Switching your UPI app could soon become much easier.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is reportedly preparing a system that would allow eligible UPI AutoPay mandates to be transferred from one UPI app to another.
This means users may no longer need to cancel their existing recurring payments and create them again when changing apps.
The move could make UPI more flexible and increase competition between payment apps.
No Need to Set Up AutoPay Again?
At present, switching UPI apps can be inconvenient if you have several recurring payments connected to your existing app.
For example, if your OTT subscription, insurance premium or SIP is linked to PhonePe, moving to another UPI app could mean cancelling the old AutoPay mandate and setting up a new one.
Under the proposed system, eligible mandates could be transferred directly.
Users would reportedly be able to start the transfer themselves and authenticate it using their UPI PIN.
OTT, Insurance, SIPs and EMIs Could Be Covered
The proposed portability could cover several types of recurring payments.
These may include:
OTT subscriptions
Insurance premiums
SIPs
Loan EMIs
Utility bills
Other eligible recurring payments
UPI AutoPay already allows users to approve recurring payments in advance, reducing the need to manually make the same payment every month.
With portability, managing these payments could become even more convenient.
PhonePe, Google Pay and Paytm Could Face More Competition
The change could remove one hidden reason why people stay with a particular UPI app.
A user may prefer another platform but hesitate to switch because multiple subscriptions and recurring payments are already connected to their current app.
If these mandates become portable, users could switch apps without rebuilding their entire AutoPay setup.
This could give smaller UPI apps a better chance to attract customers.
Major platforms such as PhonePe, Google Pay and Paytm could also face greater pressure to compete on reliability, features, customer service and overall user experience.
However, the change is unlikely to completely alter the UPI market overnight.
Its impact could become clearer as more users start taking advantage of the portability feature.
Businesses Could Also Get More Flexibility
The proposed change may not be limited to individual users.
Merchants could also benefit if existing AutoPay mandates become transferable between payment service providers.
For example, a business changing its payment gateway or service provider could potentially move existing mandates instead of asking customers to create them again.
This could make it easier for businesses to change payment partners without disrupting recurring payments.
Why Is This Becoming Important Now?
UPI AutoPay usage has been growing rapidly.
According to the report, the top 10 banks processed nearly 1.8 billion UPI e-mandate transactions in July 2026, compared with around 585 million in July 2025.
As more people use recurring digital payments, the ability to easily manage and transfer these mandates becomes increasingly important.
What Could Change for UPI Users?
The proposed system is based on NPCI’s earlier UPI AutoPay enhancement framework, which included provisions for interoperability between UPI applications.
If implemented, the change could make the AutoPay system more open and reduce dependence on individual apps.
For users, the biggest benefit would be simple: switching your UPI app may no longer mean starting your recurring payments from scratch.
For merchants, it could provide more freedom to change payment service providers.
And for UPI apps, retaining customers could become harder because existing AutoPay arrangements would no longer create such a strong barrier to switching.
