You might lose your access to UPI starting April 1st in your unregistered mobile number. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) gave instructions to the banks and payment service providers (PSPs) to delink those numbers that are inactive or reassigned to prevent fraud and unauthorized transactions.

Why is this step being taken?

Inactive mobile numbers linked to UPI accounts can cause a major security risk. Many users fail to update their mobile number when they change or deactivate it, leaving their UPI accounts to be misused.

If a number is reassigned to someone else, fraudsters can gain unauthorized access to financial transactions. To solve this problem, banks and digital payment platforms such as Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm will now remove inactive numbers from the UPI network as per NPCIs mandate.

How will banks enforce this rule?

Banks and PSPs will routinely identify and remove inactive or reassigned mobile numbers from the UPI system. Affected users will receive notifications before their UPI services will be suspended.

If a mobile number remains inactive even after multiple warnings from the authority, it will be delinked from UPI to prevent fraud activity. Users can regain access to UPI by updating their mobile number before the given deadline.

Who will be impacted?

• Users who have changed their mobile number but havent updated it with their bank.
• Users whose mobile number has been inactive for a long time and isnt used for calls, SMS, or banking alerts.
• Users who surrendered their number without informing their bank and users whose old number has been reassigned to someone else will be affected by this.

Steps to keep your UPI active

Ensure your mobile number is in use. Check if youre receiving SMS alerts. Update your registered mobile number through net banking, UPI apps, ATMs, or by visiting your bank branch. To avoid losing access to UPI payments, update your mobile number with your bank before April 1, 2025.