UPI One-Time Mandate FAQs

UPI OTM is a single-use UPI authorization that blocks funds in the customer's bank account for a defined amount and validity period. The merchant can later capture the payable amount once, or release the block if the order is cancelled or cannot be fulfilled.

In a normal UPI payment, funds are debited immediately. In UPI OTM, funds are locked in the customer's account first and debited only when the merchant captures the mandate.

The maximum validity window for a UPI OTM fund block is up to 60 days from successful customer authorization. Confirm your enabled validity window with Pine Labs Online during onboarding.

No. Pre-Debit Notification is not triggered for OTM because the funds are already blocked in the customer's account during authorization.

The default transaction cap across the network is up to ₹1 lakh per mandate for general merchant categories. Certain specified segments may support different limits under NPCI frameworks. Confirm the limit enabled for your merchant account before production rollout.

No. The customer enters their UPI PIN only once during the initial mandate authorization. Capture is executed by the merchant backend without asking the customer to enter UPI PIN again.

No. UPI OTM is designed for one successful settlement event. Once capture is successful, the mandate is closed and any remaining uncaptured amount is released.

Yes. The merchant can capture a lower final amount. Any remaining blocked balance should be released according to the supported release behaviour for your integration.

No. To protect merchants after they provide a service or reserve inventory, customers cannot unilaterally revoke an active OTM from a third-party UPI app. The customer must contact the merchant, and the merchant can trigger a formal release request.

Because the funds are locked during authorization, the amount remains available for capture while the mandate is active and within its validity window.

If the validity window lapses without a capture, the mandate moves to an expired state. The issuing bank dissolves the fund block and the customer regains access to those funds without merchant intervention.

Release the mandate when the order is cancelled, rejected, cannot be fulfilled, or the merchant decides not to capture the payment. If a partial capture is performed, release the remaining blocked balance based on the supported API behaviour.

UPI OTM reduces the need for refunds when the order is cancelled before capture because funds can be released instead of refunded. If capture has already happened, the normal refund process may still apply.

UPI OTM is suitable for rentals, insurance underwriting, hotel bookings, grocery delivery, home services, event ticketing, lotteries, and other flows where fulfilment or final amount is confirmed after checkout.