When there is a bad network or slow internet speed, this will come in handy.
Have you ever been in the middle of sending money using Google Pay, Paytm, PhonePe, or another UPI payment provider when your Internet connection goes down for no apparent reason?
If so, *99#, a mobile banking service based on USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data), can be extremely useful.
Without an internet connection, you can request and transfer money, update your UPI PIN, and even check your account balance.
Everyone in the country can use the *99# service to get financial services.
It is available in 13 languages, including Hindi and English, and is supplied by 83 major banks and four telecom service providers.
Here’s how to set it up and make UPI payments offline.
Set up UPI payments offline
- On your smartphone or feature phone, dial *99#. However, you must use the same phone number that has been linked to your bank account to make this call; otherwise, the service will not work.
- Then select your preferred language and provide your bank’s name.
- You’ll be presented with a list of bank accounts associated with your phone number; select the one you wish to use by selecting the appropriate option.
- Now type in the last six numbers of your debit card, as well as the expiration date.
- You can make UPI payments without an Internet connection once you’ve properly set it up, as outlined in the following stages.
Make UPI payments offline
- To send money, dial *99# on your phone and enter 1.
- Choose your preferred choice and then enter the recipient’s UPI ID, phone number, or bank account number.
- After that, input the amount as well as your UPI PIN.
- Your payment will be successful once you’ve completed these steps, and you’ll be charged a maximum of Rs. 0.50 per transaction for using the *99# service.
- Currently, the transaction limit for this service is Rs. 5,000 per transaction.
