In today’s digital-first world, most of us rely on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to seamlessly make payments for everything from groceries to bill payments. However, UPI users need to pay attention to an important change that could affect their transactions starting today, February 1.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has rolled out a new policy enforcing stricter standards for UPI transaction IDs. Starting today, UPI transaction IDs cannot contain special characters like @, #, %, or !. These symbols, which may have been present in some UPI transactions in the past, will now cause payments to fail.
This shift is part of NPCI’s efforts to enhance the security of digital transactions and standardise the UPI system across the country. While NPCI has worked closely with payment apps to implement these changes, some apps have yet to fully comply. As a result, NPCI has decided to enforce the new rule starting today, February 1. To avoid transaction failures, users are urged to update their UPI apps to the latest versions. These updates are designed to address the compliance issues that could otherwise result in failed payments. In case of any doubts, direct call the customer support.
The NPCI circular issued on January 9, 2025, specifies that starting February 1, 2025, UPI transaction IDs must be strictly alphanumeric. This means that any UPI transaction ID that includes special characters (such as @, #, !, etc.) will be rejected, and the transaction will fail. All UPI IDs must only contain alphanumeric characters. No special characters (like @, #, $, etc.) will be allowed. This is done basically to fortify security and ensure uniformity across all UPI transactions. Starting today, the UPI transactions using IDs that contain special characters will not be processed and will automatically fail.
The move is aimed at improving security, as special characters can sometimes be exploited in scams and fraudulent activities. By limiting the format to alphanumeric IDs, NPCI aims to reduce risks of potential fraud.
To avoid payment failure, make sure your UPI ID follows the alphanumeric format (letters and numbers only, no symbols or special characters). Also, ensure that both your bank and any payment platforms you use are updated and follow the new NPCI guidelines. Most major institutions have already adapted, but it’s worth double-checking. Before confirming transactions, especially if you’re making payments using custom UPI IDs, review the ID for any special characters that may cause failure.
