WhatsApp Pay has been launched in India. The messaging service owned by Facebook, has announced the news in an official blog post.
WhatsApp has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), to add support for UPI (Unified Payment Interface) digital payments in the Country.
The company says it supports over 160 banks, including ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, the State Bank of India and Jio Payments bank.
You will need to be on the latest version of the WhatsApp app on Android and iOS to use the feature. WhatsApp pay can be used to send money to any UPI account, even if the recipient is using a different app.
How to set up WhatsApp Pay
1. Open WhatsApp, and tap on the three-dot menu in the main screen.
2. Tap on the “Payment” option (above the Settings).
Note: The payment option for WhatsApp pay is not available in one of our accounts, which suggests that it is being rolled out in phases.
3. The app will load a new screen where you can add a new payment method.
4. WhatsApp will ask you to verify your number, tap on the option and it will send an SMS to authorize the number. Remember to choose the number that has been registered with your bank.
5. On the next screen, the app asks you to select your Bank.
6. Once you have selected the bank, it will display your account information.
The payment service requires users to enter the last six digits of their debit card, along with the card’s expiration date, to send money. WhatsApp Pay will prompt you to enter your UPI pin to finish the set up process. You can also use it to create a new UPI account.
How to send payment using WhatsApp
1. Open the chat window and tap on the pin button (attachment icon).
2. Tap on payment.
3. Enter the amount, and confirm the payment with your UPI Pin number.
NPCI has imposed a restriction cap of 30% for third-party UPI apps such as Google Pay, PhonePe, etc. In compliance with this rule, WhatsApp Pay has been granted permission to operate with a user base of 20 million users.
We tried enabling the Payments option from WhatsApp, but it could not be authorized by the server. It is likely caused by many users trying to activate the service, and we think it could be stablized soon.
