other alternatives to this ?


2) Do I need to create my own UPI handle ? and can one handle be used in case I am trying out different Apps like paytm, gpay, phonepe etc
Click to expand...
Some banks official apps dnt ask SIM verification after verified, if you remove your sim card.

You can create unlimited UPI handles from all apps, all UPI handle linked to your HDFC bank account.
 
willremainnameless said:
I downloaded GooglePay. I wanted to setup a UPI number. Here is what I did

1) I open the app and go to settings by clicking on my profile
2) I click press "Link UPI number"

Now when I do this I get a message saying "Could not set UPI Number. Try again later in settings"

I go to settings and I am not able to find a way to set up a UPI number

I also have an option to pay with credit or debit card. Is this any different to the way UPI transactions are done ?
Click to expand...
UPI number is not important, if your UPI handle (UPI ID) is created then you use for UPI payment.

If you have NFC phone then you can use your credit or debit card for offline Tap & Pay.
 
An update on this

I am back and now have access to my registered international number ( I am receiving OTPs). However, I am still not able to set up Gpay. The only country options I can see are India, Singapore and USA. I live in Australia

Is this a limitation of Gpay or is there something I am missing which I need to do ?
 
willremainnameless said:
An update on this

I am back and now have access to my registered international number ( I am receiving OTPs). However, I am still not able to set up Gpay. The only country options I can see are India, Singapore and USA. I live in Australia

Is this a limitation of Gpay or is there something I am missing which I need to do ?
Click to expand...
I think Australia is not live yet on GPay.

By the way you download GPay India app na ?

Try on Paytm or Phonepe app.
 
Abhishek012 said:
I think Australia is not live yet on GPay.

By the way you download GPay India app na ?

Try on Paytm or Phonepe app.
Click to expand...
oh okay

I downloaded Gpay India app

I'll try the other apps. Do these apps have adds on them ? I have seen some of these UPI apps have terrible UI and are an ambush on the eyes. Are there any apps that have a clean UI and easy to use
 
willremainnameless said:
oh okay

I downloaded Gpay India app

I'll try the other apps. Do these apps have adds on them ? I have seen some of these UPI apps have terrible UI and are an ambush on the eyes. Are there any apps that have a clean UI and easy to use
Click to expand...
I mostly use Paytm UPI and 2nd GPay UPI.

Some people also like Phonepe UPI.
 
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