UPI International

UPI International (Unified Payments Interface) is a realtime system that allows users to link multiple bank accounts to a single app for easy digital payments.

It's the main way to pay online in India, processing the majority of transactions in the country. Beyond India, UPI International is becoming an emerging player in the future of cross-border payments, integrating with banks in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, France, and Sri Lanka.

You don't need to set up a bank account in India or sign up for a UPI merchant account to add UPI International as a payment option with Paddle.

How it works

Customer chooses UPI

Turn on UPI in a couple of clicks in your Paddle dashboard. Paddle automatically presents UPI as a payment method for customers paying on desktop in a supported country and currency.

Customer starts confirmation

Customers are prompted to scan a QR code with their phone.

They can also copy the UPI key and paste it into their banking app manually.

Customer turns on UPI International

If the customer doesn't have UPI International turned on, most banking apps prompt them to enable it as part of the payment flow.

If not prompted, they'll need to turn on UPI International in their banking app then try to pay again.

Customer confirms purchase

Customer confirms purchase on their phone using their banking app. The exact process varies depending on the banking app the customer uses, but typically they'll authenticate using on-device biometrics.

Payment authorized

Payment is authorized, and Paddle Checkout shows a screen that confirms the checkout is completed, but the payment is pending capture.

Payment completed

After authorization, payment is captured. This typically happens immediately after authorization, but can take up to ten minutes.

The transaction is marked as completed in Paddle, and the customer receives a copy of their invoice by email.

Accept UPI International

Set up prices in USD

If you've turned on automatic currency conversion, Paddle automatically localizes prices in India to INR.

As UPI International is only available for prices in USD, you need to create a country-price override for India to present customers in India with a price in USD.

1. Go to Paddle > Catalog > Products, then find the product you want to present UPI for.
2. Find the price you want to create a price override for in the list, then click the … action menu and choose Edit from the menu.
3. Under the country-specific prices section, add an override for India where the currency is USD.
4. Click Save when you're done.

When you do this, your prices in India will be presented in USD — including for other payment methods like card or PayPal.

To learn more, see Localize prices.

Request approval for UPI International

To keep the Paddle platform safe for everyone, the early access program for UPI International requires additional approval from Paddle. It's not available for any products related to online gaming.

You can request to join the early access program for UPI International if you agree that you don't offer products related to online gaming using UPI International.

To apply, contact sellers@paddle.com.

Turn on UPI International

Once approved, turn on UPI International.

1. Go to Paddle > Checkout > Checkout settings.
2. On the General tab, check UPI International.
3. Click Save to apply.

Test UPI International

You can test UPI International using your Paddle sandbox account.

1. Turn on UPI International for your Paddle account.
2. Open a checkout for a one-time item that's priced in USD (US Dollar).
3. Pick India as the country, then enter an email and PIN code.
4. Select UPI as the payment method.
5. Click Pay with UPI and follow the prompts to complete purchase.