Launched back in 2016, USSD 2.0 was proposed as a convenient way for feature phone users to transfer money in India without an internet connection. Fast forward to 2021, the service now has over 80 partner banks, 13 languages, and four telcos (Airtel, BSNL, MTNL, Vodafone Idea) under its belt. So if you ever want to transfer money and don’t have a steady internet connection, you can use this nifty solution. We will teach you how to use the *99# service to send and receive money using UPI without an internet connection in India.
The code to access NPCI’s USSD-based mobile banking service is *99#. To get started, open your phone’s dialer, enter this code and press the call button, and wait for the list of services to appear. The total amount you can send per UPI transaction is capped at is Rs. 5,000. The charge for the USSD service may vary based on the network operator, but TRAI has set a maximum limit of Rs. 0.50 per transaction. With that out of the way, let’s have a look at this Internet-free UPI money transfer service.
These are the four telcos that support *99# service at the moment. As you can see, Reliance Jio is a notable omission and the service will not work if you are a Jio subscriber, at least for now.
You can check if your bank supports NPCI’s *99# service in the list below. Do keep in mind that this list is updated as of October 2021. New banks may join the service in the future, so make sure you check the official list if you’re reading this after several months.
Request Money Using UPI Without Internet
1. Choose ‘Request Money’ by entering ‘2’ in the *99# pop-up and enter the mobile number or UPI ID of the person you would like to request money from on the next screen.
3. Up next, you will see a screen that asks you to confirm the payment request. Send ‘1’ to confirm. You will then see a message stating that you have successfully initiated the collect request.
Another convenient option under the *99# service is the ability to check your account balance. After you dial *99#, send ‘3’ from the main pop-up menu, and you will see the balance of the bank account linked to your phone number. Even if you are not interested in the ability to send money using UPI, the ability to check your bank account balance without an active internet connection is a nifty addition to the USSD service.
From the ‘My Profile’ section, you will see a plethora of options, and we have listed them all down below:
You can also see a list of your recent transactions using this USSD service. Send ‘6’ from the home menu to view your recent transactions. However, do keep in mind this only applies to UPI transactions (money you send and receive) via the USSD service without internet. Other transactions from UPI apps or different payment modes are not recorded here.
Lastly, you can use the *99# USSD code to change your UPI PIN without an internet connection. Send ‘7’ from the main menu to set, reset, or change your UPI PIN. As you can see in the image below, there are separate options to change or reset your UPI PIN.
So that’s how you can send and receive money without an internet connection using UPI in India. If you prefer using a dedicated app for all your UPI payments, do not forget to go through our list of the best UPI apps in India. One likely issue that you may run into while using the service is the “External application down. Please try later” error. However, trying the service after a few minutes fixed it on my end. In case you face any other trouble using the *99# service, let us know in the comments below. We will try to help you out.
Source : beebom