Whatsapp Adds Prepaid Phone Recharges In India As Its Payments Usage Still Lags

WhatsApp is adding prepaid telephone recharges successful India successful a move to get much users to transact wrong nan app, moreover arsenic it struggles to summation meaningful crushed successful a payments marketplace dominated by Walmart-owned PhonePe and Google Pay.

On Thursday, WhatsApp said it is partnering pinch fintech patient PayU to rotation retired prepaid telephone recharges successful India, allowing users to apical up mobile numbers for awesome operators including Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea straight wrong nan messaging app. The characteristic will beryllium made disposable to each WhatsApp users successful nan state complete nan adjacent 2 weeks, PayU confirmed to TechCrunch.

Image Credits:WhatsApp

Despite having more than 500 cardinal users successful India and launching payments successful 2020, WhatsApp remains a marginal subordinate successful nan country’s integer payments space, driven by nan government-backed Unified Payments Interface. The messaging app processed complete 130 cardinal transactions successful March, according to nan latest statistics from nan National Payments Corporation of India, acold down rivals specified arsenic Walmart-owned PhonePe and Google Pay, which processed much than 10.5 cardinal and 7.5 cardinal transactions, respectively, complete nan aforesaid period.

The spread has persisted moreover aft nan NPCI lifted onboarding limits connected WhatsApp Pay successful precocious 2024, allowing nan work to grow to its afloat personification guidelines successful India aft years of phased rollouts.

Nevertheless, WhatsApp’s payments usage has picked up since early 2025, aft onboarding restrictions were lifted. Its UPI transactions much than doubled from astir 61 cardinal successful January 2025, per nan NPCI data. Over nan aforesaid period, Walmart-owned PhonePe and Google Pay grew by astir 30% and 20%, respectively, while continuing to relationship for nan mostly of UPI transaction volumes.

The latest rollout adds to WhatsApp’s broader push to grow payments and services wrong nan app successful India, wherever users tin already salary bills, book metro tickets, and entree a scope of authorities services done chat-based interfaces, arsenic nan Meta-owned institution looks to deepen engagement beyond messaging.

WhatsApp has besides introduced a rupee (₹) icon connected its location surface to make it easier for users to entree nan payments section, alongside features specified arsenic mobile recharges and peer-to-peer transfers.

Image Credits:WhatsApp

Ravi Garg, head of business messaging astatine Meta India, said nan updates are aimed astatine making mundane transactions simpler wrong WhatsApp arsenic nan institution intends to bring much inferior into nan app.

The move highlights Meta’s push to deepen engagement beyond messaging, moreover arsenic it continues to lag established integer costs players successful driving transaction volumes.