UPI rules are changing from August 1: How it affects UAE NRIs, frequent users

Dubai: The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is implementing new usage rules for UPI from August 1, aimed at reducing system congestion during peak hours.

While UPI remains free and fully functional, frequent users — including NRIs with Indian bank accounts — will now face daily limits on how often they can check balances and transaction status.

1. Balance checks limited to 50/day

If you check your UPI-linked account balance multiple times a day, you’ll now be restricted to 50 balance checks daily.

2. Bank account views capped at 25/day

Users can only view their linked account details up to 25 times a day, a move to cut background traffic that slows the system.

3. Transaction status: 3 refreshes only

After making a payment, you can only check its status 3 times, with a 90-second interval between each.

4. AutoPay transactions to follow fixed time slots

Recurring UPI transactions like subscriptions or EMIs will now process in designated time windows, improving stability and speed.

Not for now. UPI remains free for end users — thanks to the government covering the costs through a ₹1,500 crore subsidy. However, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra recently signalled that this model may not last forever.

Banks currently absorb the cost, but the RBI’s Malhotra believes “someone must pay” for system sustainability. If subsidies stop, users or merchants may eventually bear the cost — though no such fee policy has been announced yet.

If you use UPI regularly — especially via NRE/NRO accounts — you may now experience limits on checking balances or payment statuses. The core functionality of UPI remains unaffected, but frequent actions will be restricted.

This change isn’t about charges or shutdowns, but about system efficiency, and you won’t notice much unless you're a power user.