UPI stays free for users, vast majority of transactions to remain free for merchants as well, says government

The government said any future merchant discount rate (MDR), if introduced, would apply only to a limited set of merchant transactions above a specified threshold and at a nominal rate, which would be lower than typical debit and credit card MDRs

The government has opened the door to introducing a nominal Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on a limited set of UPI merchant transactions above a certain threshold, while assuring that consumers and person-to-person payments will continue to remain free.

In a press release, the Ministry of Finance has said that users will not be charged for making UPI payments, and all Person-to-Person (P2P) transactions will continue to remain free. It said that if a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) is introduced in the future, it will apply only to a limited category of merchant transact