Google Pay users can now use Aadhaar to set up UPI PIN: Here's how to do it

Google Pay has announced that its users can now set up their Unified Payments Interface (UPI) PIN using Aadhaar-based authentication from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Earlier, users were asked to enter six digits of their debit card along with other details to set up the UPI PIN.

Users who want to use this Aadhaar-based authentication to set up UPI PIN should ensure that the same phone numbers are registered with UIDAI and the bank.

The announcement came days after a similar service was launched by PhonePe.

Users of 22 banks such as Punjab National Bank, Central Bank of India, Paytm Payments Bank, and Federal Bank among others that allow UPI PIN set up with Aadhaar-based OTPs can use this feature. Sharath Bulusu, who is the director of product management at Google, said the new feature will make it easier and more convenient for users.

“Aligned with the Government’s vision to drive financial inclusion, this feature will further strengthen our efforts to drive deeper penetration for digital payments in India. Over the years, we are very heartened by the ready adoption of digital payments we have witnessed in the country, and this feature will help boost the UPI ecosystem even further,” Bulusu said in a statement.

Google has clarified that it does not keep the Aadhaar number of users and only helps in facilitating the Aadhaar number to NPCI for verification. Customers can use the Google Pay app to make payments or see their account balance.

Here is how to use Aadhaar to set up your UPI PIN

Step 1: To activate UPI using your Aadhaar number on Google Pay, choose the option ‘Aadhaar- based UPI onboarding’ on the app.

Step 2: Type in the first six digits of your Aadhaar number.

Step 3: Verify your identity by entering the one-time passwords (OTPs) that you receive from UIDAI and your bank on your registered phone number.

Your bank will complete the activation process and you can set your UPI PIN, which is a four-digit code that you use to authorize UPI transactions.

Meanwhile, Google Pay and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched support for RuPay credit cards on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) on May 23. The users can now connect their RuPay credit cards with Google Pay to pay at all online and offline merchants where RuPay credit cards are accepted.

The feature is now available to RuPay credit card holders of Axis Bank, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, HDFC Bank, Indian Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Punjab National Bank and Union Bank of India, the company said in a statement.