Payment methods: UPI

UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is a real-time payment method available to customers in India, offered through our payment processor, Stripe. You can use UPI to pay for new WordPress.com purchases and to set up automatic renewals for eligible subscriptions.

UPI is the one local payment method on WordPress.com that supports automatic renewals. UPI renewals work through an eMandate — a recurring payment authorization required by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for any UPI-based subscription.

A few things to know before you pay with UPI:

• Have your UPI app ready at checkout. Authorizing a UPI payment is time-limited. If you do not approve the request in your UPI app within the allowed window, the payment fails and you will need to start over.
• Free trials are not available with UPI. If a product offers a free trial, choose a different payment method to access it.
• UPI appears at checkout when your tax location is set to India. If your tax location is set to another country, UPI will not appear as a payment option.

To pay for a new purchase with UPI, follow these steps:

1. Add your product to the cart and proceed to checkout.
2. Under “Payment method”, select the UPI option.
3. Enter your UPI ID (also called a VPA, for example yourname@bank), or scan the QR code with your UPI app.
4. Approve the payment request in your UPI app before the timer expires.

Once the payment is approved, your purchase completes and you receive a confirmation email. Your receipt shows the VPA used for the payment. UPI receipts do not include an RRN, due to a limitation in how UPI transactions are reported back to WordPress.com.

When you pay for a subscription with UPI, an eMandate is created in the background. The eMandate is what allows your subscription to renew automatically, without you needing to approve each charge manually.

A few things to know about UPI renewals:

• Renewals depend on the eMandate staying active. If you cancel or revoke the eMandate from your bank or UPI app, the next renewal fails. Update your payment method to keep the subscription active.
• Canceling your subscription cancels the eMandate. If you cancel a subscription that is paid with UPI, the eMandate is canceled at the same time, and you will not be charged again.
• A failed renewal does not immediately cancel your subscription. If a renewal fails, WordPress.com notifies you and gives you a chance to update your payment method before the subscription lapses.

To switch a subscription to or from UPI, follow these steps:

1. Go to Me → Purchases.
2. Select the subscription you want to update.
3. Click the “Change Payment Method” button.
4. Choose UPI (or another method) and confirm.

Selecting a new payment method cancels the existing UPI eMandate for that subscription.