I'm a US-based NRI and I'm curious how others handle everyday UPI payments when visiting India.
There are few options today — NRE/NRO accounts linked to UPI, international mobile numbers with supported banks, or wallets/services that you fund before spending.
For those who visit India as an NRI or tourist:
- What do you use today for UPI payments?
- Does it work reliably enough that you're happy with it?
- What's the biggest annoyance — setup/KYC, OTPs, keeping money in India, pre-funding, fees, P2P limitations, or something else?
- If you could simply scan any UPI QR or enter a UPI ID and pay using your US bank account/card, without pre-funding or maintaining an Indian bank balance, would that be meaningfully better than what you use today?
I'm exploring whether this is actually a problem worth solving, so negative feedback is just as useful. If your current setup works perfectly, I'd especially like to hear what you're using.
u/xmebot — 7 days ago