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You can accept UPI, credit and debit cards, and net banking through Freecharge Payment Gateway (Freecharge PG) if your merchant account is approved and those methods are enabled for it. Choose a website or app checkout integration, a payment link, or a merchant QR based on how customers pay you. Before building an online checkout, confirm that Freecharge is currently accepting new online merchants: its website says onboarding is open, but Axis Bank disclosures describe a pause in new online-merchant onboarding and do not settle whether direct applications have resumed.
What do you need before accepting payments?
Start by deciding where the customer will pay. A website or app usually calls for Freecharge PG’s API and hosted checkout; a business that takes orders over messages can use payment links; and a shop can display a merchant QR for in-person or digitally shared collection. The routes differ in setup and customer experience, but all depend on account approval and the payment methods being enabled for your account.
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- Confirm eligibility first. Ask Freecharge whether it is accepting new merchants for your business type and, specifically, new online merchants if you need website or app checkout. Do this before spending time on development.
- Have business and settlement details ready. Freecharge’s terms require merchants to disclose their business category and use the service for the approved merchant establishment. Approval and service availability are subject to its terms; broad marketing language about eligible businesses is not a guarantee that a particular applicant will be accepted. Review the merchant terms.
- Ask which payment methods will actually be activated. Confirm UPI, domestic and international cards if relevant, net banking, and any other methods you expect to offer. Freecharge says live merchants receive the methods contracted and enabled for their account; a method appearing in product descriptions does not guarantee it is active in your checkout.
- Get written commercial and operational terms. Request the fee schedule, settlement timing and options, refund process, and any account-specific conditions before launch.
Freecharge’s current gateway pages state that merchant onboarding is open. However, Axis Bank’s annual report for the year ended March 31, 2025, said Freecharge had stopped onboarding new online merchants while its payment-aggregator application was under process, while continuing offline onboarding and servicing existing merchants. Later Axis Bank investor materials describe partner-based onboarding for offline merchants, but do not confirm whether a new online merchant can apply directly today. Treat the public “open” message as a reason to contact Freecharge, not proof of online eligibility. See the FY2024–25 subsidiary report and the Q3 FY2025–26 investor presentation.
Which Freecharge payment route fits your business?
Use the route that matches the point at which your customer is ready to pay. The three routes are not interchangeable: API checkout integrates into a site or app, links take the customer to a hosted page, and QR collection is designed around scanning a code.
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| Route | Best suited to | What the customer does | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
| API with hosted checkout | Website or mobile app | Starts payment from your site or app, completes it on Freecharge’s hosted payment page, then returns to your site with transaction status. | Online onboarding eligibility, enabled methods, integration documentation, callback/webhook behavior, and account fees. |
| Payment link | Remote orders, invoices, or businesses without a website checkout | Opens a shared link and pays on a hosted checkout page. Freecharge says links can be sent by SMS, email, or WhatsApp. | Account access, enabled methods, transaction charges, and how you will match payments to orders. |
| Merchant QR | Shop counters or digitally shared QR collection | Scans the code with a UPI or banking app and authorizes payment. | Whether your account has static or dynamic QR, supported instruments, and how you verify a payment before releasing goods. |
Freecharge describes all three routes in its gateway overview, payment-link information, and payment products. It describes the API as REST-based and says its gateway supports cards, net banking, wallets, and UPI. The payment-link FAQ also lists UPI, cards, net banking, and wallets. For QR, the FAQ explains that a static code has a fixed address and lets the payer enter an amount, while a dynamic code is generated for a transaction with amount and details. Confirm the actual capabilities provisioned to you rather than assuming each method works on every route.
How do you accept payments through a website or app?
For an online checkout, the general flow is: obtain approval and current integration materials, configure credentials and keys, connect your checkout to the hosted payment flow, and verify the full payment lifecycle in the sandbox before production. The exact endpoints and implementation details should come from Freecharge’s current merchant documentation and account-specific instructions.
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- Complete onboarding and receive credentials. The developer guide says onboarding provides a Merchant ID (MID) and Secret Key. It also describes generating a public/private key pair and sharing it with Freecharge for configuration. Keep credentials out of browser-side code and public repositories; use the current instructions supplied to your merchant account.
- Read the current developer guide before implementing. Freecharge describes a REST-based API and a hosted flow in which a shopper selects Pay Now, is redirected to the Freecharge payment page to choose a method and enter payment details, and then returns to the merchant site with transaction status. See the developer integration guide for the flow and current technical requirements.
- Implement the handoff and return handling. Your application needs to associate a payment attempt with the correct order, send the customer into the hosted flow, and handle the resulting status. Do not treat a browser redirect alone as sufficient proof of a successful payment; use the confirmation mechanism and reconciliation process specified in your current merchant documentation.
- Configure notifications and operational access. Freecharge’s developer information describes webhooks and a Merchant Portal with transaction and settlement downloads, refunds, and profile management. Establish who on your team can access the portal and how your system records payment notifications and exceptions.
- Test before production. Freecharge says it provides test credentials after onboarding and describes a sandbox. Exercise successful, failed, and pending transactions, as well as return handling, webhook or callback processing, refunds, and reconciliation. Confirm that your order system does not mark an unpaid or unresolved order as paid merely because a customer returned to the site.
- Go live only after account checks. Verify which payment buttons appear, the live account’s fee and settlement terms, and the support channel for integration issues. Make a small, controlled production check only if permitted by your merchant setup, and reconcile it through the portal before relying on the flow.
The developer guide describes its security process as sorting parameters alphabetically, appending the secret key, hashing with SHA-256, and encrypting the JSON payload using AES-256. That is a description of Freecharge’s documented flow, not an independent security certification. Implement the current account-specific scheme exactly as documented; do not copy an old example, invent endpoints, or assume that a particular algorithm description removes your own security and compliance responsibilities.
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How do payment links work without a website?
A payment link lets you request payment through a shareable hosted checkout instead of integrating a checkout into your own website or app. Freecharge says a merchant can generate links through a dashboard, app, or API, enter customer contact information, and share the link through SMS, email, or WhatsApp.
- Get a merchant account and confirm link access. A link-generation demo or marketing page does not establish that your business has been approved or that production access is active.
- Create a link using the available account flow. Use the dashboard, app, or API option made available to your account. Check that the amount, customer details, and any order reference are correct before sharing.
- Send it through an appropriate channel. Freecharge lists SMS, email, and WhatsApp as delivery options. Use a message that makes clear what the payment is for, and share the link only with the intended payer.
- Verify the payment in your merchant records. Match the transaction to the customer and order using the account’s reports and status tools. Keep a process for handling an abandoned checkout, a delayed confirmation, or a customer who says they have paid but whose transaction is not yet confirmed.
Freecharge says its payment links support UPI, cards, net banking, and wallets, but which methods appear can depend on the merchant account and its enabled configuration. The company states that creating links and sending reminders have zero charges; this does not mean that transactions are free. Standard gateway charges apply, and the actual transaction and settlement terms should be confirmed for your account on the payment-link page and in your agreement.
How do you collect UPI payments with a Freecharge QR?
A merchant QR is suited to a customer who can scan and pay at a counter, or to a QR code shared digitally. Freecharge distinguishes static QR codes, where the payer enters the amount, from dynamic QR codes generated for a transaction with amount and details.
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- Ask which QR type your account supports. A static code is simpler to display, but the payer enters the amount. A dynamic code can carry transaction-specific amount and details; ask how your account generates it and how your checkout or records receive its status.
- Place or share the code where the customer can scan it. Freecharge describes showing a QR at a shop or sharing it digitally. A countertop QR stand is an optional display accessory, not a requirement or a payment-processing device.
- Tell customers to use a supported UPI or banking app. The Freecharge FAQ says customers can scan with a standard UPI or banking app. Do not assume this QR route accepts card or net-banking checkout in the same way as the hosted gateway page.
- Check payment confirmation before completing the sale. Use your merchant account’s confirmation and reconciliation tools rather than relying only on a screenshot shown by the payer. Confirm the QR’s supported instruments and status process with Freecharge before using it at a busy counter.
For physical collection, decide how staff will identify the amount, associate it with the sale, and handle a pending or mistaken payment. The static-versus-dynamic choice affects the amount-entry step and the details attached to a payment, so it is an operational choice as well as a display choice.
What does Freecharge charge, and when are settlements made?
Freecharge’s public pricing page advertises a 1.9% platform fee plus 18% GST for businesses below ₹5 lakh in monthly transaction amount, and custom pricing above ₹5 lakh. These are public advertised terms, not a guaranteed rate for every account or a complete payment-mode fee schedule. The figures below were checked in November 2026; ask for the fee schedule in your merchant agreement before estimating your cost.
| Item | Publicly stated terms | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Standard public pricing | 1.9% platform fee plus 18% GST for less than ₹5 lakh monthly transaction amount. | Whether the rate applies to your account and to each payment method; the fee base and treatment of refunds or failed payments. |
| Higher monthly volume | Custom pricing above ₹5 lakh monthly volume. | Get the negotiated rate and all relevant method-specific or settlement-option charges in writing. |
| Payment-link creation and reminders | Freecharge says link creation and reminders have zero charges; standard gateway charges apply to transactions. | Transaction charges and any other account-specific terms. “Free link” does not mean free payment processing. |
| Setup, monthly, or hidden fees | The pricing page says there are no setup, monthly, or hidden fees. | Confirm the actual agreement, including taxes, optional services, and any customized terms. |
| Settlement | The FAQ describes daily transactions as typically settled to the merchant bank account on the next business day (T+1), and optional instant settlements as processed within minutes. | Eligibility, cutoff and processing conditions, applicable charges, and the schedule for your account. Do not assume instant settlement is free or available to every merchant. |
Pricing and settlement statements are vendor-published terms and can change. See the current Freecharge pricing page and FAQ, then obtain your account’s written schedule. A useful quote request asks for each payment method, the GST treatment, refund and chargeback-related fees if any, settlement options and charges, and whether the monthly-volume threshold is measured on the same basis as your transaction reports.
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How do you manage refunds, reports, and support?
After taking payments, use the Merchant Portal and account reports to reconcile transactions, monitor settlements, and process refunds. Freecharge’s FAQ lists transaction, settlement, and invoice reports, dashboard metrics, single and bulk refunds, and API-based offline refunds; its developer page also describes transaction and settlement downloads and refunds in the portal.
- Reconcile regularly. Match order records against gateway transaction and settlement reports, including payments that are pending, failed, refunded, or settled on a later date.
- Document refund ownership. Decide who can issue a single or bulk refund, how the request is approved, and how your own order records are updated. Confirm whether your account’s refund route is dashboard-based or API-based for the cases you handle.
- Keep payment status separate from order status. A transaction can require follow-up before you fulfill an order. Make sure staff know where to check the final merchant-side status, especially when a customer has a payment-app confirmation but your order system does not.
- Route technical problems appropriately. The FAQ lists [email protected] for technical integration issues and [email protected] for customized solutions where monthly transactions exceed ₹5 lakh. Contact routes can change, so verify them on Freecharge’s current FAQ page.
What should you check before launch?
Use this final checklist to catch the issues most likely to cause an expensive delay or a confusing payment experience:
- Freecharge confirmed whether your business can onboard, including direct online onboarding if you need website or app checkout.
- Your business category and merchant establishment have been disclosed and approved.
- You have written confirmation of which payment methods are enabled on each route you plan to use.
- You have current production credentials and current integration instructions from Freecharge—not copied, outdated sample values.
- You have tested success, failure, pending status, return behavior, notification handling, refunds, and report reconciliation in the sandbox.
- Your customer-facing instructions explain what happens after payment, and your staff know how to verify a QR or link payment.
- You have confirmed the account fee schedule, GST, settlement timing, and charges or conditions for optional instant settlement.
- You know who can access the Merchant Portal, review settlements, answer payment queries, and request refunds.
If you need only remote collection, payment links may avoid a website checkout integration; if you have a physical counter, QR collection may be the more direct fit. For a site or app, the hosted API flow gives a structured checkout, but eligibility and technical setup must be confirmed first. Freecharge does not publish enough independent evidence here to establish a comparative success-rate advantage, so choose based on access, enabled methods, total account terms, and operational fit rather than unverified performance claims.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Freecharge merchant QR accept credit-card payments?
The QR information describes customers scanning with UPI or banking apps; it does not establish that a merchant QR accepts card payments. If you need cards, ask Freecharge which card-enabled checkout routes are active for your account.
Can customers outside India pay through a Freecharge link?
Do not assume a payment link is available to overseas payers simply because cards are listed as a supported method. Confirm international-card acceptance, currency handling, and any cross-border restrictions with Freecharge for your merchant account.
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Do not fulfill based only on a customer screenshot or an incomplete redirect. Check the final transaction status in your merchant tools, retain the order reference, and contact merchant support if the status remains unresolved.
Does Freecharge offer recurring or subscription billing?
The cited product information establishes one-off gateway, link, and QR collection routes but does not establish recurring-payment availability. Ask Freecharge whether subscriptions or mandates are supported for your business and account before designing a recurring billing flow.
