How to make UPI payments of up to Rs 500 without internet: A step-by-step guide

UPI, or Unified Payments Interface, is a popular and convenient way of transferring money online using a smartphone. However, what if you don’t have access to the internet or your phone does not support UPI apps? Is there a way to still use UPI for making payments?

The answer is yes. There is a feature called *99#, which allows users to make UPI payments offline by dialling a USSD code from their phone. USSD, or Unstructured Supplementary Service Data, is a communication protocol that works on any GSM phone and does not require internet or app installation.

To use this feature, users need to have a UPI ID and a UPI PIN, which can be created by registering their bank account and mobile number on any UPI app. Users also need to ensure that their mobile number is linked to their bank account and that they have sufficient balance in their account.

This feature can be useful in situations where there is no or poor internet connectivity, or when users want to avoid sharing their UPI ID with strangers. However, there are some limitations to this feature as well. Users can only make payments of up to Rs 500 per transaction and up to Rs 1000 per day using *99#. Users also need to remember their UPI ID and UPI PIN, as they cannot use biometric authentication or QR code scanning for this feature.

The *99# feature is compatible with all GSM phones and GSM service providers and is available in multiple languages. Users can also check their account balance, transaction history, and profile details using this feature.

If you find this feature interesting and want to make UPI transactions without using internet, here is a step-by-step guide on how to make UPI payments of up to Rs 500 without internet.

A step-by-step guide on how to make UPI payments of up to Rs 500 without internet:

Step 1: Open the phone dialer and dial *99# followed by 1 to send money.

Step 2: Choose an option and enter your UPI ID/bank account number/phone number of the recipient.

Step 3: Input the amount and enter your UPI PIN.

Step 4: The transaction will be completed and you will receive a confirmation message.

It is worth noting that using the *99# service will cost you up to Rs 0.50 for each transaction.

Meanwhile, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday announced three major changes coming to UPI. This includes the upraise of UPI lite limit for a single transaction, offline UPI transactions via NFC, and conversational transactions.