Vodafone Idea enables all bank account holders to recharge from home

Vodafone Idea has introduced a unique service to empower feature phone users and non-digital savvy customers to recharge their Vodafone Idea numbers with just a valid UPI ID.

Vodafone Idea has tied up with Paytm - India's leading financial services to launch this service across the country. The move will help millions of consumers who use feature phones to top up their numbers without having the need to visit physical retail touchpoints.

The service doesn’t require a mobile-internet facility to undertake such recharges and non-Paytm app users can also easily avail of this service.

This service is based on the innovative payment service *99# which works on the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) channel. Envisioned as a key facilitator to financial inclusion, this service allows mobile banking transactions using basic feature phones without having to depend on mobile internet.

Vodafone and Idea customers can undertake a recharge using this service in the following manner.

Steps to follow in case Customer's UPI ID is already registered with BHIM UPI

Customer dials in USSD code - *99*1*3# (USSD for UPI Money Transfer: Flow owned by NPCI)

Customer's bank account number linked to mobile number through which USSD is dialed is detected

Enters the UPI id defined by Paytm ({mobilenumber}.{operator_name}@paytm).

Eg : Vodafone Customers can enter (98********.vf@paytm) and Idea customers can enter (98********.id@paytm)

Enters amount

Enters a remark (optional)

Enters UPI PIN

The transaction is successful and a UPI reference ID is generated

Steps to follow in case Customer's UPI id is not registered with Bhim UPI

(Customer mobile number registered with the bank for UPI- UPI ID available – but no UPI PIN | Option available to set the UPI PIN)

Dial *99#

Customer is shown all his/her bank accounts linked with the mobile number from where the USSD is dialed in

Customer selects the bank account he/she wants to register his/her UPI id with

The customer sets the UPI PIN

To do a mobile recharge, the user needs to again dial *99# and do the procedure (a)

Announcing the launch of this UPI based recharge facility, Avneesh Khosla, Director-Marketing, Vodafone Idea Limited said, “It is our constant endeavor to ensure that our customers remain connected and safe during these times. In the last 2 months we have launched a slew of initiatives to help consumers stay connected.

We believe that this partnership with Paytm will help facilitate a  large number of our digitally unconnected customers to recharge through USSD without being dependent on mobile internet, any digital app, or a physical retail touchpoint.

Through this partnership we will be able to provide a simple and secure solution, enhancing the convenience factor to these pre-paid customers during very testing times so as to ensure that our consumers do not have to leave the safety of their homes to recharge their phones.”

Vodafone and Idea customers presently have the below options to recharge their Sims across through online and digital platforms:

Apps – MyVodafone App, MyIdea App

E-Wallets – Like Paytm, Google Pay, PhonePe, Amazon Pay, etc.