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Businesses in India can accept digital payments without relying on UPI, but the right option depends on whether you sell in person, take online orders, or collect bills. For in-person sales, card payments through a compatible POS terminal are a direct alternative. For online sales, a payment aggregator or gateway can connect a checkout to multiple payment methods. NEFT, IMPS and RTGS are bank-transfer rails customers can use to pay you, but they do not automatically provide a checkout, reconciliation or refund system.
Start by separating payment methods from acceptance systems
Some alternatives are ways a customer pays; others are the infrastructure a business uses to accept and manage those payments. Cards, prepaid instruments and wallets are payment instruments. A POS terminal or online payment gateway provides acceptance technology. A payment aggregator can connect a merchant to several instruments through one integration. NEFT, IMPS and RTGS move money between bank accounts; BBPS is a bill-payment and collection platform.
This distinction matters operationally. Giving a customer your bank details may let them transfer money, but a transfer by itself does not necessarily provide an order-linked checkout, automatic reconciliation, refunds or merchant dispute handling. Those features depend on the bank or provider and the setup you choose.
Options for in-person payments
Cards through a POS terminal
A point-of-sale (POS) terminal lets a customer pay with a supported credit, debit or prepaid card at a physical checkout. The Reserve Bank of India describes POS terminals as devices used at retail locations to capture payment information, and notes their role in supporting card payments. Before choosing one, confirm that the terminal is supported by your acquiring bank or provider and check which card types, settlement arrangements and other terms apply.
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Wallets and prepaid instruments
Digital wallets and prepaid payment instruments can be accepted where the merchant’s provider supports them. They are payment methods, not a complete acceptance setup: the merchant still needs a compatible terminal, app, QR or other arrangement. Check provider support and customer payment steps before relying on either for checkout.
Bank transfers at the point of sale
You can provide account details for a customer to make a bank transfer, but this is usually less like a conventional checkout than a terminal-based card payment. You may need to confirm receipt and match each payment to an order yourself unless your bank or service supplies suitable notifications and reconciliation tools.
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Options for online checkout
Payment aggregators
A payment aggregator can let an e-commerce site or merchant accept multiple payment instruments through one integration, rather than building a separate connection for every method. This can simplify checkout implementation, but the provider determines which instruments are available and what merchant services accompany them.
Compare providers on the details that affect your operation: supported payment methods, fees, payout timing, refunds, reconciliation, dispute handling and integration requirements. These terms vary by provider; the RBI’s general descriptions do not establish a current fee or settlement schedule for a particular merchant.
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Payment gateways
A payment gateway is technology that routes and facilitates online payment processing. The RBI distinguishes it from an aggregator: a gateway provides the processing infrastructure and does not handle funds, while an aggregator enables merchants to accept multiple instruments without separate integrations. In practice, ask a prospective provider what services it supplies and how funds flow, rather than assuming that every product described as a “gateway” includes the same merchant arrangement.
Can customers pay a business by NEFT, IMPS or RTGS?
Yes, customers can use bank transfers if you provide the necessary beneficiary details and their bank supports the transaction. These rails differ in timing and amount suitability, and none is automatically a merchant checkout product.
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| Rail | Best suited to | RBI description and practical consideration |
|---|---|---|
| NEFT | A broad range of retail transfers | The RBI’s FAQ describes NEFT as operating 24x7x365 in 48 half-hourly batches, with no transaction floor or ceiling. Confirm your bank’s initiation and beneficiary processes. |
| IMPS | Instant domestic bank transfers | The RBI identifies IMPS as a fast payment system. The cited material does not establish provider-specific merchant checkout, fees or transfer limits. |
| RTGS | Large-value, high-priority transfers | The RBI’s FAQ describes RTGS as a real-time gross settlement system available around the clock, with a ₹2 lakh minimum transaction amount. Confirm your bank’s current workflow. |
The timing and minimum for NEFT and RTGS above are from the RBI’s FAQ on access to centralised payment systems, updated July 28, 2021. The RBI issued a direction on December 30, 2024, for participating banks to offer beneficiary-name lookup for RTGS and NEFT by April 1, 2025; the direction says UPI and IMPS already allow remitters to verify a beneficiary name. For your business, verify what your bank currently displays and how incoming payments are identified.
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Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) is for eligible bill collection, not a general-purpose replacement for retail checkout. RBI’s 2024 Directions define it as an integrated platform for paying and collecting bills through channels such as apps, mobile banking, physical agents and bank branches, using modes including UPI, internet banking, cards, cash and prepaid payment instruments.
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A business seeking to collect bills participates through the BBPS structure: a Biller Operating Unit onboards billers, either directly or through biller aggregators. The Directions were issued February 29, 2024, and took effect April 1, 2024. Confirm eligibility and onboarding requirements with the relevant participant.
Is the digital rupee an alternative?
The digital rupee, or e₹, is a distinct digital form of the rupee that can be held in an e₹ wallet; UPI is a means of payment. The RBI’s January 9, 2025, FAQ explains that a payment between e₹ wallets at a CBDC QR settles as e₹, instantaneously and without passing through users’ bank accounts. If an e₹ app scans a UPI QR, however, settlement follows UPI timelines. The FAQ describes offline use as a feature being explored, so it does not establish that merchants can broadly accept e₹ offline.
Choose based on how your business takes payment
- Physical shop or service counter: Consider a card POS terminal if card acceptance suits your customers; verify device compatibility and acquiring arrangements.
- Website or app: Compare aggregators and gateways based on the instruments and operational features you need, not just the integration label.
- Invoices or occasional transfers: NEFT or IMPS may work when customers can use bank transfers and you have a reliable way to identify and reconcile receipts.
- Large-value payments: RTGS is designed for high-value transfers and has the ₹2 lakh minimum described in the RBI FAQ.
- Recurring or eligible bill collection: Check whether BBPS participation fits your biller type and onboarding route.
Before committing, ask the bank or provider to specify current charges, supported instruments, settlement timing, refund and dispute processes, reconciliation tools and any eligibility conditions. These details are provider-specific and cannot be inferred from the payment rail alone.
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