Offer UPI payments

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is India's real-time, bank-to-bank payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). It supports person-to-person and person-to-merchant transfers, allowing customers and merchants to send and receive money instantly through UPI apps. At checkout, customers pay from a UPI app linked to one or more supported bank accounts, without entering card or bank account details.

Cleverbridge supports UPI for subscriptions and one-time payments. Recurring subscription payments use UPI AutoPay, which allows customers to authorize an electronic mandate for future charges within the approved mandate terms.

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To add UPI to your checkout, contact Client Experience.

UPI at a glance

Capability	Cleverbridge support
Primary market	India.
Presentment currency	Indian rupee (INR).
Payment type	Real-time bank transfer authorized in a UPI app.
Subscriptions	Supported through UPI AutoPay for eligible amounts. For higher subscription amounts, customers complete both the initial payment and each renewal as separate one-time UPI payments.
One-time payments	Supported for amounts up to INR 100,000.
Refunds	Supported through the standard Cleverbridge refund process.
Initial payment processing	Usually completes within a few seconds after the customer approves the payment.
Renewal payment processing	Can take approximately 24 to 36 hours, depending on the amount and any required customer action. See Payment flows by amount.

Customers can complete a payment with a participating UPI app connected to a supported bank account. Because the UPI network changes over time, see the official NPCI list of UPI members and applications and the UPI product statistics.

 

This page explains the method from client's perspective. You can share the Pay with UPI page with customers who need help completing either a subscription or one-time UPI payment.

Why offer UPI

According to the Government of India’s Press Information Bureau, UPI processed 24,161.69 crore transactions (241.6169 billion) worth ₹314 lakh crore (₹314 trillion) in FY 2025–26. UPI accounted for 85% of India’s digital payments in FY 2025–26 and 49% of global real-time payment volume in 2025.

UPI helps you align checkout with the way customers in India commonly pay online. Adding it to your payment mix can help you:

• Reach customers who prefer bank-linked, mobile payment methods over cards.
• Reduce checkout friction with a familiar, app-based payment experience.
• Support both one-time purchases and recurring subscription scenarios.
• Offer real-time confirmation after the customer approves the payment.
• Avoid asking customers to enter card or detailed bank account information at checkout.

 

For more market context and information about the value of UPI for SaaS and digital goods, see UPI in India: How It Works for SaaS and Digital Goods.

UPI for subscriptions

Subscriptions with UPI AutoPay

UPI AutoPay allows a customer to authorize an electronic mandate during the initial subscription purchase. The mandate is created for the individual subscription and can remain valid for up to 30 years.

The initial payment and renewal behavior depend on the amount of the transaction. This distinction is important because some renewals are fully automatic, some require customer approval, and higher-value initial payments and renewals must be completed as separate one-time UPI payments.

Payment flows by amount

Payment amount	Initial subscription payment	Renewal payment
Up to INR 15,000	The customer scans the QR code and approves both the UPI AutoPay mandate and the initial transaction in their UPI app.	The customer receives a pre-debit notification. After the required 24-hour waiting period, Cleverbridge processes the payment automatically through UPI AutoPay. No further customer action is required.
More than INR 15,000 and up to INR 25,000	The customer scans the QR code and approves both the UPI AutoPay mandate and the initial transaction in their UPI app.	The customer receives a pre-debit notification and must approve the renewal in their UPI app, usually by entering their UPI PIN. After the required 24-hour waiting period, Cleverbridge processes the renewal through UPI AutoPay if the customer completed the approval. Otherwise, the payment fails.
More than INR 25,000 and up to INR 100,000	No UPI AutoPay mandate is created. The customer completes the initial subscription payment as a one-time UPI payment by scanning a QR code and approving the transaction.	Each renewal is processed as a separate one-time UPI payment. The customer must scan a new QR code and approve the payment manually.
More than INR 100,000	UPI is not supported.	UPI is not supported.

The following diagram summarizes the UPI subscription limits and the customer approval required for recurring payments.

Diagram colors:

• Green indicates UPI AutoPay or automatic processing.
• Yellow indicates that customer action is required.
• Red indicates that UPI is not supported.

How the UPI AutoPay mandate works

1. Mandate creation. During the initial subscription payment, the customer approves the mandate in their UPI app. The mandate includes the maximum authorized amount, start date, and end date.
2. Pre-debit notification. Before each renewal, the customer receives a notification through a channel supported by their UPI app, such as the app itself, SMS, or WhatsApp.
3. Customer approval. For renewals above INR 15,000 and up to INR 25,000, the customer must approve the payment in their UPI app. The exact approval experience can vary by app.
4. Waiting period. Cleverbridge must wait at least 24 hours between the pre-debit notification and the recurring charge.
5. Renewal processing. Renewals up to INR 15,000 are processed automatically. Renewals above INR 15,000 and up to INR 25,000 are processed after the waiting period if the customer completed the required approval.
6. Mandate expiry or cancellation. A mandate can become inactive when it expires or when the customer revokes it in their UPI app. Future renewal payments then fail until the customer defines another payment method or authorizes a new UPI mandate. Canceling or revoking the mandate does not refund payments that have already been completed.

What happens after the initial order

When a customer confirms an order with UPI, Cleverbridge:

1. Creates the purchase and sets its status to Awaiting Offline Payment.
2. Sends the order confirmation email.
3. Generates a dynamic UPI QR code for the payment or mandate authorization.
4. Updates the purchase to Paid after the customer successfully approves the transaction.
5. Refreshes the confirmation page and makes the invoice available. The invoice is also sent to the customer by email.

If the transaction is declined, Cleverbridge updates the confirmation page and sends a payment declined email.

Failed renewals and payment recovery

A UPI renewal can fail when:

• The customer revoked or canceled the UPI AutoPay mandate.
• The mandate expired.
• The customer did not complete the required approval for a renewal above INR 15,000 and up to INR 25,000.
• The customer did not complete the required one-time renewal payment for an amount above INR 25,000 and up to INR 100,000.

When a payment fails, Cleverbridge sends the customer a payment declined email. The email contains a Change Payment Link, which the customer can use to select another payment method or authorize a new UPI AutoPay mandate, and then complete the outstanding payment.

How to switch an existing subscription to UPI

A customer can select UPI as the payment method for an existing subscription. The customer scans the QR code and approves a UPI AutoPay mandate in their UPI app. The mandate can then be used for future renewals; the next renewal is not charged immediately.

For the mandate authorization, the customer might see a small authorization amount, usually around INR 2. This amount is automatically refunded within 24 to 48 hours.

UPI for one time payments

Use UPI for one-time payments

UPI supports one-time payments up to INR 100,000. The customer selects UPI at checkout, confirms the order, and scans a dynamic QR code with their preferred UPI app. After the customer approves the payment, Cleverbridge typically receives confirmation within a few seconds and updates the purchase from Awaiting Offline Payment to Paid.

The QR code is valid for five minutes. If it expires, the confirmation page refreshes and the customer must select Pay Now to generate a new QR code.

Handling refunds

UPI payments follow the standard Cleverbridge refund process. The available refund options, eligibility requirements, and applicable refund period are the same as for other supported payment methods.

After Cleverbridge processes the refund, the amount is returned to the UPI ID used for the original payment. UPI refunds usually complete within one to two business days, but may take up to seven business days. Refunding a subscription payment does not revoke the associated UPI AutoPay mandate. The subscription status is updated according to the selected refund option.

For information about refund options and processing refunds in SCM, see Handling refunds.

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