New rules of UPI implemented from new year: Autopay fraud will be banned, shock to e-commerce companies

The new year is bringing big relief for crores of users connected to Unified Payments Interface (UPI), considered the backbone of digital payments in India. UPI, which facilitates everyday transactions as well as subscription and autopayment, is now going to become more transparent and secure. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has decided to make major changes in the rules related to autopay, which will prevent problems like app fraud, unnecessary deductions and dark patterns.

Till now, many users have complained that they used to approve autopay on any e-commerce or digital platform in the name of free trial or discount, but later money was automatically deducted from their account every month. Many times it was not so easy to stop or track these subscriptions. In view of this problem, NPCI has decided to implement new rules, which will be implemented on all UPI apps by December 31, 2025.

NPCI has made it clear in its circular issued on 7 October 2025 that now users will be given more control in UPI autopay subscription. Under this a central portal upihelp.npci.org.in Launched where customers will be able to view and manage all their active Autopay subscriptions in one place. With this, users will not need to go to different apps to find information.

According to the new rules, UPI users will now be able to go to the “Manage Bank Account” or “Autopay” section of any app to see which subscriptions are active, how much amount is being deducted and on what date the payment is being made. If any subscription seems unnecessary, it can be closed in just a few clicks. This will provide great relief to those people who unknowingly remained stuck in autopay for a long time.

This change is no less than a shock for e-commerce companies and digital platforms. Earlier, many companies used to lure users with cashback, offers or free trials to activate autopay and later made it difficult to switch it off. NPCI has now taken strict action against such dark patterns and made it clear that no autopayment will be accepted without complete information and consent.

An important aspect of these new rules is that now users will be able to port their autopay subscription from one UPI app to another UPI app. That means if a customer wants to shift from one app to another, he will not need to restart the subscription. However, keeping security in mind, this porting process can be done only once in 90 days and UPI PIN will be mandatory for every change.

NPCI has also clarified that app companies will not be able to provide cashback or other inducements to users to switch apps frequently. Autopay data will be used for informational purposes only and not for any marketing or other commercial gain. This will also strengthen the privacy and data security of users.

Digital payment experts believe that this step of NPCI will further strengthen India’s digital ecosystem. In the era of increasing online services and subscription models, transparency and user control have become extremely important. The new rules will not only reduce fraud but will also increase people’s trust in UPI.

Overall, these UPI rules coming into effect from the new year are a big and positive step in the interest of common consumers. Now users will be able to take control of their money, avoid unnecessary deductions and use digital payments without any fear. This initiative of NPCI will play an important role in making UPI more secure, reliable and user-friendly in the coming times.