How to enable UPI International on BHIM, PhonePe, Google Pay

Unified Payments Interface, commonly known as UPI, is no longer just available in India, anyone with a bank account can use this digital payment service in as many as seven countries.

The Indian government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have forged strategic partnerships with other governments and central banks for a seamless UPI experience outside of India. That means travellers visiting one of these countries will no longer have to rely on just forex or credit cards for shopping and international payments. With UPI, paying at an eligible merchant will be quite convenient. Nearly every leading UPI app supports international payments, so if you are planning to travel to one of the following countries, you can set up UPI on your phone. UPI International is supported in Sri Lanka, Mauritius, France, UAE, Singapore, Bhutan, and Nepal. This article explores the process of activating UPI International on three apps, PhonePe, Google Pay, and BHIM.

Activating UPI International on PhonePe

Open the PhonePe app.
Tap on your profile picture in the top left corner.
Go to “Payment Settings”.
Select “UPI International”.
Tap “Activate” next to the bank account you want to use for international payments.
Enter your UPI PIN to confirm activation.
Activating UPI International on Google Pay (GPay)

Google Pay does not have a standalone “UPI Global” activation option currently. However, UPI International functionality gets activated when you try to make a payment to a supported international merchant. Here’s the process:

Open the Google Pay app.
Tap “Scan QR code”.
Scan the QR code of the international merchant.
Enter the amount in the payable foreign currency.
Select the bank account you want to use for the payment.
If your bank supports UPI International, you will see an option to “Activate UPI International” during this process.
Tap “Activate UPI International” and confirm with your UPI PIN.
Activating UPI International on BHIM

Open the BHIM app.
Go to your profile section.
Select your bank account within the “My Linked Bank Accounts” section.
Tap on “UPI Global”.
Choose the validity period for the feature (e.g., 3 months, 6 months).
Enter your UPI PIN to confirm activation.
PhonePe, Google Pay, and BHIM apps are available on both Android phones and iPhones so that you can make seamless payments.