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Lucknow. In this era of Digital India, UPI has become the most trusted companion of our pocket. But if you are still paying in the old way, then stop! National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has implemented some strict rules from 28 February 2026 in view of the security and strength of the system. At the same time, some other changes are going to be effective from April 1, 2026. These rules will not only change the way you send money, but can also affect your pocket.
1. Payment through number and UPI ID stopped? Learn a new way
The biggest and surprising change is that now you will not be able to send payment directly by manually typing someone’s mobile number or UPI ID.
What changed: Earlier we used to enter the mobile number and click on “Pay”, but now this feature has been limited due to security reasons.
What to do now: Now you have to mandatorily scan the QR code for payment or select the contact directly from within the app.
Benefit: This will eliminate the risk of money going into someone else’s account due to wrong number being typed.
2. UPI ATM Withdrawal: Withdrawal of cash will no longer be free!
There is a big change in the rules for cardless cash withdrawal from April 1, 2026.
New rule: Now if you withdraw money from ATM through UPI without card, it will be counted towards your monthly free ATM transaction limit (usually 3 to 5 times).
Additional Charges: If your limit is exceeded, you may have to pay a fee of up to ₹23 + taxes per withdrawal.
3. Surgical strike on ‘Collect Request’
In view of the increasing cases of fraud, NPCI has almost closed or extremely limited the Peer-to-Peer Collect Request feature.
Why did this happen: Fraudsters often used to send collect requests to people in the name of ‘getting money’ and the users used to get their accounts emptied by entering the PIN.
Effect: Now payment requests from unknown people will stop, which will drastically reduce the incidents of fraud.
4. ₹10 lakh discount for large transactions
While on one hand small transactions have become stricter, on the other hand there is good news for traders.
P2M Limit: The merchant payment (P2M) limit has been increased to ₹10 lakh for certain categories (like education, health or large vendors).
Advantage: Now you will not have to depend on NEFT or RTGS for big payments, this work will be done instantly through UPI.
5. Improve network stability and security
Technical improvements have been made to the system to reduce the increasing burden on the UPI network. Activities like repeatedly checking balance or viewing transaction status have been controlled so that there is no problem of server down and your payment does not get stuck in between.
Caution is safety: ‘Safe’ tips for 2026
Change habit: Instead of typing mobile number, always use QR code.
Calculating ATM Limit: Estimate your cash requirement at the beginning of the month so that you can avoid additional charges on UPI ATM transactions.
Don’t share PIN: Remember, you never need to enter your UPI PIN to receive money.