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The Money Desk · Blog
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How UPI Transaction Fees Work for Customers, Merchants, and Businesses

Most bank-account UPI payments are free for customers and merchants, but wallet and RuPay credit-card payments have distinct merchant-side rules.
From TheFinanceBase Team5 min to read
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For a typical domestic UPI payment debited directly from a bank account, NPCI says the transaction is free for both the customer and the merchant. The answer can differ when a payment uses a prepaid wallet (PPI) or a linked RuPay credit card, so check the funding source before assuming a UPI payment has no merchant-side charge.

UPI fees depend on how the payment is funded

“UPI payment” can describe several payment paths. The fee question is not just whether UPI is used; it is whether the money comes from a bank account, a prepaid payment instrument (PPI) such as a wallet, or a linked RuPay credit card. NPCI’s 29 March 2023 clarification says ordinary bank-account-to-bank-account transactions remain free for customers and merchants. It also says the interchange charges introduced apply only to PPI merchant transactions and are not charged to customers.

Funding source What the customer pays What may apply to the merchant
Bank account through UPI NPCI says no transaction charge for the typical domestic bank-account payment. NPCI says ordinary bank-account UPI merchant transactions remain free.
PPI wallet through UPI NPCI says customers are not charged for PPI-on-UPI payments or for receiving them. Interchange may apply to the PPI merchant transaction; the sources cited here do not establish a comprehensive current rate schedule.
Linked RuPay credit card through UPI A UPI transaction fee for the customer is not established here; card billing, interest, and issuer terms are separate questions. Separate merchant rules apply. NPCI’s 2022 circular specifies nil MDR for a defined small offline merchant category on transactions up to and including ₹2,000.

These are different rules, not one universal UPI fee. For example, a customer can pay nothing while a merchant may face an interchange charge on a wallet-funded payment.

What customers should expect

Bank-account UPI payments

For a typical domestic payment from one bank account to another, NPCI states that there is no transaction charge to the customer. The same position applies to the merchant for ordinary bank-account UPI acceptance. NPCI’s 2023 release described more than 99.9% of UPI transactions at that time as bank-account-to-bank-account; that is a dated statistic, not a current transaction share.

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Payments and receipts involving PPI wallets

NPCI says customers pay no charge for PPI-on-UPI transactions and pay no charge to receive UPI transactions from PPIs. The interchange charge described by NPCI applies to the PPI merchant transaction, not as a fee charged to the customer. See the NPCI UPI FAQ and its 2023 clarification.

RuPay credit cards linked to UPI

A linked card is a distinct funding source, so do not treat it as an ordinary bank-account UPI payment. NPCI’s 4 October 2022 operating circular describes initial-phase interchange charges and reimbursement to payment service providers and app providers. It specifies nil MDR for a defined small offline merchant category for transactions up to and including ₹2,000. The circular may be supplemented or superseded; merchants should confirm current rules before relying on detailed pricing. NPCI says RuPay cards linked to UPI are for merchant QR payments, not P2P or P2PM transfers or cash withdrawals; see its RuPay product overview.

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A credit-card bill, interest charge, or other issuer term is not the same thing as a UPI transaction fee. The card-specific terms depend on the issuer and are not established by the UPI fee statements above.

What merchants need to know about MDR and interchange

MDR, or merchant discount rate, is a merchant-side acceptance charge. It is not another name for a customer UPI fee. Interchange is also a merchant-side charge in the PPI-on-UPI context described by NPCI. A merchant reviewing a payment should first identify the funding source, then check whether the applicable rule concerns MDR or interchange and whether it depends on merchant classification or transaction amount.

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The RBI’s report on the payments system records the Government’s direction that MDR shall not be collected for prescribed UPI and RuPay debit-card modes from 1 January 2020. NPCI later clarified that ordinary bank-account UPI transactions remain free for customers and merchants. That direction and clarification should not be conflated with the separate PPI-wallet interchange rules or RuPay credit-card-on-UPI rules.

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How businesses can accept UPI

NPCI says a merchant should partner with an acquiring bank, which provides the UPI infrastructure. After payment confirmation, the merchant receives the funds immediately into a merchant pool or bank account according to the merchant’s agreement. The acquiring relationship is where a business should confirm its own settlement setup and any applicable terms; provider arrangements should not be assumed to be identical. See NPCI’s UPI FAQ.

  • Ask the acquiring bank how the business is classified for relevant payment rules.
  • Confirm whether the arrangement covers bank-account UPI, wallet-funded PPI transactions, linked RuPay credit-card payments, or more than one type.
  • Check settlement destination and timing in the merchant agreement.
  • Request the current written schedule for any provider-specific or acceptance charges instead of relying on old MDR tables or a general claim that all UPI acceptance is free.

Why older UPI fee tables may disagree

NPCI’s August 2019 MDR announcement described a historical rate change effective 1 October 2019. Those figures are dated and should not be presented as today’s ordinary bank-account UPI price. Read any older fee table with its publication and effective dates in view, then distinguish it from the subsequent no-MDR direction and NPCI’s 2023 clarification. The 2019 announcement does not establish current PPI interchange or current provider-specific charges.

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Other charges, international payments, and problems

The official sources cited here do not set out a complete current schedule for every bank, app, merchant acquirer, international conversion, or account-related charge. For a particular payment or business setup, review the relevant provider’s current terms and the final amount shown. NPCI’s international acceptance information advises users to review the final amount, exchange rate, or applicable fees; it does not establish a general international fee amount.

If a merchant needs to check a transaction’s status or raise a grievance, NPCI says to contact the acquiring bank. If a customer has paid but has not received confirmation, NPCI advises contacting the customer’s bank if confirmation has not arrived within an hour; see the NPCI UPI FAQ.

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