Even as India’s digital payments ecosystem continues to expand rapidly, instances of “dark patterns” on online payment platforms remain widespread, with the incidence of hidden charges rising sharply over the past two years, according to study by LocalCircles.

It showed that the percentage online payment platforms users experiencing hidden charges or drip pricing has inched up to 63% from 52% over the past 24 months, indicating that the government actions so far have had no impact.

The survey, which gathered over 141,000 responses from users across 386 districts, indicated that subscription traps, bait-and-switch tactics and interface manipulation remain common across digital payment apps. Of the total respondents, 63% were men and 37% women, with participation spread across tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3–5 and rural districts.

As many as 68% of respondents reported facing subscription traps, where after linking a bank account for UPI payments, they found it difficult to remove or delink it. The percentage has remained unchanged over the past two years.

The Reserve Bank of India’s revised e-mandate framework, which allows users to pause or cancel mandates at any time and mandates pre-debit alerts, is expected to ease such exit barriers by making recurring payment controls more accessible.

Bait-and-switch practices have also increased. About 66% of respondents said they experienced cases where cashback or promotional offers were advertised but not honoured after completing transactions, up from 62% two years ago. The new authentication and notification requirements under the RBI’s framework could help mitigate such misleading practices by requiring clearer user confirmation before debits.

Meanwhile, 42% of users reported experiencing “forced action” practices, including funds being blocked in wallets or being compelled to share contact lists to access services — a figure that has remained steady over the last 24 months.

Interface-level manipulation appears to be the most pervasive issue. As many as 82% of users said they experienced “interface interference”, where app design nudged them towards products or services they did not intend to purchase. Additionally, 61% reported instances of “basket sneaking”, where add-ons such as insurance, donations or tips were automatically included in transactions.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority has previously identified and prohibited 13 dark patterns across digital platforms. LocalCircles said it has escalated the latest survey findings to the RBI, the National Payments Corporation of India and the CCPA, calling for a wider mandate to ensure payment platforms remain free of manipulative interface designs.