Top 7 mobile payment apps in India that you should use now

The use of mobile payment apps in India such as Paytm, Google Pay, BHIM app and PhonePe has increased dramatically since the government announced the demonetisation of older currency notes back in November 2016. Prior to that, Paytm, PhonePe and Freecharge were probably among the most popular and more widely used digital payments platforms in India. But after demonetisation, a number of payment gateways forayed into the country. For example, the National Payments Corporation of India launched BHIM app in December 2016 and Google launched Google Pay (then Tez) in India in September 2017. Similarly, UPI-based micro-payments too increased exponentially. Additionally, companies like Paytm and PhonePe started offering digital payments (and not just e-wallet-based payments) using the government’s UPI platform. More recently, WhatsApp also started offering its payment services in India. If you still haven’t started using mobile payment apps, here are the top seven apps for you:

Paytm

Paytm was launched in India as an e-wallet. As the Indian government introduced UPI, Paytm enabled users to make payments using its e-wallet and using the government’s payments interface. Today, the platform not only facilitates micro payments but it can also be used to pay bills and house rent in India.

Google Pay

Google Pay, as mentioned above, was launched in India as Tez back in September 2017. At the time, it used the Indian government’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Almost a year later in August 2018, Google rebranded Tez to Google Pay and introduced it in more countries. Google Pay works with both Android and iOS based smartphones and tablets.

BHIM app

UPI-based BHIM app has been developed by NPCI and it was launched shortly after demonetisation in December 2016. It is compatible with Android smartphones running Android 5 and above and iPhones running iOS 9 and above. It features support for a total of 16 Indian languages which includes Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Odia, Kannada, Punjabi, Assamese, Urdu, Marathi, Gujarati, Haryanvi, Bhojpuri and Konkani.

Apple Pay

Apple Pay works with Apple’s iPhones, iPads, MacBook and Apple Watch Series. Like most digital payments services, Apple device owners need to link a supported debit, credit or prepaid card to Apple’s Wallet app. Apple device owners can make payments using Apple Pay at the merchants that accept this service.

Samsung Pay

Samsung Pay works with most Galaxy smartphones, Galaxy tablets and some Galaxy smartwatches. It also works with systems that use Google Pay. Iis available in 27 countries and is supported by Visa, Master Card, Discover and American Express.

Amazon Pay

Amazon Pay is one of the most popular online payment platforms in India. It can be used for making payments not only on Amazon India’s platform but also other services such as Swiggy and Uber among others.

PayZapp

PayZapp was launched by HDFC Bank back in 2015. It is an e-wallet that is linked to a user’s HDFC bank account. It can also be used to make instant payments for booking movie tickets, paying utility bills and even buying groceries.