OTT subscription fees are being automatically deducted through UPI; here's how to stop autopay.

UPI AutoPay: OTT fees are being automatically deducted through UPI AutoPay. If money is being deducted unnecessarily, check the mandate immediately. Learn how to completely stop autopay in the app.

Today, almost everyone uses multiple services, including electricity, water, gas, internet, mobile, and OTT services. People rely on digital payments to pay their bills on time. Addressing this need, the National Payments Corporation of India introduced the UPI AutoPay feature, enabling automatic payments on the scheduled date.

UPI AutoPay was intended to facilitate easy payments. But sometimes, this very feature becomes a problem. We try an OTT app or app and then forget about it. The subscription continues, and money is deducted from our account every month. Many people don't even realize why the money is being deducted for months.

UPI AutoPay is essentially an automatic mandate system. Once you grant permission to an app or service, a set amount is automatically deducted on a specified date. This feature is commonly used for electricity bills, mobile postpaid, SIP, and OTT platforms. It's convenient, but requires monitoring.

If you want to know which services have AutoPay activated, it's easy to check. For example, UPI apps like PhonePe display this information. Details can also be found in the Payment Management or Mandate sections of other UPI apps.

In PhonePe, tap your profile photo, then go to Payment Management. You'll find the AutoPay option. Clicking it will open a list of all the apps and services you've granted auto-debit permission. From here, you can decide which ones to continue and which to disable.

If you want to temporarily pause a service, select the Pause option. If you want to completely terminate it, tap Delete AutoPay. Please note that uninstalling an app doesn't automatically disable the mandate. It's important to cancel it separately, otherwise the money will continue to be deducted.

Digital payments have become a part of life today. Therefore, it's wise to check your AutoPay list periodically. Even small amounts can become significant expenses over time. It's best to review your mandate every few months, cancel unnecessary subscriptions, and maintain complete control over your bank balance.