WhatsApp adds prepaid phone recharges in India as its payments usage still lags

WhatsApp is adding prepaid telephone recharges successful India successful a determination to get much users to transact wrong the app, adjacent 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 with fintech steadfast PayU to rotation retired prepaid telephone recharges successful India, allowing users to apical up mobile numbers for large operators including Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea straight wrong the messaging app. The diagnostic volition beryllium made disposable to each WhatsApp users successful the state implicit the 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 the country’s integer payments space, driven by the government-backed Unified Payments Interface. The messaging app processed implicit 130 cardinal transactions successful March, according to the latest statistics from the 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, implicit the aforesaid period.

The spread has persisted adjacent aft the NPCI lifted onboarding limits connected WhatsApp Pay successful precocious 2024, allowing the work to grow to its afloat idiosyncratic basal successful India aft years of phased rollouts.

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

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

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

Image Credits:WhatsApp

Ravi Garg, manager of concern messaging astatine Meta India, said the updates are aimed astatine making mundane transactions simpler wrong WhatsApp arsenic the institution aims to bring much inferior into the app.

The determination highlights Meta’s propulsion to deepen engagement beyond messaging, adjacent arsenic it continues to lag established integer outgo players successful driving transaction volumes.