I raised this issue with RBI on 03 Nov 2023: Unable to link UPI
On November 22, 2023, the Regional Nodal Officer contacted me and said they would look into the matter and provide a resolution. After that, there was complete silence until November 13, 2023, when branch officials contacted me, saying that if I took a debit card, the matter would be resolved. They assured me the card was free, so I agreed. After OTP verification, the card was delivered today, on December 17, 2023. However, in the interim, the regional nodal officer contacted me again on December 15, 2023, mentioning that the card had been issued and would be delivered soon. I reiterated my concern that while the debit card may work, my original query remained unresolved. I also mentioned that though the card was issued free of charge, there might be future fees. He suggested saving his number and the branch official's number, assuring me that if charges were applied, they would reverse them. Then, he mentioned sending me an email to confirm if the card worked with UPI after its delivery. I agreed. Today, I replied to their email, and now I'm waiting to see what happens.
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Now Today I send them Mail:
Dear Sir/Mam,
I am writing to follow up on my previous complaint regarding the inability to link my Axis Bank account to UPI without an active debit card. While I appreciate receiving my online rewards debit card today, December 17, 2023, and successfully linking my account to UPI, this does not resolve the core issue of my complaint.
My concern remains that Axis Bank's policy of not showing accounts in UPI unless linked to an active debit card is inconvenient and potentially unfair. If this is a technical issue within your system, I urge you to prioritize a fix. However, if this is an intentional policy requiring an active debit card to even display an account on UPI, I find it frankly disappointing and inconvenient for customers like myself.
I understand that setting up a UPI PIN requires a debit card, but merely viewing account information and receiving money should not be contingent upon having one. This policy seems outdated, especially considering RBI's recent initiatives like UPI PIN creation through Aadhaar cards implemented by many other banks.
Furthermore, during our phone conversation, I was assured that no charges would be associated with this online rewards debit card, now or in the future. I would appreciate a written confirmation of this commitment for future reference.
Therefore, I urge Axis Bank to reconsider its policy of hiding accounts not linked to active debit cards from UPI platforms. This practice creates unnecessary hurdles for customers and goes against the spirit of open access to financial services. I believe offering the option to view account information and receive money through UPI regardless of debit card linkage would be a positive step towards improving customer experience and financial inclusion.
Additionally, I would appreciate an update regarding any system upgrades or policy changes that would allow me to access UPI (not transactions, only showing the account in UPI) without the debit card. If such a solution becomes available, I would prefer to deactivate my debit card as it is no longer necessary for my needs.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I look forward to a resolution that addresses the core issue of my complaint.