Attention! Your UPI payments will fail starting February 1 until you ensure these steps

NPCI has announced that special characters will no longer be permitted in UPI transaction IDs.
This new rule will come into effect starting February 1, 2025.
To avoid any transaction failure, you must ensure that your transaction ID is formatted correctly.
Over the years, UPI has become India’s most popular digital payment method. In December 2024, the transaction volumes reached 16.73 billion, marking an 8% increase from the previous month. India has been moving more towards UPI transactions, rather than using cash, especially in tier-1 cities. With that, it is important to ensure that the entire UPI ecosystem is as secure as it can be. Because growing online frauds and scams often use UPI to con innocents. Hence, NPCI has issued a new circular that needs to be implemented by all UPI users.
Now, if you’re also someone like me whose life depends on UPI, you might want to read this. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has announced that special characters will no longer be permitted in UPI transaction IDs starting February 1, 2025. This has been announced to enhance security and also standardise digital transactions across the growing UPI ecosystem.
The circular dated January 9 reads that all UPI transaction IDs must be strictly alphanumeric. This means that characters like @, !, or # cannot be used. Transactions using IDs with special characters will automatically fail. While most banks and payment platforms have already adapted to this requirement, NPCI stated that some entities continue to use non-compliant formats.
How to avoid transaction failures?
Now to avoid any transaction failure, you must ensure that your ID is formatted correctly. You can go to your UPI app, and check your UPI transaction ID format. The deadline is only till 1st February. If your portal uses the same transaction ID, you will not be able to make a payment. If unsure, you can directly call the customer support team for help.
Mustafa Khan
Mustafa is new on the block and is a tech geek who is currently working with Digit as a News Writer. He tests the new gadgets that come on board and writes for the news desk. He has found his way with words and you can count on him when in need of tech advice. No judgement. He is based out of Delhi, he’s your person for good photos, good food recommendations, and to know about anything GenZ. View Full Profile