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For a normal domestic BHIM-UPI or BHIM-UPI QR payment in India, you should not be charged a separate UPI transaction fee by the bank or system provider. The government’s explanation of the applicable law says the prescribed modes cannot carry a charge to the payer or beneficiary, and the zero-MDR policy for BHIM-UPI has applied since 1 January 2020.
That protection does not make every line on a checkout page free. A product price, delivery charge, platform service fee, currency-conversion cost, or another separately disclosed charge is different from a UPI network fee. The safest method is to compare the merchant’s checkout total with the amount shown in your UPI app, confirm the merchant name, and authorize only when both match.
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What “no extra fees” means on a UPI payment
UPI is a payment rail, while the amount you owe can contain several other components. When people ask how to pay a merchant without extra fees, they usually mean avoiding a fee added merely because they selected UPI. For the prescribed domestic modes covered by Indian policy—BHIM-UPI and BHIM-UPI QR—that is the central distinction: the payment itself is not supposed to attract a bank or system-provider charge to the customer or the merchant beneficiary.
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The Income Tax Department’s explanation of section 269SU and section 10A states that “no Bank or system provider shall impose any charge on a payer making payment, or a beneficiary receiving payment, through electronic modes prescribed under Section 269SU of the Income-tax Act 1961.” It identifies UPI (BHIM-UPI) and UPI QR (BHIM-UPI QR) among those prescribed modes. The same explanation says the charge prohibition, including MDR, applies to payments made through the prescribed modes on or after 1 January 2020.
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This does not automatically decide whether every merchant-added surcharge is lawful in every transaction. It does tell you how to classify what you see: a fee for using the UPI payment method is different from the price of the goods, shipping, taxes, or a separately described service.
UPI fees, MDR and checkout charges are different things
Customer or beneficiary charges
A bank or system provider should not impose a charge on the payer or beneficiary for a prescribed domestic BHIM-UPI payment. In practical terms, scanning a shop’s UPI QR code or choosing UPI at an Indian online checkout should not create a separate “UPI transaction fee” simply because the payment was routed through UPI.
Merchant discount rate (MDR)
MDR is a charge within the merchant-payment ecosystem. It is not the same as a fee that appears on your receipt. The Prime Minister’s Office policy announcement dated 19 March 2025 records that MDR for RuPay debit-card and BHIM-UPI transactions was made zero from January 2020. MDR arrangements concern participating payment institutions and merchants; they do not turn the rate into an amount you should be asked to add at the UPI authorization screen.
Merchant prices and separately listed services
A seller can show a product price, delivery fee, tax, convenience fee, subscription charge, or another service line in its own checkout. Those amounts may be payable even when the underlying UPI payment has no customer transaction fee. If the merchant says a line is required only because you selected UPI, ask for an itemized explanation before approving it rather than assuming it is an official UPI charge.
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How to pay at a physical shop without an unexpected UPI fee
- Confirm that the seller accepts UPI. Use the merchant’s displayed QR code or the shop’s stated UPI payment option. Avoid scanning a code sent by an unrelated person or one that has been pasted over the merchant’s original code.
- Open your UPI app and scan or enter the payment details. Let the app retrieve the payee information. For a legitimate merchant QR, the app should display a merchant name or payment address.
- Check the payee name. Make sure it corresponds to the shop or business you intend to pay. A familiar logo on a counter is not a substitute for checking the name shown in the app.
- Check the amount. Compare it with the price agreed at the counter. If the merchant has entered the amount, verify that it includes only the amount you authorized and any clearly explained purchase charges.
- Review the final screen before authentication. Look for any separately itemized fee or changed total. If a new line appears, pause and ask the merchant what it represents.
- Authorize inside the UPI app. Use the app’s normal authentication, including your UPI PIN when requested. Never tell a merchant, cashier, caller, or chat contact your UPI PIN.
- Wait for the result. Keep the success screen or transaction reference until the merchant confirms receipt. Do not pay again merely because a shop’s display has not refreshed; first check your transaction history and bank notification.
A successful UPI debit and a merchant’s claim that payment is missing are separate issues. Check the status shown in your app before attempting a second payment, because a duplicate authorization can create two debits even when the first confirmation is delayed.
How to pay an online merchant and verify the amount
At an online checkout, select the site’s UPI payment option. NPCI describes the online flow as using a UPI payment address and authorizing the request in the UPI app. Its UPI Frequently Asked Questions also describes UPI payments as instant and available 24/7, although a bank or merchant system can still experience a temporary delay.
- Choose UPI at checkout. Use the merchant’s own payment page or its displayed UPI payment address. Do not approve a collect request that names a different business.
- Record the checkout total. Note the amount after taxes, delivery and any disclosed service lines. This is the amount you should compare with the authorization request.
- Open the notification in your UPI app. Confirm the merchant name, payment address where shown, and requested amount.
- Compare both totals. If the UPI request is higher than the checkout total, stop. Ask the merchant or platform to explain the difference before authorizing. Do not assume the difference is an unavoidable UPI fee.
- Authenticate only in the app. Enter your UPI PIN on the secure UPI authorization screen. A merchant does not need to see it, and no legitimate support agent needs you to disclose it.
- Save the confirmation. Keep the UPI reference and the order confirmation until the order is completed or any refund is settled.
Do not approve a request just because it arrives quickly or uses the merchant’s logo. The payee identity and final amount are the controls that protect you from an incorrect request.
What NPCI says about PPI-on-UPI transactions
Some UPI payments use a prepaid payment instrument (PPI) linked to UPI rather than a direct bank-account debit. NPCI’s FAQ states: “There are no charges to be paid by the customer/ PPI holder for UPI transactions.” That statement is specific to PPI-on-UPI transactions.
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It should not be expanded into a promise that every wallet-related service, funding method, withdrawal, conversion, inactivity condition, or balance-related term is free. If you are using a PPI, read the issuer’s currently disclosed terms for the particular service. The absence of a customer charge for the UPI transaction itself does not erase a separate term that applies to another wallet operation.
Domestic versus international UPI merchant payments
Domestic Indian merchant QR
The statutory explanation and the zero-MDR policy account apply to the prescribed domestic BHIM-UPI modes in India. For these payments, use the merchant and amount checks above and distinguish a UPI payment charge from the merchant’s own checkout lines.
International merchant QR
International acceptance is a different case. NPCI’s UPI Global Acceptance page covers QR-based payments at select international merchant locations and instructs users to check the final amount in both the foreign currency and Indian currency, together with any applicable exchange rate or fee.
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- the foreign-currency amount requested by the merchant;
- the Indian-rupee amount that will be debited;
- the exchange rate used for the conversion;
- any fee shown by the app, issuer, bank, or payment service; and
- the merchant name and country or location where displayed.
A domestic zero-charge rule does not settle currency conversion or other cross-border terms. If either currency amount or a fee is unclear, stop and ask the merchant or check the payment service’s disclosed terms before authorizing.
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How the FY 2024–25 incentive scheme relates to your payment
The PMO’s 19 March 2025 announcement describes an incentive scheme for promotion of low-value BHIM-UPI person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions in fiscal year 2024–25. It estimates an outlay of ₹1,500 crore. For eligible small-merchant P2M transactions up to ₹2,000, the announcement lists an incentive rate of 0.15% per transaction value; its table also lists zero MDR for UPI P2M transactions up to ₹2,000 and above ₹2,000 for small and large merchants.
These figures describe government support and reimbursement through the acquiring-bank ecosystem. They are not a percentage that the customer pays at checkout, and the scheme’s eligibility and coverage should not be treated as a universal promise about every merchant, transaction type, or future fiscal year.
| Item | What it means for a customer | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| BHIM-UPI or BHIM-UPI QR payment | No bank or system-provider charge to the payer or beneficiary for the prescribed domestic mode | Government explanation applies to the prescribed modes and payments on or after 1 January 2020 |
| MDR | Not a fee you should automatically add to the customer’s UPI payment | PMO policy account says BHIM-UPI MDR was made zero from January 2020 |
| PPI-on-UPI transaction | NPCI says there are no charges to the customer or PPI holder for the UPI transaction | Does not establish that every other wallet or issuer service is free |
| FY 2024–25 incentive | Government support for participating institutions, not a customer rebate or surcharge | ₹1,500 crore estimated outlay; 0.15% rate listed for eligible small-merchant P2M transactions up to ₹2,000 |
| International QR payment | Review the converted rupee amount and any exchange or fee line | NPCI advises checking both currencies and applicable terms at select international locations |
When a checkout shows an “UPI fee”
Do not approve automatically. First classify the line item.
- Product or service price: This is the amount for what you bought, not a UPI network charge.
- Tax: A tax line is separate from payment-method pricing.
- Delivery or convenience fee: This is a merchant or platform charge and should be identified as such.
- Currency conversion or cross-border fee: This can arise on an international payment and must be checked in both currencies.
- “UPI transaction fee” or “MDR” added solely for choosing UPI: Ask the merchant for an itemized explanation and compare the requested amount with the original checkout total.
The official sources cited here establish the no-charge rule for the prescribed modes, but they do not provide a universal complaint route or decide the validity of every possible merchant surcharge. Keep the invoice, screenshot, payment reference and the app’s final amount, then ask the merchant or platform to explain any disputed line before authorizing.
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Common mistakes that create avoidable costs or duplicate payments
Confusing a failed display with a failed payment
A merchant terminal may take time to update after your bank has approved a payment. Check the transaction status in your UPI app before trying again. If it is pending, wait for the status to resolve rather than authorizing a second payment immediately.
Approving the wrong collect request
A collect request can arrive with a familiar-looking description but a different payee. Verify the name and amount in the app. Decline requests you did not initiate or cannot identify.
Sharing the UPI PIN
The PIN authorizes a debit. Enter it only inside your own UPI app and never disclose it to a merchant or support contact. A merchant needs confirmation of payment, not your authentication secret.
Ignoring a changed amount
Prices can change between checkout and authorization because of stock, delivery or tax recalculation. Treat any difference as a stop signal. Return to the merchant’s checkout or ask for an explanation before proceeding.
Assuming international payments work like domestic ones
Overseas QR acceptance can involve conversion and other fees. Check the foreign and Indian amounts and the applicable rate rather than relying on a domestic UPI expectation.
A quick pre-authorization checklist
- Is this a domestic BHIM-UPI/BHIM-UPI QR payment or an international merchant QR payment?
- Does the payee name in the app match the intended merchant?
- Does the requested amount match the final checkout or agreed price?
- Are taxes, delivery and service lines clearly identified?
- Is any extra line described as a UPI fee or MDR? If so, have you asked for an explanation?
- For an international payment, have you checked both currency amounts, the exchange rate and any disclosed fee?
- Are you entering your PIN only in the UPI app and keeping it private?
Bottom line for fee-free merchant UPI payments
Use a prescribed domestic BHIM-UPI or BHIM-UPI QR flow, verify the merchant and total in the app, and authorize only after the amount matches the checkout. The bank or system-provider charge for that prescribed payment mode should not be passed to you, while product, delivery, platform, wallet-service and cross-border conversion costs must be assessed separately. When a line item is unclear, pause and request an itemized explanation instead of treating it as an unavoidable UPI fee.
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