Imagine standing at a checkout counter, groceries bagged, ready to pay and suddenly, your UPI payment fails.
This isn’t a hypothetical nightmare... it could be your reality if you haven’t updated your registered mobile number with your bank before April 1, 2025. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has issued a directive that could impact millions of UPI users, blocking access to digital payments for those with inactive or reassigned numbers.
It all comes down to security.
Mobile numbers are often linked to bank accounts for OTP verification, transaction alerts, and authentication. However, when a number becomes inactive, it can still remain tied to a user’s UPI account.
This creates a massive risk. If a telecom provider reassigns an inactive number to a new customer, the new user could unknowingly receive transaction messages, OTPs, or even—if the original owner was careless—unauthorised access to linked bank accounts.
Fraudsters have exploited such loopholes in the past, gaining access to banking services linked to old numbers.
In January this year, the Supreme Court ruled a huge relief to account holders.
It said: Banks are liable to compensate customers for “unauthorised and fraudulent” online transactions involving their accounts provided the victim lodges a complaint within the RBI-stipulated three days.
“It is the responsibility of the bank so far as such unauthorised and fraudulent transactions are concerned. The bank should remain vigilant. The bank has the best of the technology available today to detect and prevent such unauthorised and fraudulent transactions,” the bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan said.
To prevent the loopholes, banks and also payment apps like Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm will now start delinking inactive mobile numbers from UPI, ensuring they no longer work for transactions.
Who is at risk?
If any of the following apply to you, your UPI services could stop working from April 1:
You recently changed your mobile number but didn’t update it with your bank.
Your number has been inactive for months, with no calls, SMS activity, or banking alerts.
You surrendered your old number, and it has now been reassigned.
You rely on UPI for payments but haven’t checked if your number is still active.
If your number is flagged as inactive or reassigned, banks will send you notifications before suspending UPI access.
However, if no action is taken, your number will be permanently delinked, requiring a re-registration process to restore UPI access.
A blocked UPI account means no instant digital transactions, no QR code payments, no online shopping, and no quick transfers.
It’s a disruption that could leave you stranded in a world where cash is increasingly an afterthought.
Your payments won’t be the only thing affected. An inactive mobile number could also block you from receiving bank OTPs, critical account notifications, and even customer support verifications.
How to Keep Your UPI Active
Before you find yourself in an avoidable payment crisis, here’s what you need to do:
Check if your mobile number is active. Call or text someone to confirm that your number is still working.
Ensure you receive SMS alerts. If you’re not getting banking OTPs or transaction messages, your number may already be flagged.
Update your mobile number with your bank. You can do this via:
Net banking – Log in and update your contact details.
UPI apps – Some payment apps allow direct number updates.