Indians with their growing travel aspirations are seeking to make the most of this winter holiday season, especially with Christmas and New Year celebrations on the card.
Knowing in advance whether the South Asian nation's hallmark fintech innovation, UPI, will come in handy and can prove useful to every Indian itching to unwind with close ones.
UPI allows travellers to make international transactions using mobile apps like Gpay, Paytm, BHIM, and PhonePe. Numerous merchants across countries accept these QR-scanned payments.
NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) is presently engaged in making it easier for Indian nationals to experience a hassle-free payment process when on vacation.
To check if a merchant accepts UPI, travellers can look for the BHIM UPI logo at the outlet or confirm with the cashier
To activate UPI for international use open your UPI app
Browse to the profile section
Select your personal bank account, and search for “UPI International” or “UPI Global.”
Enable this feature by selecting a validity period and inserting your UPI PIN. This activation is specific to each app. If you use multiple UPI apps linked to the same bank account, you need to activate this feature separately on each app.
Mauritius
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Mauritius
Bhutan
Nepal
UAE
France allows UPI payments only at specific e-commerce, and retail outlets
The validity of international UPI payments is functional for 90 days. Apps like BHIM allow users to customise this validity period.
Travelers can deactivate the feature at any time by following similar steps used for activation.
Transaction limits and fees
Limits: Daily transaction limits for international payments are aligned with domestic limits, generally up to ₹1 lakh. For Europe, this limit increases to ₹2 lakh.
Charges: While UPI itself does not charge a fee for international payments, banks may levy a foreign exchange markup fee.
