WhatsApp adds prepaid phone recharges in India as its payments usage still lags

WhatsApp is adding prepaid phone recharges in India in a move to get more users to transact within the app, even as it struggles to gain meaningful ground in a payments market dominated by Walmart-owned PhonePe and Google Pay. On Thursday, WhatsApp said it is partnering with fintech firm PayU to roll out prepaid phone recharges in India, allowing users to top up mobile numbers for major operators including Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea directly within the messaging app. The feature will be made available to all WhatsApp users in the country over the next two weeks, PayU confirmed to TechCrunch. Despite having more than 500 million users in India and launching payments in 2020, WhatsApp remains a marginal player in the country’s digital payments space, driven by the government-backed Unified Payments Interface. The messaging app processed over 130 million transactions in March, according to the latest statistics from the National Payments Corporation of India, far behind rivals such as Walmart-owned PhonePe and Google Pay, which processed more than 10.5 billion and 7.5 billion transactions, respectively, over the same period. The gap has persisted even after the NPCI lifted onboarding limits on WhatsApp Pay in late 2024, allowing the service to expand to its full user base in India after years of phased rollouts. Nevertheless, WhatsApp’s payments usage has picked up since early 2025, after onboarding restrictions were lifted. Its UPI transactions more than doubled from about 61 million in January 2025, per the NPCI data. Over the same period, Walmart-owned PhonePe and Google Pay grew by around 30% and 20%, respectively, while continuing to account for the majority of UPI transaction volumes. The latest rollout adds to WhatsApp’s broader push to expand payments and services within the app in India, where users can already pay bills, book metro tickets, and access a range of government services through chat-based interfaces, as the Meta-owned company looks to deepen engagement beyond messaging. WhatsApp has also introduced a rupee (₹) icon on its home screen to make it easier for users to access the payments section, alongside features such as mobile recharges and peer-to-peer transfers. Meet your next investor or portfolio startup at Disrupt Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $410. Meet your next investor or portfolio startup at Disrupt Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $410. Ravi Garg, director of business messaging at Meta India, said the updates are aimed at making everyday transactions simpler within WhatsApp as the company aims to bring more utility into the app. The move highlights Meta’s push to deepen engagement beyond messaging, even as it continues to lag established digital payment players in driving transaction volumes.