UPI: Can I use UPI in offline mode if my transaction fails due to poor network signal?

In the last few years, digital banking has transformed the way people carry out financial transactions. Thanks to the advent of the Unified Payments Interface or UPI, online transactions have become much easier due to the speed and seamless process. With a remarkable rise in digital payments, UPI has significantly transformed the online payment methods in the country.

However, for UPI payments you need a mobile phone or computer with internet connection. The users face difficulty in UPI payments when there is lack of internet connection or a technical glitch.

At times when online transactions fail due to poor network, people often wonder if they can do offline payments. Well, the answer is yes! 

Currently, the offline UPI transfers have been capped at Rs  5,000 per transaction.

Making office UPI payments through UPI Lite X

Earlier this month, the Reserve bank of India launched a new feature called UPI Lite X, which allows users to make transactions even without an internet connection.

According to National Payments Corporation of India (NCPI), which manages the UPI payments system, users can both send and receive money using UPI Lite X feature while completely offline.

In order to use this feature the users need to have their devices nearby as these transactions are made through near field communication technology (NFC). It’s important to note that only wallet to wallet transfers are possible through UPI Lite X.

Steps to make offline payments using your mobile phone

Apart from UPI Lite X, one can easily make transactions using a mobile phone even without an internet connection. This can be done with the use of a USSD number to effortlessly transfer and request money, change UPI PIN, and check the account balance with this mobile banking service. To take advantage of this service, users need to dial *99# on their mobile phones and follow the instructions. 

The service is accessible to everyone across the country and is offered by 83 leading banks and 4 telecom service providers and is also available in 13 different languages.

Read further to know how you can set it up and make offline UPI payments. 

How to do UPI payments without the internet connection?

Before making transactions through your mobile phone, you need to set up the option on your device. 

1. Open the dialer on your phone and dial *99#

2. You will be given the option to choose the desired language.

3. Next, enter the IFSC code of your bank. 

4. After this, you will receive the option to link the desired bank account number and set up the payment process. 

5. Next, you will be asked to enter your debit card's last six digits and expiry date to complete the verification process. 

6. Upon completion of the process, the offline UPI payment feature will be activated. 

After setting up the service on your device, follow the given steps to make a transaction: 

1. Dial *99# and call

2. Select the option of 'Send Money' from the given list

3. Next, enter the UPI ID you want to use for the transaction and the desired amount of money you want to pay.

4. After that, the system will ask you to enter your UPI PIN and validate the transaction. 

5. The payment will be done.