WhatsApp will introduce the digital payment feature for bills with Bill Payments in India. It will let customers pay utility and other recurring bills without leaving the messaging service.
The feature is being rolled out slowly and it might not be available to every WhatsApp user immediately. We expect it to be available to Android and iOS users in India in the next weeks.
Pay Multiple Bills Through WhatsApp
The new service is powered by Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), now Bharat Connect. It provides WhatsApp users with a wide range of billers and payment categories.
There are around 22,722 billers in 30 categories on the platform as of the time of writing. And yes, users will be able to pay more than simply their regular electricity bill.
Depending on the biller, users can pay bills related to electricity, water, gas, insurance, FASTag, credit cards, and loan repayments, among others.
It helps people from different apps to manage household expenses and it would be easier to pay for bills through their apps. Users can use WhatsApp to get the service instead of using other apps.
How the New Feature Works
Users who have received the update can access the payments section through the Rupee icon on WhatsApp's home screen. They can then select the biller and provide the account or consumer details they need to retrieve their bill.
If the bill is displayed, users can pay using supported digital payment options, such as UPI and cards.
WhatsApp is also adding features for regular payments. Users can save multiple accounts for a biller, see previous transactions, and keep track of bills. Frequently used billers can also be accessed more easily.
Rollout Will Happen in Phases
The Bill Payments feature is not being released to everyone at the same time. WhatsApp is on a staggered rollout, so some users may see it before others.
Users who do not have access to that feature may have to wait to activate it until the feature gets to their account. The rollout will be ongoing in India for a little while.
The move strengthens WhatsApp's position in India’s rapidly growing digital payments market. It already has paid services for payments related services, including prepaid mobile recharges, and is slowly making payments in daily life a part of the platform and will be adding more financial services for us, it said.
WhatsApp Expands Beyond Messaging
WhatsApp is very prevalent in India; it is the medium of communication between many people and businesses and in the community in India. Increasingly, it is not only a messaging service but a bill payment service.
The new feature might be particularly useful for people who frequently pay household bills and want a simpler way to manage them. Bill payments in an app that many users already open every day could reduce the need to rely on separate platforms.
But WhatsApp will be heading into a market where established digital payment apps already have extensive bill-payment services.
When the feature can be introduced to more users, its adoption will show if WhatsApp can turn its huge user base into a wider audience for everyday digital payments.
For now, users can check the WhatsApp payments section to see if the new Bill Payments option has been made available to them.
