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Freedom251 › Blog › consumer complaints

How to Report an Unauthorised UPI Surcharge in India

By Freedom251 Team · · 10 min read

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Start by identifying what happened: a disclosed extra amount that you knowingly accepted is a disputed surcharge; a debit or payment you did not approve is an unauthorised electronic transaction; and a debit where the payment failed or remained unconfirmed is a failed UPI transaction. The evidence and remedy are different for each.

Save the bill, UPI receipt, bank alert, transaction reference, merchant details and screenshots. Then complain in writing to the relevant payment provider and your bank. Report a genuinely unauthorised debit immediately through the bank’s official channels, and ask for a complaint number. For a completed payment with an added fee, request the fee’s basis and a refund, but do not assume that the RBI rule on bank and system-provider charges automatically decides whether a merchant may add a separate surcharge.

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First decide which UPI problem you have

The phrase “unauthorised UPI surcharge” can describe three different events. Correctly classifying yours prevents a surcharge complaint from being treated as fraud—or a fraud report from being reduced to a simple pricing dispute.

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What happened Did you approve the payment? What to request Main route
A shop or service displayed an extra amount and you completed the UPI payment Usually yes Written explanation, legal or contractual basis, and refund of the disputed amount where appropriate Merchant, payment provider and bank complaint channels
Your account was debited or a UPI payment was made without your approval No Immediate blocking or securing of the account or payment instrument, investigation, liability decision and reversal where applicable Bank’s unauthorised-transaction reporting channels
You were debited but the beneficiary was not credited, or a merchant did not receive confirmation You initiated it, but it did not complete correctly Automatic reversal under the applicable failed-transaction timeline and compensation for delay where the rule applies Payment provider and bank, using the failed-transaction description

A merchant’s extra fee can be objectionable even when you knowingly pressed “pay.” That is not automatically the same as an unauthorised electronic banking transaction under the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) directions. Use factual wording in your complaint: state whether you saw the extra amount before authorising the payment, whether you accepted it, and whether the merchant or a financial intermediary imposed it.

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What RBI’s no-charge rule does—and does not—establish

In an RBI public-database response dated June 7, 2022, the central bank quoted the rule effective January 1, 2020: “no bank or system provider shall impose, whether directly or indirectly, any charge upon a person making or receiving a payment using the electronic modes of payment prescribed under section 269-SU of the Income Tax Act, 1961.” The response identifies UPI (BHIM-UPI) as one of those prescribed modes. The Central Board of Direct Taxes notified UPI as a prescribed electronic mode on December 30, 2019.

This is a clear restriction on a charge imposed directly or indirectly by a bank or system provider on a person making or receiving the electronic payment. The cited RBI material does not expressly answer the narrower question of whether a merchant may separately add or pass through a surcharge on a sale paid by UPI. Therefore, do not tell a merchant—or a bank complaint officer—that the quotation alone conclusively proves every merchant surcharge is unlawful. Ask who set the amount, how it was disclosed, and what rule or contract the merchant relies on.

Questions that establish the source of the fee

  • Did the extra amount appear on the merchant’s bill, on a payment-provider screen, or only in the bank debit?
  • Was it shown before you confirmed the UPI payment, or did it appear afterward?
  • Does the receipt identify a “convenience,” “service,” “platform,” “handling” or other fee?
  • Was the amount a fixed fee, a percentage, a tax, a tip or a duplicate debit?
  • Did the merchant receive the full amount shown on your UPI confirmation, or is the discrepancy only in your account statement?

These answers determine whether you are asking for a commercial refund, challenging a provider-imposed charge, or reporting a transaction you never authorised.

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Collect evidence before contacting anyone

Make a contemporaneous record and keep the original files unchanged. Take separate notes if you need to explain what happened; do not write on or edit the original receipt or screenshot.

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  • Merchant name, location, identifier and contact details.
  • Date and exact time, including the time zone shown in the app or bank alert.
  • Amount you expected to pay, surcharge amount and total debited.
  • UPI transaction ID, reference number, virtual payment address (if shown), and bank account or card statement entry.
  • Merchant bill, menu, checkout page, sign or message showing the fee.
  • UPI-app confirmation and bank SMS, email or push notification.
  • Names or descriptions of the payment provider and bank involved.
  • Any refusal, explanation or promise from the merchant, preferably in writing.

Export statements or download receipts where the service offers that option. Record when you first noticed the problem and when you reported it; reporting time is important for unauthorised-transaction liability.

Step-by-step: complain about a completed payment with an extra fee

  1. Ask the merchant for a written explanation. State the amount you paid, the extra amount, the transaction reference and the date. Ask who imposed the fee and for the legal, contractual or published pricing basis. Ask whether the fee was disclosed before payment and request a refund of the disputed surcharge if you did not agree to it.
  2. Use the payment provider’s current complaint flow. Open the transaction in the official app or website and choose the closest option for a payment dispute, incorrect amount, fee or merchant issue. Menus change, so follow the labels currently displayed. Upload the bill and screenshots, and save the case number and submission time.
  3. Notify your bank in writing. Explain whether you approved the underlying payment. If you did, describe it as a “disputed merchant surcharge on a completed UPI payment,” not as an unauthorised transaction. Ask the bank to confirm whether any bank or system-provider fee was charged and to investigate any amount that does not match the merchant receipt.
  4. Request a specific outcome. Ask for (a) identification of the party that added the amount, (b) the rule or agreement relied upon, (c) reversal or refund of the surcharge if applicable, and (d) a written response with a reference number.
  5. Keep an escalation diary. Note every call, email, ticket update, promised date and response. Reply in the same ticket so the chronology remains together.

Suggested complaint wording

Subject: Disputed UPI surcharge – transaction [reference number]

“On [date] at [time], I paid ₹[total] to [merchant]. The underlying price was ₹[expected amount] and an additional ₹[surcharge] was added. The fee was [shown before payment/not disclosed/added after confirmation]. I authorised the underlying payment [or: I did not authorise this debit]. Please identify who imposed the amount, provide the applicable basis, investigate the transaction and refund the disputed surcharge where appropriate. Please acknowledge this complaint and provide the case number.”

If the debit was genuinely unauthorised

If you did not approve the payment at all, stop describing it as merely a surcharge. Contact the bank immediately through its official app, website, telephone number or other listed reporting channel. Do not use a phone number from an unsolicited message. Ask the bank to secure the affected account or payment instrument as appropriate and to prevent further unauthorised transactions.

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RBI’s unauthorised electronic banking transaction direction requires banks to provide round-the-clock reporting access through multiple channels, acknowledge the complaint with a reference, and take immediate steps to prevent further unauthorised transactions. Save the exact time of your report and the acknowledgement.

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How reporting time affects liability

Where a third-party breach is not attributable to the bank or customer, the 2017 RBI direction uses reporting-time categories: reporting within three working days can result in zero liability; reporting in four to seven working days can limit liability to the transaction value or the applicable account-category cap, whichever is lower; and reporting later than seven working days is handled under the bank’s policy. These categories apply to the relevant unauthorised electronic banking cases, not automatically to a merchant surcharge.

When the unauthorised transaction results from bank negligence, or from a third-party breach where you are not at fault and report within the applicable period, RBI rules provide zero-liability circumstances. If you shared credentials, OTPs or other security information, or were otherwise negligent, you may bear the loss until you report it; transactions after reporting are generally the bank’s responsibility under the direction. The result depends on the facts and the applicable RBI instructions.

For zero- or limited-liability cases covered by the direction, the bank must provide a shadow reversal within 10 working days. The complaint and liability decision should ordinarily be completed within 90 days. Ask the bank to confirm which category it has applied and why.

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Do not confuse a surcharge dispute with a failed UPI payment

A debit without a successful credit or merchant confirmation is handled under RBI’s failed-transaction framework. Tell the bank and payment provider that the payment failed or remained unconfirmed; do not present it only as a fee complaint.

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Payer debited, beneficiary not credited

For the specified transfer case, if the payer is debited but the beneficiary is not credited and the credit cannot be effected, the beneficiary bank must reverse the amount by T+1 (the next calendar day after the transaction date, as defined in the framework). Compensation is ₹100 per day beyond T+1 when the prescribed condition is met.

Payer debited, merchant confirmation not received

For a merchant payment where the payer is debited but confirmation is not received at the merchant location, auto-reversal is due by T+5. Compensation is ₹100 per day beyond T+5 when the framework’s conditions apply.

These timelines concern failed transfers and failed merchant confirmations. They do not decide whether a merchant’s separate surcharge was permissible. Include the UPI reference, debit time, merchant confirmation status and the date on which you requested reversal.

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What to do when the merchant or provider rejects the complaint

When the merchant says the fee was disclosed

Ask for the exact price display, notice or terms that were visible before you authorised payment. Compare that evidence with your bill and UPI record. If the fee was clearly displayed and you accepted the total, the disagreement may be a pricing or contract dispute rather than an unauthorised transaction. You can still ask the provider to investigate a fee imposed by its own system.

When the bank says “contact the merchant”

Ask the bank to confirm in writing whether it charged or transmitted any fee and to record your dispute. A merchant-surcharge question may require merchant resolution, but the bank must still handle a report that the debit was unauthorised, incorrect, duplicated or part of a failed transaction. Keep both reference numbers.

When the provider closes the ticket without explaining

Reply through the same channel, attach the original evidence again and identify the unanswered question: who imposed the fee, whether the payment completed, and what remedy you seek. Request the provider’s final written response and escalation contact. Avoid opening many duplicate tickets that fragment the record.

Escalating to the RBI Ombudsman

The Reserve Bank–Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026 took effect on July 1, 2026 and replaced the 2021 Scheme for matters within the new Scheme. The RBI’s July 1, 2026 FAQ says a complaint may be filed when a regulated entity has not replied within 30 days—or a longer period specified under applicable RBI, NPCI or card-network guidelines—or when you are dissatisfied with the reply or resolution.

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Before filing, check the current coverage, eligibility and filing instructions in the RBI Complaint Management System. The FAQ describes the mechanism as “a cost-free, expeditious and non-adversarial alternate grievance redress mechanism for customer complaints involving deficiency in service by Regulated Entities covered under the Scheme.” Do not pay anyone to submit an RBI Ombudsman complaint.

Prepare the escalation file

  • Your original complaint and the date it was received.
  • Bank and payment-provider case numbers.
  • Final replies, or proof that the applicable response period expired.
  • UPI receipt, statement entry, merchant bill and surcharge evidence.
  • A short chronology showing approval status, reporting times and the remedy requested.
  • A precise statement of what remains unresolved.

The Ombudsman route concerns deficiency in service by covered regulated entities. It is not a substitute for every consumer, contractual or tax remedy against a merchant, and eligibility should be checked under the 2026 Scheme before submission.

Common mistakes that weaken a UPI complaint

  • Calling every extra amount “fraud.” Use “disputed surcharge” when you knowingly approved the total and reserve “unauthorised transaction” for a payment or debit you did not approve.
  • Waiting to report an unauthorised debit. RBI liability categories depend on when you notify the bank.
  • Deleting the original records. Keep unedited receipts, alerts and statements, with separate explanatory notes.
  • Ignoring the transaction status. A failed or unconfirmed payment has T+1 or T+5 rules that differ from a completed-payment surcharge dispute.
  • Assuming the bank-charge rule settles the merchant question. The RBI statement expressly addresses banks and system providers; the cited material does not definitively resolve every merchant-imposed surcharge.
  • Using unofficial contact details. Start with the bank or payment provider’s official app, website or published telephone channel.
  • Leaving out the requested remedy. Say whether you want a fee refund, transaction reversal, account protection, a liability decision, an explanation, or all applicable remedies.

Quick decision checklist

  1. Did you personally approve the UPI payment and total shown? If yes, begin with a disputed-surcharge complaint.
  2. Was any debit or payment made without your approval? Report an unauthorised transaction to the bank immediately.
  3. Was your account debited but the beneficiary or merchant did not receive the payment or confirmation? Request the applicable failed-transaction reversal.
  4. Who added the amount: merchant, payment provider, bank or an unidentified party?
  5. Do your evidence and complaint include the amount, date, time, merchant, UPI reference and report time?
  6. Have you saved every case number and written response?
  7. Has the regulated entity missed the applicable response period or given an unsatisfactory answer? Check eligibility under the RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026.

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consumer complaintsDigital PaymentsIndiaRBIUPI

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