GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, Amazon Pay users ALERT! August 1 is important date for for you due to…

The primary objective behind the sweeping changes in UPI rules is to reduce unnecessary load on the UPI system.

UPI rules: In a major update for the millions of GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, Amazon Pay users across India, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has introduced sweeping changes in the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) usage rules, which will come into effect from August 1, 2025. The changes are designed to make the UPI ecosystem more efficient and reliable, and resolve issues like server interruption and payment delays/failures, the agency said.

What are major changes under new UPI rules?

The biggest change which will come into effect from August 1, is that UPI users will only be able to check their account balance a maximum of 50 times in 24 hours on any given UPI app. According to the NPCI, many users habitually check their account balance after every transaction, which put more stress on the UPI servers and slows down speed of transactions. The cap on checking account balance will ensure better performance and lower issues.

Similarly, the NPCI has also capped the number of times users can view the list of the bank accounts linked to their mobile number to 25 times in a single day. This will further reduce unnecessary API calls and improve server performance.

Additionally, UPI users cannot repeatedly check the status of failed transactions as the limit has been capped to the thrice a day, and users must wait at least 90 seconds before rechecking status.

Under the new UPI rules, autopay will only trigger at specific times during the day. As per details, autopay facility for various services like bills, subscriptions, etc, will only be processed only during non-peak hours at these fixed time slots– before 10 AM, 1 PM-5 PM, and after 9:30 PM. This will ensure the UPI serves runs smoothly during peak hours and regular transactions are processed without any interruption.

Meanwhile, the NCPI has issued directions to all banks and payment service providers (PSPs) to monitor and control the use of APIs in order to minimize system disruptions. Failure to comply with the rules could result in restriction of API access, ban on adding new users or even fines, the agency warned.

Why NCPI revamped UPI usage rules?

The primary objective behind the sweeping changes in UPI rules is to reduce unnecessary load on the UPI system, make the server faster, and more stable to ensure more secure and reliable transactions. The new rules will apply to users of all UPI apps such as Amazon Pay, GPay, PhonePe and Paytm.

Contrary to rumors, the transaction limit on sending money via UPI remains unchanged.