IRCTC launches payment aggregator, IRCTC iPay

IRCTC iPay offers payment methods including credit card, debit card, UPI and international cards as well.

Female's hand typing text on her cellphone in a public transport (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has launched its own payment aggregator system, IRCTC iPay, a step which will help promote government's Digital India initiative.

A statement from the railways' catering and ticketing arm said the exclusive digital payment gateway will provide an improved online digital payment convenience and ease of doing business to passengers availing online travel related services through the IRCTC website.

"With the launch of IRCTC iPay, the passengers will not need any third-party platforms as the IRCTC iPay provides payment options like credit card, debit card, UPI - Unified Payment Interface, International Card. The option of IRCTC prepaid card cum wallet, auto debit shall also be available shortly," the statement said.

Under this new arrangement, IRCTC will have full control of the payment system because of its direct relationship with acquiring banks, card networks and other partners. "This will help reduce the gap between IRCTC and banks which will eventually lead to substantial reduction in payment failures. Moreover, in case an online transaction is unsuccessful or some other error occurs, IRCTC can directly get in touch with the bank instead of relying on an intermediate source which usually delays the process," the statement said.