UPI Services Restored After Brief Outage, NPCI Cites ‘Intermittent Technical Issues’

Unified Payments Interface (UPI), India’s widely used digital payment system, experienced a significant outage today evening, leaving users struggling to complete transactions. The disruption, which affected multiple payment apps, led to a surge in complaints from users unable to process payments.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which operates UPI, acknowledged the issue and confirmed that the system has now been restored.

"NPCI had faced intermittent technical issues owing to which UPI had partial decline. The same has been addressed now and the system has stabilised. Regret the inconvenience," NPCI said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).

Here is what you need to know

According to DownDetector, a website that tracks service outages, the disruption peaked around 7:50 PM, with at least 2,750 complaints recorded.

Among the affected platforms:

Google Pay saw 296 complaints related to failed transactions.

Paytm users reported 119 issues, with many struggling to send or receive payments.

State Bank of India ( SBI ) faced 376 complaints, with users encountering difficulties in online banking and fund transfers.

Many users took to social media to express frustration, particularly as UPI is a crucial part of daily transactions in India. Reports of failed grocery payments, disrupted cab rides, and restaurant bills left unpaid flooded online platforms.

While NPCI has assured that the problem has been fixed, the brief outage has raised concerns. With UPI handling billions of transactions every month, any downtime has a widespread impact on businesses and individuals alike.

Steps to take when your UPI payment fails

Facing a failed UPI transaction can be stressful, but there are simple steps to recover lost funds and minimize inconvenience:

• Wait for the Automatic Reversal:  If the amount is debited from your account but the transaction does not go through, don’t worry. In most cases, banks automatically refund the amount within a few minutes or hours. However, in some instances, this process may take up to 24 hours.
• Check Your Bank Account Statement:  Keep a close watch on your bank transaction history to confirm if the debited amount has been credited back. If there are discrepancies, note down details such as the transaction ID, amount, and timestamp.
• Reach Out to Customer Support: If the refund is delayed beyond the expected timeframe, contact your bank’s customer service. Providing the exact transaction details will help them expedite the resolution. Most banks also have dedicated helplines for UPI-related concerns.
• Always Keep an Alternative Payment Option Handy:  Although UPI is one of the most reliable digital payment systems, occasional glitches highlight the importance of backup payment methods. Carrying a debit card, credit card, or some cash can be helpful in situations where digital transactions fail.