Thursday , October 10 2024

IRCTC started new service: Now payment will have to be made only after the railway ticket is confirmed, avail benefits like this

IRCTC has given great relief to railway passengers. Now money will be deducted from the account of railway passengers only after getting the confirmed ticket. At the same time, on cancellation of the ticket, the money will be refunded immediately. IRCTC has started this system for e-ticket booking. This option is enabled only in I-Pay payment gateway by IRCTC and is called 'Autopay'. The 'Auto Pay' feature of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) iPay payment gateway makes it easy to link UPI, credit cards and even debit cards.

According to the IRCTC website, money will be deducted from the bank account of the railway passenger only when the system generates the PNR for the railway ticket. This system is similar to how initial public offering (IPO) applications work using UPI.

Who will benefit from IRCTC iPay Autopay?

This will benefit the most those people who are booking expensive railway e-tickets. Apart from this, passengers who have booked waiting tickets or Tatkal tickets will also get the benefit. According to the IRCTC website, iPay AutoPay will be beneficial in the following cases.

waiting list: Autopay is beneficial where e-ticket cannot be booked after the money is deducted from the passenger's bank account due to 'berth option not fulfilled' or 'no room'.

Immediate Waiting List: If the Tatkal e-ticket remains in the waiting list even after the AGA chart is prepared, in such cases only the applicable charges (cancellation fee, IRCTC convenience fee and mandate fee) will be deducted from the user's account and the lien amount (autopay) Is released back into the individual's bank account.

Instant Refund: If a person is booking a waiting ticket, the money will be refunded in three to four days if he does not get a confirmed ticket. If the booking amount is high then getting an immediate refund for the same will help the person book alternative transportation options without paying any extra money. However, if a person had used the autopay facility of IRCTC iPay to book a waitlisted ticket and could not be allotted a confirmed ticket, the money will be refunded immediately.

Railway passengers will benefit

All these initiatives will provide financial freedom to rail passengers where passengers wish to make subsequent bookings on the same/next day without worrying about the refund amount being credited to their bank account from IRCTC. IRCTC said on its website that by using the autopay facility, money is debited only when the waitlisted ticket under Tatkal quota is confirmed.