UPI abroad: where UPI International works and what your phone needs

NPCI describes the feature as QR code-based payments “at select international merchant locations directly from their Indian bank accounts via UPI-powered applications”. The word “select” matters. No NPCI row names a city or a merchant, and the only shops any of these sources names are two in Paris.

NIPL, NPCI’s international arm, marks France with an asterisk: “UPI is accepted at the Eiffel Tower’s official website and Galeries Lafayette flagship store in Haussmann, Paris”. Read that as two merchants, not France in general.

Google Pay’s list covers its own app. If you pay with Google Pay, plan on the six shared countries. France, Qatar and Cambodia are on NPCI’s list only, and we do not say Google Pay works there.

Switching UPI International on in your UPI app

NPCI’s first step is to “activate the UPI Global/UPI International service for your specified bank account through UPI-powered application”. BHIM and Google Pay describe that step differently.

The 90-day cap is stated for BHIM only, so do not assume it for Google Pay. NIPL adds a rule that catches people with several apps: if you activated UPI Global on more than one app, deactivating it on one switches it off on all of them.

You do not need a foreign account. NIPL says “you don’t need to link foreign bank accounts or add foreign currency”. At the shop, NPCI’s steps are: find the BHIM UPI or partner QR code, scan it, check the final amount in both the foreign and the Indian currency with the rate or fee, then enter your UPI PIN.

Three limits to know before the trip:

• A payment cannot be cancelled. NIPL calls international merchant payments “real-time direct bank transfers” that “cannot be cancelled”.
• A conversion fee applies. NIPL says a foreign exchange markup fee applies and “varies depending on the country and your bank’s arrangement”. Google Pay Help says the bank charges a fee to change the money to rupees. None of these pages prints a percentage, so we do not either.
• The amount limit is the one you have at home. NPCI’s circular OC-177 gives UPI Global the same per-payment limit as UPI in India, counted inside your daily UPI limit. It prints no rupee figure, and your bank may set a lower cap.

NPCI’s UPI Global Acceptance list shows 36 banks and 24 UPI apps, among them State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, BHIM, GPay, PhonePe and Paytm. Find your own bank on that list before you count on it.

Why your bank SIM must stay in the phone (and the travel eSIM goes in as a second line)

UPI apps are tied to your Indian number. That is why we say: keep the Indian SIM in the phone with its line on, and let the travel eSIM carry the data. If you plan to take the Indian SIM out or convert it to an eSIM before the trip, ask your bank or UPI app first. We make no promise about what that does to UPI.

The setup we recommend:

1. Keep the bank-registered SIM in the phone, with its line on.
2. Install the travel eSIM as a second line.
3. Set the eSIM as the data line and turn data roaming off on the Indian line. The data roaming guide has the steps.
4. Keep the Indian SIM active for the bank OTP. The OTP guide shows how to receive OTP abroad on Jio, Airtel and Vi, with incoming SMS while roaming, SMS packs and Wi-Fi calling abroad.

The travel eSIM gives the phone data abroad; the Indian SIM keeps the number your UPI apps are tied to. A dual SIM phone holds both lines at once, which is the point of the setup.

Our checkout takes card payments in US dollars, not UPI, so you cannot buy an eSIM from us with UPI (how to pay).

UPI in Dubai and Thailand: what NPCI and Google Pay say

NPCI, NIPL and Google Pay Help all list “UAE”. None of them names Dubai or a merchant there, so we make no claim about Dubai in particular. At a shop, look for a BHIM UPI or partner QR code and ask whether the merchant takes UPI, as NPCI advises. The UAE eSIM guide covers data for the trip.

For Thailand the answer is no. NPCI’s list does not include Thailand, and neither do NIPL’s or Google Pay’s. The Thailand eSIM guide covers data. Where UPI is not on the list, pay by card; the forex markup page explains what your bank may add. Other travel questions are on the help page.

FAQ