WhatsApp will soon let you make international UPI payments

WhatsApp already lets users make UPI payments in India using its payments service called WhatsApp Payments. Now, the company is working on expanding the availability of this feature to countries beyond India. In simple words, the Meta-owned messaging app is working on a solution that will let WhatsApp Payments’ Indian users to make UPI payments even as they travel abroad.

According to a report by a tipster who goes by the name AssembleDebug on X (formerly Twitter), international payments on WhatsApp through UPI for Indian users is in the works and that this feature is still in the developmental phase. “This is currently not available for users. But WhatsApp might be working on it…,” the tipster wrote in his post.

The screenshot of the feature in development shared by the tipster indicates that WhatsApp will give a separate set of controls to users for enabling international payments. In addition to enabling international payments, WhatsApp users will also be able to set a time limit post which the international payments feature will turn off automatically. User will have to set a fresh limit if they wish to continue using international payments on WhatsApp beyond the previously set time limit.

International Payments on WhatsApp through UPI for Indian users.

This is currently not available for users. But WhatsApp might be working on it as I couldn’t find anything on Google about it.

Apps like Phonepe, GPay and some others already support this. #Whatsapp pic.twitter.com/OE2COo89eZ

— AssembleDebug (@AssembleDebug) March 25, 2024

When will WhatsApp Payments offer international UPI payments?

As far as the availability is concerned, it remains unclear when the company will roll out support for international UPI payments. As per the reports, the feature is still in the developmental phase and it could be sometime before the feature arrives in app’s beta interface for the users to test.

PhonePe, Google Pay also offer international UPI payments

It is worth noting that when WhatsApp Payments rolls out this feature, it will join a small group of UPI-based payments apps in India that offer international payments. Besides National Payments Corporation of India or NPCI’s BHIM app, Phone and Google Pay also offer international payments through UPI to Indian users travelling abroad.