UPI or United Payments Interface is one of the most popular payment platforms in the country with over 22 billion transactions worth ₹41 trillion taking place in 2021. This is expected to rise even further to over ₹327 trillion by 2026. This figure in itself is more than enough to reveal the status UPI has achieved within a few years of launching.
It’s hardly fathomable that someone hasn’t used UPI to make a purchase, especially in the urban belt of the country. And with so many apps facilitating best online payment gateway, it’s almost impossible to ignore this one-of-a-kind platform in the world.
In this blog post, we will look at a few of the best UPI apps you can use right now to make UPI payments for the goods and services that you purchase.
PhonePe
With 145 million active and 350 million registered users, PhonePe has a market share of 33.4% it is by far the leading UPI app designed for consumers. The application comes with a simple user interface that makes paying for goods and services a smooth affair. The growing popularity of the app is evident by the fact that the app garnered a total transaction value of ₹1,75453.85 crore. It’s an all-in-one app that allows for making peer-to-peer payments, paying utility bills, recharging mobiles and DTH, etc.
Gpay
Launched by Google back in 2011, Gpay has come of age as a UPI app that comes with a neat user interface, and plenty of features. As per data revealed by NPCI, Gpay recorded 1.3 billion transactions valued at ₹2.5 lakh crore in 2021. Much like PhonePe, the app allows for both peer-to-peer transactions, paying utility bills, and a range of recharge options.
Paytm
Paytm is among the top 3 UPI apps in the country, and extremely popular among users across India with close to 1.2 billion monthly transactions. The app is available in 11 different languages and has over 450 million registered users. The introduction of Paytm bank further increased the popularity of the app, as it distinguishes Paytm from the competition.
BharatPe
Unlike other apps in the category; BharatPe primarily focuses on merchants allowing them to collect digital payments at zero transaction fees using the Bharat Pe QR code. Moreover, they also give out loans from ₹20,000 to ₹7,00,000 to merchants to cater to their business requirements. The platform has also forayed into providing gold loans and auto loans to merchants.
Although there could be many other UPI apps in the market, these 4 apps have traditionally dominated the market with their customer-centric offerings with the exception of BharatPe which is targeted more toward businesses.
UPI has changed the game for many, as the superfast and secure transactions that work across all banking and card networks have made lives easier for many. We longer need to carry huge amounts of cash on us at all times, and can simply pay using any of the apps we have discussed so far in this blog.
Before we end, here are a few ways you can make UPI payments if you are still new to the platform.
- Scanning QR codes: You can simply scan a QR code using your preferred app, and the app will automatically pick up the embedded transaction info. All you need to do now is enter your secret PIN to authorize the transaction, and you are done.
- Pay Using your VPA ID: A VPA ID is a unique ID that resembles an email ID, that you can use to send and receive money. You just need to know the VPA ID of the person to transact. And it’s simpler than writing a cheque or doing a transfer using net banking.
Apps such as PhonePe, Gpay, Paytm, and Bharat pay QR code have revolutionized the way Indians pay for goods and services. No matter which app you use, all of them function smoothly enough to give you a seamless experience every time you are out shopping!
