- By Vikas Yadav
- Sun, 03 Dec 2023 09:37 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
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.