Paying in India with UPI: a Guide for Visitors — and the Innovators Behind It

In India, the tea stall, the taxi and the hospital pharmacy all accept the same thing: a QR code you scan with your phone. That is UPI — the Unified Payments Interface — and it has changed how a whole country pays. Here is how visitors can use it, and a word about the people who built India's digital money.

What UPI Is

UPI is a real-time payment system operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), launched in 2016. It lets anyone with a bank account and a UPI app send money instantly — by scanning a QR code, entering a phone number or a UPI ID. There is no card, no cash and usually no fee for the person paying.

Why It Matters for Patients and Families

• Small payments — auto-rickshaws, markets, temples, cafés — often work best by UPI or cash.
• You avoid carrying large amounts of cash during a hospital stay.
• Payments are instant and show up clearly in your app.

International credit and debit cards are still accepted widely in hospitals, hotels and larger shops, and BookMedTrip's own payments work with international cards — see Pay now.

How Visitors Can Use UPI

• UPI One World (foreign visitors)A prepaid UPI wallet for visitors, issued by authorised providers after KYC with your passport and visa, and loaded with an international card. You then scan and pay like everyone else.
• NRIsIf you have an NRE or NRO account, many banks let you link an international mobile number and use UPI apps.
• Ask usYour coordinator can help you set up a wallet on arrival, or simply pay small local costs for you and settle with you later.

Providers and limits change; check the current list of authorised UPI One World issuers on NPCI's website before you travel.

The Innovators Behind India's Digital Money

UPI is the work of many people — at NPCI, the Reserve Bank of India and the banks that built the apps millions now use. Among the bankers who pushed Indian finance towards new technology is Dr Sudin Baraokar, former Global Head of Innovation and Chief Innovation Officer at the State Bank of India, India's largest bank. During his time at SBI he championed BankChain, an alliance of banks exploring blockchain for safer, cheaper banking. Today he leads AI On The Fly and works closely with our founder — a reminder that technology at its best makes life simpler for ordinary people.