{"id":1313978,"date":"2026-09-18T15:39:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T10:09:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/?p=1313978"},"modified":"2026-09-18T15:40:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T10:10:04","slug":"phonepe-users-with-feature-phone-can-now-make-payments-without-internet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/phonepe-users-with-feature-phone-can-now-make-payments-without-internet\/","title":{"rendered":"PhonePe Users With Feature Phone Can Now Make Payments Without Internet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PhonePe has launched <strong>UPI 123Pay<\/strong>, allowing feature phone users across India to make UPI payments without needing a smartphone or an active internet connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The service is aimed at expanding digital payments to more than <strong>200 million feature phone users<\/strong>, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas where smartphone ownership and reliable mobile internet remain limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"912\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-18-at-3.36.42-PM.png\" alt=\"PhonePe Users With Feature Phone Can Now Make Payments Without Internet\" class=\"wp-image-1313987\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-18-at-3.36.42-PM.png 912w, https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-18-at-3.36.42-PM-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-18-at-3.36.42-PM-768x436.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 912px) 100vw, 912px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">UPI Works Through SMS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>PhonePe UPI 123Pay uses an <strong>SMS-based architecture<\/strong> rather than requiring mobile data. This allows transactions to work even in areas with limited 2G connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Users can make <strong>person-to-person transfers<\/strong> using a mobile number or UPI ID. They can also make merchant payments using UPI IDs and, on supported camera-enabled feature phones, by scanning QR codes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The service also allows users to check their bank balance and transaction history directly from their feature phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Activate PhonePe UPI 123Pay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The service comes pre-bundled on select feature phones from <strong>Nokia, HMD, Lava and Itel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Users can open the PhonePe application on a supported phone, select their bank and enter the last six digits and expiry date of their debit card. They can then create a UPI PIN and activate their UPI ID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The entire registration process is designed to work without requiring a smartphone or internet connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI Helpline Supports 13 Languages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>PhonePe has also introduced a <strong>voice-based AI helpline<\/strong> to help users register and activate the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The conversational assistant supports <strong>English and 12 Indian languages<\/strong>, providing step-by-step guidance and answering basic questions related to UPI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This could make the service easier to use for people who may not be comfortable navigating conventional smartphone payment applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More Services Planned<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>PhonePe plans to expand the feature phone service beyond basic payments. Future updates are expected to include <strong>bill payments, mobile recharges and Aadhaar-based UPI onboarding<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The company is also expected to add more handset manufacturers to the programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Opening UPI to Feature Phone Users<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>UPI has largely been associated with smartphones and mobile internet, but UPI 123Pay is designed to extend the payment network to users who do not have either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PhonePe&#8217;s rollout builds on NPCI&#8217;s existing UPI 123Pay framework, which was created specifically to enable UPI transactions through feature phones without internet connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>PhonePe has launched <strong>UPI 123Pay for feature phones<\/strong>, allowing users to send money, pay merchants and check bank information without smartphones or mobile internet. The SMS-based service will initially be available on select Nokia, HMD, Lava and Itel devices, with an AI-powered helpline supporting English and 12 Indian languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndtvprofit.com\/business\/upi-without-internet-phonepe-launches-123pay-for-feature-phone-users-11983518\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PhonePe has launched UPI 123Pay, allowing feature phone users across India to make UPI payments without needing a smartphone or an active internet connection. The service is aimed at expanding digital payments to more than 200 million feature phone users, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas where smartphone ownership and reliable mobile internet remain limited. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":1313987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[97,359],"class_list":["post-1313978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-internet","tag-phonepe"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>PhonePe Users With Feature Phone Can Now Make Payments Without Internet - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile &amp; Startups<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/phonepe-users-with-feature-phone-can-now-make-payments-without-internet\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PhonePe Users With Feature Phone Can Now Make Payments Without Internet - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile &amp; Startups\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PhonePe has launched UPI 123Pay, allowing feature phone users across India to make UPI payments without needing a smartphone or an active internet connection. 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