Want to make UPI payments without internet? Follow these steps

In its bid to become a cashless economy, India has wholeheartedly embraced online payments, primarily facilitated by UPI transactions. For online payments, the availability of the internet is an essential enabler. However, there are times when we face poor internet connections, preventing us from making online transactions. 

To address this, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has introduced a dedicated service that enables UPI transactions without the need for internet connectivity. This service entails using the official USSD code from a smartphone to facilitate transactions seamlessly. 

To make UPI transactions without internet, follow these steps: 

-  Dial *99# on your smartphone from the number registered with your bank account. This will display a menu, which will have several options like- Send Money, Request Money, Check Balance, My Profile, among others. 

- If you want to send money, type ‘1’ and tap ‘Send’. 

- You will then get to choose the method of transaction, with options like Mobile Number, UPI ID, Saved Beneficiary, and others. 

- After choosing the method of transaction, you need to provide receiver’s mobile number linked to his UPI account. 

- Enter the amount to be sent and tap on the ‘Send’ option. 

- You also get the option of adding a remark for the payment.

- The last step is to enter the UPI pin to complete the transaction

Finally, your transaction will be processed offline, eliminating the need for an active internet service. 

Additionally, you can try the UPI Lite to make transactions, which potentially gives a decluttered experience unlike the bank service. But you need the internet to avail of the services of UPI Lite. It is important to add that UPI Lite is the method for making payments of less than Rs 500. 

In other developments related to UPI: NPCI has also announced a new payment solution that enables a payer to extend the authorisation to transact from their UPI account to other individuals under certain conditions. Called UPI Circle, the payment solution enables a secondary user to perform transactions from the payer’s account with minimum intervention and with adequate risk mitigations.