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Recurring payments have become the lifeblood of subscription-first businesses — from loans and SIPs to OTT platforms and utilities. But while UPI has revolutionised payments in India, one critical piece has lagged: flexibility in recurring collections.
Currently, once you set up UPI mandates with a payment acquirer, you’re tied to them. Downtime, technical issues, or changing business needs can create failed collections, revenue loss, and unhappy customers. The result? Businesses face vendor lock-in, slower adoption of UPI Autopay, and limited bargaining power with acquirers.
Cashfree Payments is the first in India to tackle this head-on. With our Interoperable UPI Mandates, subscription businesses gain complete freedom — migrate, manage, and scale recurring payments without being locked to a single acquirer.
Why Flexibility Matters
Consider this:
- A loan provider misses an EMI because their acquirer’s system went down for 4 hours — that’s immediate revenue loss.
- An OTT platform wants to negotiate better pricing but can’t switch acquirers without disrupting millions of recurring subscriptions.
Businesses consistently tell us that having the freedom to move mandates across providers isn’t just nice to have — it drives tangible operational benefits. Flexibility in payment provider choices significantly improves operational efficiency and reduces costs for businesses.
For subscription-based industries, even a minor disruption in autopay can have a significant impact on customer trust, retention, and cash flow.
Introducing Cashfree’s Interoperable UPI Mandates
With Cashfree, mandates are no longer tied to one acquirer. Here’s how we solve the problem:
- Create new interoperable mandates: Set up UPI Autopay with Cashfree and retain the flexibility to migrate mandates at any time.
- Import existing mandates: Already have mandates with another acquirer? Bring them into Cashfree (if supported by your current provider).
- Ensure business continuity: downtime with one acquirer won’t halt your collections; you can migrate mandates instantly to another.
All of this is built on Cashfree’s own UPI Switch, in partnership with NSDL Payments Bank, which is integrated with our Payment Aggregator stack. Merchants can manage everything via API or dashboard, making migration seamless, fast, and scalable.
How It Works
- Integration: Connect your subscription business to Cashfree via API or dashboard.
- Mandate Creation: Set up new mandates for your customers, fully interoperable across UPI apps.
- Import & Migration: Bring in existing mandates or move them to another acquirer instantly.
- Seamless Collections: Payments flow uninterrupted, even if your current acquirer faces downtime.
This approach provides subscription businesses with freedom, flexibility, and future-proofing, all while maintaining a smooth customer experience.
Who Benefits
Subscription-heavy merchants can leverage interoperable mandates:
- Loan providers: EMIs collected without friction.
- OTTs & utilities: Customer payments processed reliably every time.
- Investment platforms: SIPs are debited on schedule, with no missed payments.
Key decision-makers like product heads, growth heads, and CTOs/payment leads gain operational control, negotiating power, and peace of mind.
The Cashfree Advantage
- No More Vendor Lock-ins: Migrate mandates at any time without disrupting payment flows.
- Business Continuity: Downtime or technical glitches with one acquirer won’t interrupt collections.
- Increased Bargaining Power: Flexibility gives businesses leverage for better pricing and service.
- Enhanced Customer Experience: Payments always process smoothly, regardless of the UPI app or acquirer.
UPI is already transforming how India pays. Now, Cashfree’s interoperable mandates are transforming how India collects. Whether you’re running loans, OTT subscriptions, SIPs, or utilities, you can scale confidently, reduce risk, and take control of your recurring payments. Book a demo today!
