Recharge Mobile Without Paying Convenience Fee: Media reports of Google Pay charging convenience fees on mobile recharges gripped the internet recently. The update comes after the search giant's fintech major levied no extra fees on such recharges for years. These new charges can range from anywhere between Rs 1 to Rs 3, depending on the monetary value of your recharge. However, a simple trick can help you evade this fee.
For the unversed, no fee is levied on Google Pay for recharges that cost under Rs 100. A convenience fee of Rs 1 is applicable on recharges ranging from Rs 101 to Rs 200. A fee of Rs 2 is charged on recharge plans that fall under Rs 201 to Rs 300. Recharge packs that cost Rs 301 or over incur a convenience fee of Rs 3 on the platform. The fee is inclusive of Goods and Services Tax (GST). But, there is a way to sidestep these charges.
How To Recharge Without Paying Convenience Fee On Google Pay?
You can avoid this extra amount by recharging using your telecom service provider's official website or app and completing the payment via any of the UPI apps. You can head to the official channels of Airtel, Jio or Vi (Vodafone Idea) and head to the recharge section.
On the payment page, choose the UPI app from which you wish to complete the payment. Now you can enter your transaction PIN in the respective online payments app to complete the recharge without paying any additional fee.
Google introduced a convenience fee on mobile recharges in Google Pay a few weeks ago. (Image:Google/Canva-Povozniuk:Getty Images)
More On Google Pay's New Change
On Google Pay, the additional fee only applies to mobile recharges at the time of filing. The tech giant has not shared an official communication confirming the update. However, Google Pay underwent a Terms and Service policy updation on November 10. This could have been the result of the new "Google Fees" term mentioned in the new policy, according to The Indian Express.
"Fees may be applied to certain Transactions or use of Google Pay Services which include but are not limited to mobile recharges," Google noted in the policy document for Indian residents. Users will be notified of the extra charges (if any) before completing the transaction. This fee may be determined by the company in its "sole discretion".
Besides the new course of Googe Pay, online payment apps Paytm and PhonePe have been charging similar fees on their platforms for a long time. Paytm charges fees that range from Rs 1 to Rs 6, and PhonePe's additional fee can cost up to Rs 3.
Say goodbye to convenience fees and enjoy seamless mobile recharges without any extra cost via the Vi App and website. Vi has eliminated convenience fees to provide a transparent and cost-effective solution for our users.
Customers can often avoid credit card convenience fees by opting for alternative payment methods that do not incur additional charges, such as debit cards, cash, or electronic bank transfers.
How To Recharge Without Paying Convenience Fee On Google Pay? You can avoid this extra amount by recharging using your telecom service provider's official website or app and completing the payment via any of the UPI apps.
You have to pay a convenience fee if you use a credit card to make your wallet top-up payments. Note: Convenience fees will not be charged if you use a debit card/UPI as your mode of payment. Learn if the convenience fee paid by you is refundable when your wallet top-up fails or when you close your PhonePe Wallet.
Convenience fees are normally a flat fee or a small percentage of the total payment, but they can add up to a substantial sum if the payments are large or recurring. You may be able to avoid convenience fees by paying with cash or another form of payment.
For recharge amounts of Rs 1 to 100, there is no convenience fee; for Rs 101 to 200, there is a Rs 1 convenience fee, for Rs 201 to 300, it is Rs 2, and for Rs 301 and above, it is Rs 3. To avoid these convenience fees, you can opt for mobile operator apps like Jio, Airtel, and Vi.
✅ Convenience fees can be avoided by using alternative payment methods, such as cash or check, or by choosing merchants that do not charge convenience fees.
A convenience fee is levied by a merchant for offering customers the privilege of paying with an alternative non-standard payment method. Merchants can process convenience fees in all 50 states. A surcharge is levied by a merchant for customer purchases made with a credit card.
As of January 2023, only two states and one jurisdiction still outlaw the use of credit card surcharges. They are a result of non-qualified transactions of different communications methods.: Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Puerto Rico.
Thus, UPI payments of any amount for personal transactions are totally free. As per the 2024 NCPI guidelines, a merchant has to pay an interchange fee of up to 1.1% of the transaction amount on UPI transactions above Rs.2000.
For recharge of 101 to 200 it's a 1 rupee convenience fee,For 201 to 300, it's 2 rupees,and for 301 and above, the maximum convenience fee is 3 rupees.
Services like Apple Pay and Google Pay don't charge any extra fees on top of credit card processing fees, so the cost is the same as accepting card payments directly. PayPal does charge an additional fee for each transaction, so it's more expensive for merchants – but it's also a more established payment method.
Starting September 16, 2024, the National Payments Corporation of India will increase the UPI transaction limit for tax payments to Rs 5 lakh per transaction. This move is intended to streamline tax payments and encourage higher-value transactions.
Convenience fee is a minimal amount that PhonePe charges when you make certain types of bill payments. This fee will vary based on the service provider you are making a payment to or the payment mode you use.
There are several ways to get free mobile recharges every month. One of the easiest ways is to use digital payment platforms like Freecharge. Freecharge offers easy and convenient prepaid mobile recharge services for all major operators in India.
Several digital wallets and UPI (Unified Payments Interface) applications allow you to add money using a credit card without any charges. By transferring money from your credit card to the wallet and then transferring it to your bank account, you can avoid direct charges.
✅ Some common examples of services that charge convenience fees include ticketing agencies, utility companies, and online retailers. (Source: Debt.org) ✅ Convenience fees can be avoided by using alternative payment methods, such as cash or check, or by choosing merchants that do not charge convenience fees.
It is charged as per customer per transaction. The convenience fee can be avoided simply by not using a credit card during flight booking. Instead, of electronic transactions, you can use a standard payment option, such as cash or check to avoid the convenience fee.
Introduction: My name is Lakeisha Bayer VM, I am a brainy, kind, enchanting, healthy, lovely, clean, witty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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