Electricity consumers in Telangana state will no longer be able to pay their bills through apps like PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, Amazon Pay, and others starting Monday. Banks have stopped accepting electricity bill payments for the Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL) through these apps, affecting payment via credit cards from some banks.
Consumers can still pay their power bills through the TGSPDCL website, the corporation’s mobile app, or at collection centers in offices. The TGSPDCL officials mentioned that a majority of energy bill payments in their jurisdiction were being made through third-party application providers (TPAPs).
Due to Reserve Bank of India directives, the use of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) based apps for bill payment will be unavailable until these apps register and become active on the National Payments Corporation of India’s Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS). The corporation has urged UPI app management to resolve this issue promptly to avoid payment problems for consumers.
The RBI has mandated that all credit card bill payments through third-party apps must go through the BBPS from July 1. While the TGSPDCL website and mobile app are user-friendly with a large user base, some people may encounter difficulties using them during this transition period.
Customers holding credit cards from SBI, Bank of Baroda, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IndusInd Bank, Federal Bank, Canara Bank, RBL Bank, and AU Small Finance Bank should not worry as these banks are already on the BBPS platform, allowing customers to make payments through third-party apps.
