Summary:
NPCI is making UPI AutoPay interoperable to let users move recurring payment mandates between UPI apps without recreating them. Merchants will also be able to shift mandates between payment providers when changing payment gateways. The move could reduce platform lock-in, improve flexibility and increase competition across India’s digital payments ecosystem.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is set to make UPI AutoPay interoperable across applications, allowing users to move existing recurring payment mandates from one UPI app to another without cancelling and recreating them. Merchants will also be able to shift existing mandates between payment providers when changing payment gateways. The move is aimed at reducing lock in and giving both consumers and businesses greater flexibility.
What will change for UPI AutoPay users?
At present, a recurring payment mandate created through one UPI application can make users reluctant to switch apps because subscriptions and other recurring payments need to be recreated. Under the proposed system, users will be able to view their active UPI AutoPay mandates across apps and port eligible mandates to another application.
This could cover recurring payments such as subscriptions, insurance premiums, systematic investment plans and loan repayments. Users will also have greater visibility over their active mandates, making it easier to track and manage recurring financial commitments.
NPCI had already introduced the framework for mandate portability in October 2025. Its guidelines allow users to port mandates between UPI apps and merchants to execute mandates through their preferred payment service provider. Porting is user driven, requires the UPI PIN for payer initiated operations and can be done only once in a rolling 90 day period.
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Merchants can switch payment gateways more easily
The change is also significant for businesses. Currently, when a merchant changes its payment gateway, existing AutoPay mandates may remain linked to the previous provider. This can create operational difficulties and force businesses to manage old and new mandates separately.
Under the interoperable framework, merchants will be able to move existing mandates to another payment provider while retaining the relevant mandate information. NPCI’s framework also introduces a standardised Merchant Identifier Code for merchants, helping maintain continuity when payment processing arrangements change.
Why is NPCI making UPI AutoPay interoperable?
The move is intended to make recurring digital payments more open and competitive. UPI itself was designed as an interoperable payment infrastructure, allowing customers to use different applications while accessing the same underlying network. Extending this principle to AutoPay could reduce the advantage that large applications gain from customers being tied to recurring mandates.
Smaller UPI applications could therefore find it easier to attract users who previously avoided switching because of the inconvenience associated with existing mandates.
UPI AutoPay usage is expanding rapidly
The importance of the change comes from the growing scale of recurring digital payments. The top 10 banks processed nearly 1.8 billion UPI e mandate transactions in July, more than three times the 585 million recorded in July 2025. UPI itself processed 23.66 billion transactions worth ₹29.88 trillion in July.
Outlook
UPI AutoPay interoperability could make recurring payments more flexible while reducing platform dependence. For consumers, the biggest benefit is easier switching between applications. For merchants, the ability to move mandates between payment providers could reduce operational friction and increase competition across the payment ecosystem.
