The features announced by NPCI include a Unified Ticketing Platform (UTP), RuPay ON-THE-GO Card-on-Device Tokenisation, RuPay ‘Tap on Phone’, passkey-based RuPay payments and international merchant payments using RuPay credit cards linked to UPI.
Here is what each of the features means for users.
Unified Ticketing Platform
The Unified Ticketing Platform is being piloted as a common framework for digital ticketing across public transport and tourist attractions.
The platform will support interoperable offline transactions through QR codes and will power the Transit and Tourist Attractions categories on Bharat Connect.
For transit, users will be able to discover routes, check fares, make digital payments and receive QR-based tickets through Bharat Connect-enabled applications. The tourist attraction category will allow users to discover and purchase tickets for participating monuments and other destinations.
The proof of concept is being conducted with Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. and the Archaeological Survey of India.
RuPay transit payments through smartphones
RuPay ON-THE-GO Card-on-Device Tokenization (CoDT) allows transit credentials to be tokenised and stored on NFC-enabled Android smartphones.
This means users can use a compatible smartphone for tap-and-go transit payments instead of carrying a separate physical transit card.
The solution is also designed to support offline transit payments, allowing transactions to work in environments where network connectivity may be limited.
RuPay ‘Tap on Phone’
RuPay’s ‘Tap on Phone’ feature allows customers to make certain online card payments by tapping their physical RuPay card on an NFC-enabled mobile device.
The feature supports transactions of up to ₹5,000 and requires the user to enter the card PIN to complete the payment.
For applicable transactions within contactless limits, the feature reduces the need for OTP-based authentication during checkout.
RuPay payments using passkeys
RuPay has also introduced a passkey-based authentication option for e-commerce payments.
Instead of entering an OTP, users can authenticate transactions using device-native biometrics such as a fingerprint or facial recognition, where supported.
The feature can be enabled when saving a card or during a transaction and is designed to work across supported Android and iOS devices, browsers and apps, as well as tokenised RuPay cards.
Passkeys are intended to reduce dependence on OTPs during online payments while providing an alternative authentication method based on the user’s device.
RuPay credit card on UPI for international payments
RuPay credit cards linked to UPI will soon be usable for cross-border merchant payments through the Global UPI network.
The feature will allow eligible users to make payments at participating international QR acceptance points and e-commerce merchants through their preferred UPI app.
The rollout will initially cover France, Mauritius, the UAE and the US, with more locations expected to be added later.
Users will continue to authenticate payments using their UPI PIN. The UPI app will also show the applicable foreign exchange amount, exchange rate, mark-up and corresponding rupee value, according to NPCI.