Virtual Payments Address (VPA)

With the UPI coming in force in India, it has transformed the payment system of individuals with reducing cash and card-payments. The UPI or Unified Payment Interface has several benefits including simplified and hassle-free online payments. Although the prime aspect of using UPI is that you do not need to enter bank details, IFSC Code and others, you can simply view your VPA (Virtual Payment Address) whom you want to send money.

What is Virtual Payment Address (VPA) Meaning?

VPA Full Form- Virtual Payment Address is a unique identification of financial address that helps UPI to track a person’s account through which you can send/receive payments. You do not require any kind of bank details, IFSC Code and others for making multiple payments. The VPA has also made it easier for merchants to collect payments from customer online. The example of VPA can be as follows-

• 12345@okhdfcbank
• abc@ybl
• abc123@upi

How to Create VPA?

Creating a VPA for your bank account is easy. All you need is Debit/ATM card details and expiry date to proceed further. Following are the steps to create a VPA for your bank account-

Step 1: Launch your UPI App such as Google Pay, PhonePe, BHIM App, etc.

Step 2: Click on ‘Profile’ tab on the home screen.

Step 3: In case you have already set your VPA, the primary VPA will be shown up.

Step 4: If not, you can click on ‘+’ mark on the screen to create VPA of your choice

Step 5: Now enter your preferred choice of VPA before the ‘@’ symbol and can also check the availability of the same.

Step 6: Click ‘Submit’ to confirm VPA of your bank account

How to Send Money to a VPA Account?

Following are the steps required to send money to a VPA account-

Step 1: Launch your preferred UPI App.

Step 2: Select the ‘Send’ option.

Step 3: Enter the beneficiary’s UPI. You can enter the mobile number in case the beneficiary is registered with the same UPI App.

Step 4: Now you will be asked to enter your UPI ID in the next step and confirm the same.

Step 5: After successful transfer, you will receive notification on the app itself.

Advantages of VPA in UPI

There are several advantages of VPA in UPI. Some of them are mentioned below-

• You can make payments from any bank account registered with your mobile number to complete the transaction
• You can send and receive money in real-time fund transfer, even on bank and national holidays.
• You do not need bank details such as account number, IFSC Code or others to make payments directly to any VPA address
• VPA offers additional safety and security for your transactions
• You can track the status of your past transactions using VPA

VPA Suffixes of Some Common Banks

• SBI Pay– @sbi
• HDFC Bank UPI- @hdfc
• ICICI Bank- @icici
• PNB UPI– @pnb
• Bank of Baroda- @barodapay
• Yes Bank- @ybl
• Axis Bank– @axis

Virtual Payment Address (VPA): FAQs