WhatsApp users can now pay a range of household and utility bills without switching to another app. The new feature is built on the Bharat Connect (BBPS) network and offers access to over 22,700 billers across 30 categories. This means that the users can pay bills for electricity, water, gas, FASTag, insurance, credit cards and loan repayments, among others. The Meta-owned instant messaging platform is also adding features to help users keep track of bills and previous payments.
The new feature is integrated into WhatsApp’s Payments section, which users can access by tapping the ₹ icon at the top of the app’s home screen. From there, users can select a bill category, find their provider and enter the required account details.
Once the information is added, WhatsApp fetches the outstanding bill amount and lets users review the details before making the payment. Payments can be completed using UPI, debit cards or credit cards.
The platform is also introducing new features to make recurring payments easier to manage, much like other apps like Paytm. The previously paid billers can appear on the Payments Home screen for quicker access while users can add multiple accounts with the same biller. This can be useful for people managing separate electricity, water or other utility accounts for their home, office or family members.
The Payments Home screen will also surface frequently used bill categories automatically, while a “See All” option provides access to the wider list of supported categories.
Users can access the feature by following these steps:
The platform says that the feature is made to bring bill payments into an app that many Indians already use for communication, business interactions and digital services. The platform already supports services such as mobile recharges, metro ticket bookings and access to government services through chatbots.