A small business can accept UPI in three practical ways: display a merchant QR code for customers paying at the counter, send a payment link when the customer is elsewhere, or integrate a payment gateway into a website or app. Choose the route that matches where the sale happens. A QR display is not a merchant account: you must first obtain and activate a valid payment QR from a bank or payment provider.
The sections below explain setup, payment-method coverage, reconciliation, fees, and the limits of each option so you can choose without paying for infrastructure you do not need.
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Match the payment method to the sale
The customer’s location and your sales system should determine the payment method. A counter sale needs the least technology; an online order needs the most integration.
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| Method | Where the customer pays | What you need | Best fit | Payment options |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merchant QR | In person, by scanning a displayed code | Merchant onboarding with a bank or payment provider, plus a valid QR | Shop, clinic, salon, market stall, restaurant, or service counter | Usually UPI; exact options depend on the provider |
| Payment link | From a message, email, or browser opened remotely | A provider dashboard or app that creates a link for a specified amount | Remote services, deposits, invoices, phone orders, and businesses without a website | Provider-dependent; PhonePe describes UPI, cards, and net banking |
| Gateway checkout | Inside a website or mobile app | Gateway account, merchant verification, platform integration, and order-status handling | Online stores, booking systems, subscription products, and apps | UPI plus any cards, net banking, wallets, or other methods enabled by the gateway |
These are separate experiences. A shareable payment link is not the same as an embedded checkout, and a static counter QR does not automatically identify which invoice or order a customer is paying.
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What to arrange before onboarding
Exact eligibility documents, business categories, settlement arrangements, and approval times vary by provider and business type. The available provider pages do not establish one universal Indian checklist, so confirm the current requirements with the bank or payment company you select.
- Use a bank account that can receive business settlements and decide who will monitor it.
- Keep the business name, owner or authorised signatory details, contact information, and tax or registration documents requested by the provider ready.
- Decide whether you need only UPI or also cards and net banking. Broader acceptance can affect pricing and reconciliation.
- Choose a process for recording the order number, amount, customer, and payment status. A payment screenshot is not a substitute for checking the provider’s transaction record.
- Define who can issue refunds, how a disputed payment will be investigated, and where settlement reports will be stored.
Do not buy a decorative QR stand expecting it to create an account. An acrylic tabletop stand or similar holder is optional hardware for displaying a QR you already received from your provider or bank; it is not a payment terminal.
Set up and use an in-person merchant QR
1. Complete merchant onboarding
Apply through the selected bank or payment provider’s merchant channel. The provider will associate the QR with your approved merchant profile and settlement account. The precise documents and verification steps are provider-specific.
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2. Obtain the provider-issued QR
Download or receive the QR only from the approved provider channel. PhonePe describes an offline merchant service that supplies QR stickers and standees and provides transaction tracking and business insights. Those are features of PhonePe’s offering, not a guarantee that every UPI provider supplies identical materials or dashboards. See PhonePe’s offline merchant information for its current description.
3. Position the code for an easy scan
Place the QR where the customer can see it without leaning over a register or handing over a phone. Keep the printed code flat, clean, and well lit. If you use a stand, make sure it does not cover the code or allow someone to replace the displayed print unnoticed.
4. Confirm the payment in the merchant record
Ask the customer to show the success screen only as a convenience; verify the transaction in your provider dashboard, merchant app, or bank notification. Match the amount and transaction reference to the sale before releasing goods or marking an order complete.
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5. Reconcile at the end of the day
Export or record the day’s transaction references, gross amounts, refunds, and expected settlement. Compare the total with your point-of-sale or cashbook so a duplicate, reversed, or missing payment is found while the customer and staff still remember the sale.
Collect remotely with a payment link
A payment link creates a browser-based payment journey you can send to a customer who is not standing at your counter. PhonePe says its dashboard can generate a link and share it through WhatsApp, SMS, email, chat, or other channels, without requiring a website or app. Its product page describes links that can collect UPI, card, and net-banking payments; the available description is for single-use links, so do not treat one link as a reusable checkout for multiple customers. Review the provider’s current product terms at PhonePe’s payment-link page.
1. Create one link for one amount and purpose
In the provider dashboard, enter the amount and any order or invoice reference. Use a distinct link for each customer or collection request when the product is designed for single use. A unique reference makes later matching easier.
2. Check the destination before sending
Open the link yourself or use the provider’s preview function. Confirm the merchant name, amount, and supported payment methods. A changed amount or unfamiliar domain is a reason to stop and regenerate the request.
3. Send through a traceable channel
WhatsApp, SMS, email, and chat can all work, but keep a record of when and to whom the link was sent. For invoices, include the invoice number and due date in the accompanying message rather than relying on the URL alone.
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Do not mark an order paid because a customer says the link was opened or because a screenshot shows “processing.” Confirm a successful status and transaction reference in the merchant dashboard. If the customer paid but the status is pending, follow the provider’s support process before attempting a second charge.
5. Close or refund deliberately
Record whether the link was paid, expired, cancelled, or refunded. If a customer receives a duplicate link, keep the references separate so a later refund does not get applied to the wrong order.
Other providers expose different link capabilities. For example, Razorpay publishes a UPI-specific payment-link API at its UPI payment-link documentation, while its mobile experience supports several payment modes. API documentation is intended for an integration, not a universal set of consumer steps; follow the provider’s merchant instructions for your account.
Add UPI to a website or app with gateway checkout
Use an integrated checkout when customers select products, appointments, or services in an online system and you need the payment result tied to an order. A gateway can present UPI and other methods, return a success or failure status to your site, and provide settlement and refund records.
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1. Select a gateway that supports your platform
Check whether your store runs on a supported commerce platform, custom code, or a mobile framework. PhonePe describes standard checkout, dynamic QR, payment links, APIs, and plugins for platforms including Shopify and WooCommerce. Availability, supported currencies, and technical requirements can change, so verify the current documentation before committing at PhonePe’s payment-gateway page.
2. Complete merchant verification and obtain credentials
After approval, the gateway normally provides separate test and live credentials. Keep secret keys on your server or secure app backend; never place them in publicly delivered browser code.
3. Create an order on your server
Your system should create an internal order number, amount, customer details, and a payment attempt before sending the customer to checkout. The amount shown to the gateway must come from trusted server-side data, not an editable browser field.
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4. Configure the checkout methods
Enable UPI and any additional methods your customers need. A dynamic QR can carry transaction-specific details; PhonePe says this can reduce manual virtual-payment-address entry errors. A dynamic QR inside checkout is different from a static QR taped to a counter because the transaction is generated for a particular order.
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Use the gateway’s server notification or status-verification mechanism to mark an order paid. Redirecting a customer back to a “success” page alone is not sufficient. Keep pending orders separate from successful orders and provide a retry path that does not create an accidental duplicate.
6. Test before going live
Run test payments for successful, failed, cancelled, delayed, refunded, and duplicate-callback cases. Confirm that stock, booking slots, receipts, email, and settlement reports change only once for each payment.
Compare the routes before choosing
| Decision | QR at the counter | Payment link | Integrated checkout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer location | Physically present | Anywhere with the link | On your website or app |
| Initial setup | Merchant onboarding and QR display | Dashboard or app access | Merchant onboarding plus platform, plugin, or API work |
| Order matching | Usually manual unless your POS integrates | Reference can be attached to each link | Designed to connect payment status to an order ID |
| Website required | No | No, according to PhonePe’s product description | Yes, an app or online checkout environment |
| Payment-method breadth | Provider-dependent, commonly UPI | Provider-dependent; PhonePe lists UPI, cards, and net banking | Gateway configuration determines the available methods |
| Best operational control | Fast counter confirmation | Flexible collection and follow-up | Automated order, inventory, and status flow |
A counter-only seller generally starts with a merchant QR. A consultant, tutor, repair business, or home-service operator that invoices remotely may need links first. An online retailer should normally use checkout so payment status and fulfilment are connected rather than reconciled from chat messages.
Understand fees, settlement, and records
There is no universal UPI acceptance fee that applies to every provider, merchant category, or payment method. Ask for the rate that applies to your account, whether it is charged on successful transactions only, and whether cards or other methods have separate pricing.
PhonePe’s public gateway pricing page currently shows a limited-time free offer next to a crossed-out 1.99% standard rate, states zero setup and annual-maintenance fees, and says a transparent per-transaction rate applies to successful payments. The page directs merchants to method-specific fees and terms. The exact offer conditions, end date, and post-offer rate are not established here, so read the live schedule and your merchant agreement before signing up: PhonePe’s pricing page.
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Questions to ask about the money flow
- Is the quoted rate for UPI only, or for cards and net banking as well?
- Is the rate a percentage, a fixed amount, or both?
- Are refunds, chargebacks, failed attempts, or international cards priced separately?
- When does the successful payment settle into the bank account, and can weekends or holidays alter the schedule?
- Does the settlement report show gross amount, fees, tax, refunds, and net amount separately?
- Are there minimums, annual charges, setup charges, or promotional conditions that expire?
Build a reconciliation routine
For every payment, retain the order or invoice number, provider transaction reference, date and time, amount, payment method, status, refund status, and settlement date. Match gateway totals to the bank credit rather than assuming the two dates are identical. Keep access limited to staff who need it and preserve reports according to your accounting and tax-retention requirements.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Prevent common payment mistakes
A customer shows a screenshot but the account is not credited
Treat the payment as unconfirmed. Check the merchant dashboard or bank notification using the reference and amount. If the status is pending, do not ask for an immediate second payment; contact provider support and explain the order reference.
The QR has been damaged or replaced
Take the display down and replace it with a QR downloaded from the authenticated provider channel. Compare the merchant name and account details before putting it back. A holder or sticker does not protect against a tampered print.
The customer paid the wrong amount
Record the actual transaction reference, do not silently adjust the order, and follow the provider’s refund or additional-payment procedure. For online checkout, configure server-side amount checks so a modified browser request cannot create an underpayment.
A payment link is reused or forwarded
Use one link per customer when the provider describes links as single-use. If a link has been forwarded, verify who paid and which invoice it belongs to before supplying the goods or service. Generate a replacement rather than relying on an ambiguous link history.
The checkout returns to the store but the order remains unpaid
Use the gateway’s server-to-server notification or status query, inspect the transaction reference, and keep the order pending until the provider confirms success. Make your callback handler idempotent so repeated notifications cannot ship twice.
Security and customer communication
- Never ask a customer for a UPI PIN, one-time password, card PIN, or login password. The customer enters sensitive credentials only in the authorised payment app or gateway flow.
- Use a separate staff role for viewing transactions and another for refunds where the provider supports permissions.
- Print the business name and a short instruction such as “Pay only after checking the merchant name.” Do not print staff phone numbers or personal payment identifiers unless necessary.
- For links, send the amount, invoice number, and support contact in the message and warn customers not to approve an unexpected collect request.
- Reconcile refunds and reversals as carefully as successful payments; a customer’s debit and your settlement can occur at different times.
What the available provider figures do—and do not—show
PhonePe announced that it had surpassed more than 50 million lifetime registered merchants on 28 April 2026. That is a PhonePe company figure, not a count of all Indian UPI merchants. The announcement quotes Yuvraj Singh Shekhawat, Chief Business Officer, Merchant Business, as saying: “Reaching 50 million merchants is a significant milestone in our effort to make financial services more accessible to merchants across India.” Read the announcement at PhonePe’s 28 April 2026 release.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe figure can indicate the scale of one provider’s merchant network, but it should not be used to estimate your approval odds, expected sales, or the total number of UPI-accepting businesses in India. No independent nationwide merchant count or regulator quotation is established by that announcement.
A practical decision checklist
- Identify where most customers complete payment: counter, message, or website/app.
- Choose QR, link, or gateway checkout accordingly; add a second route only when it solves a real customer or reconciliation problem.
- Confirm the provider’s current onboarding documents, settlement account rules, payment methods, and support channel.
- Obtain the provider-issued QR or credentials. Treat stands, stickers, plugins, and API code as accessories to an approved account, not substitutes for onboarding.
- Set a payment-verification and daily-reconciliation routine before accepting your first live transaction.
- Read the current fee schedule and merchant agreement, including promotional expiry, method-specific rates, refunds, and settlement timing.
- Test failure, pending, duplicate, and refund cases before promising same-day fulfilment.
Bottom line
Use a merchant QR when the customer is in front of you, a payment link when you need to collect remotely without building checkout, and a gateway when an online order or app must update automatically after payment. The right choice is less about the QR artwork or headline fee than about verified onboarding, dependable transaction records, and a process that prevents unconfirmed or duplicate payments.
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