New UPI Rules from August 1: What You Need to Know

Guwahati: Starting August 1, the way people use UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is set to change. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has introduced new rules to make UPI smoother and safer, but it also means users will need to be more careful with how often they use certain features.

One of the biggest changes is related to automatic payments like subscriptions, loan EMIs, or SIPs. These auto-debit transactions will now only be processed during three fixed time slots in a day  before 10 AM, between 1 PM to 5 PM, and after 9:30 PM. This means payments won’t go through at random hours like before.

Another major change is the limit on how many times a person can check their bank balance through a UPI app. From August 1, users can check their balance only 50 times per day on each app. If they cross this limit, the app may stop showing balance details for the rest of the day.

Similarly, people will be able to view their linked bank accounts only 25 times a day on each UPI app. Repeatedly switching or checking accounts without reason can lead to a quick hit on this limit.

The NPCI has also added new rules for failed transactions. If a UPI payment fails, users will now be allowed to check the status of that transaction only 3 times in 2 hours, and there must be a gap of 90 seconds between each attempt. This is being done to avoid overloading the system.

These new measures aim to reduce pressure on bank servers and ensure better performance during peak hours. While some users may find the restrictions a little inconvenient at first, officials believe they will lead to faster and more secure UPI services in the long run.