UPI Transactions With Special Characters Will Be Blocked From Feb 1 – What You Need to Know
Starting February 1, 2025, UPI transactions that contain special characters in their transaction IDs will be rejected. This change comes as part of new guidelines issued by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
What’s Changing?
The NPCI has mandated that UPI transaction IDs can only contain letters (A-Z, a-z) and numbers (0-9). Any transaction ID with special characters like #, @, $, or * will be automatically blocked.
This rule applies to all UPI payment apps, including:
Why This Change?
NPCI has introduced this update to ensure that UPI transaction IDs follow strict technical standards and improve security.
According to the official NPCI circular:
“Considering the criticality of compliance with the specifications, it has been decided not to allow any special characters in the UPI transaction ID. Any transaction with an ID containing special characters shall be declined by the central system. This shall be effective from February 1, 2025.”
Do You Need to Take Action?
No action is required from UPI users. This change will be handled in the background by UPI apps like Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm. The apps will update their systems to generate only alphanumeric transaction IDs automatically.
However, if you notice any failed UPI transactions after February 1, 2025, check if your transaction ID contains special characters. If so, contact your UPI service provider for assistance.
UPI’s Growing Dominance in Digital Payments
UPI has revolutionized digital payments in India. According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), UPI’s share in digital transactions jumped from 34% in 2019 to 83% in 2024, growing at an impressive 74% CAGR over five years.
In 2018, UPI transactions stood at 375 crore, but by 2024, they skyrocketed to 17,221 crore. The transaction value also surged from ₹5.86 lakh crore to ₹246.83 lakh crore in the same period.
Official Circular
For more details, you can read the official NPCI circular here: 🔗 NPCI UPI Circular
Stay informed and keep enjoying seamless digital payments with UPI!