The new Unified Payments Interface (UPI) framework will not charge customers or apply a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) for every UPI transaction. Starting October 15, 2026, the new MDR charge will apply only to specified merchant transactions that exceed a set limit, with different rates for sectors like essential services and capital market transactions.
Person-to-person payments will continue to remain free, irrespective of the amount transferred, while merchant transactions up to Rs 2,000 will also remain outside the MDR framework, according to a statement from the Ministry of Finance.