WhatsApp Introduces Prepaid Phone Recharges in India Through PayU Partnership

WhatsApp announced on Thursday that it is partnering with fintech firm PayU to introduce prepaid phone recharges in India. Users can top up mobile numbers for major operators directly within the messaging app. The feature will be available to all WhatsApp users in the country over the next two weeks, according to PayU.

WhatsApp has more than 500 million users in India and launched payments in 2020. The app operates on the government-backed Unified Payments Interface. In March, WhatsApp processed over 130 million transactions, based on data from the National Payments Corporation of India.

such as Walmart-owned PhonePe and Google Pay processed more than 10.5 billion and 7.5 billion transactions, respectively, in the same period. The National Payments Corporation of India lifted onboarding limits on WhatsApp Pay in late 2024, allowing expansion to the full user base after phased rollouts.

WhatsApp's transactions more than doubled from about 61 million in January 2025. Over the same period, Walmart-owned PhonePe and Google Pay grew by around 30% and 20%, respectively. These services account for the majority of Unified Payments Interface transaction volumes.

The prepaid recharge feature adds to existing options in WhatsApp, including bill payments, metro ticket bookings, and access to government services through chat-based interfaces. WhatsApp has added a rupee icon on its home screen to facilitate access to the payments section, which also supports mobile recharges and peer-to-peer transfers.

“The updates are aimed at making everyday transactions simpler within WhatsApp as the company aims to”