Messaging platform WhatsApp is expanding its payments system in India to make it easier for people to transact with businesses to pay for the purchases directly in the chat through a choice of UPI apps including rival digital payment options as well as through debit and credit cards.

Who can use this payment option in India?

With more than 500 million users in India, only 100 million users are currently able to make use of WhatsApp’s payments service due to regulators putting a cap on the amount of people being able to use this feature. However, now people paying through WhatsApp will now be able to send money through Google Pay, Paytm and PhonePe after being redirected from WhatsApp. Payments through rival digital payments option will now be possible directly within , Meta said in a blog post. New in-app options for credit and debit cards will also be offered and unlike WhatsApp payments, there will be no caps on the amount of users or transaction on this payment method.

To make use of Payments, you must use a phone number with the country code for India and have a bank account with a bank that supports UPI. The phone number you use for services must be the same phone number linked to your bank account used for Payments.

What are the benefits?

Users will now be able to add items to a cart and purchase them directly by sending a payment using the above-mentioned payment options. This will let users pay without going to another website, opening another app or paying in person.

WhatsApp

Is there more to come?

Moving forward, WhatsApp has said that its payment tools will be available to any company in India which uses business platform. It has also said that it is working with RazorPay and PayU “to make paying for something as simple as sending a message".

WhatsApp is also introducing new features such as flows and Meta verified badge to “speed up how to get things done with businesses in a WhatsApp chat". Flows is a new feature for businesses to create richer in-chat experiences for their customers for activities such as booking a reservation, ordering delivery or checking in for a flight, directly on WhatsApp. Businesses will also be able to choose from a series of flexible, pre-made building blocks so they can easily design rich, customisable experiences for their customers.

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