UPI AutoPay mandate

UPI AutoPay mandate is a standing permission for a company to take repeat payments, like OTT or insurance bills, from your account.

UPI AutoPay mandate: A UPI AutoPay mandate lets a merchant collect a fixed or capped amount from your account on a schedule. You approve it once with your PIN. It then repeats weekly, monthly or yearly until you cancel it from the app.

Streaming apps, SIP plans, insurance premiums and phone bills often ask you to set up AutoPay. The approval screen shows the merchant name, the maximum amount and how often it can charge. People forget these mandates, so money keeps leaving long after they stopped using the service. A mandate is not a one-time payment; it is a standing instruction that quietly continues in the background each cycle.

Fraudsters send a mandate request disguised as a refund or a prize and hope you approve it. The wording may say "Pay" or "Authorise", but it is permission for future debits. Review your active mandates in the UPI app once a month and cancel any you do not recognise. Doing this also catches free trials that turned into paid plans without you noticing.

Tips

• Open the Mandates or AutoPay section in your UPI app monthly and cancel the ones you do not use.
• Read the maximum amount and frequency before approving.
• Never approve a mandate sent to you as a refund, prize or verification.

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