¡®Carry cash¡¯: Netizens lash out as Paytm, PhonePe and Google Pay go down
Netizens flooded social media with frustration, humour and real-life struggles as Paytm, PhonePe and Google Pay went down. From missed lunches to fuel station chaos, users shared memes, rants and reminders to ¡®carry cash¡¯. The unexpected outage sparked digital drama, turning routine payments into moments of stress and storytelling.
If you happened to embarrassingly apologise to a petrol pump attendant, shop clerk or delivery person today, you were not alone. A massive Unified Payments Interface, or UPI, crash took India's favourite digital payment apps - Paytm, Phone Pe, and Google Pay. And just like that, 2025 felt less like 2025, and a bit more like 1995.
Major disruption sends users scrambling
According to Downdetector, reports of failed transactions began piling up from around 11:30am on 12 April. Around 76% of users said they couldn¡¯t complete payments, while another 23% were unable to transfer funds altogether. The cause of the glitch hasn¡¯t been officially confirmed.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) said: ¡®NPCI is currently facing intermittent technical issues, leading to partial UPI transaction declines. We are working to resolve the issue and regret the inconvenience caused.¡¯
Second crash in 10 days
Today¡¯s crash comes just ten days after a similar disruption on 2 April, which was blamed on latency issues in bank systems. The recurrence has prompted questions about the reliability of India¡¯s booming digital payments infrastructure.
Me at the restaurant after #UPIDown ?#UPI Google Pay #Gpay pic.twitter.com/LzKGNZQx2u
¡ª Siju Moothedath (@SijuMoothedath) April 12, 2025
UPI is down again. Good that I always carry cash.
¡ª Sachin sharma (Sports and political journalist) (@72Sachin_sharma) April 12, 2025
Cash is always King!! ?#upidown #upi #PhonePe #googlepay pic.twitter.com/R4Qw6vj4CA
The shopkeeper is looking at me while I am trying to pay via UPI#UPIDown pic.twitter.com/gWIMGkwkWo
¡ª Vishal (@VishalMalvi_) April 12, 2025
Stuck here at this fuel station from past 20+ minutes because UPI server is down, I¡¯m not carrying cash/card and I already fueled up my car. ? pic.twitter.com/v1JRhW3byy
¡ª Samcasm (@innocentBruh) April 12, 2025
Users vent online: ¡®Cash is king again¡¯
Social media lit up with frustrated, funny, and downright desperate reactions.
¡®UPI is down again. Should¡¯ve carried cash like my mum said,¡¯ one user posted.
¡®Can¡¯t pay the auto driver. Had to promise I¡¯d send him money once UPI¡¯s back,¡¯ wrote another.
¡®Spent 45 minutes choosing what to eat. UPI crashes the moment I hit ¡°order¡±. Pain is real,¡¯ one user tweeted on X.
One user stuck at a petrol station shared: ¡®Filled the tank. UPI failed. No cash. Now explaining my situation to four employees.¡¯
UPI is down ?
¡ª CA Paaras Gangwal (@ThetaVegaCap) April 12, 2025
Not able to making payment from last 2 hours
This has happened 2-3 times recently #UPIDown #PhonePay #GooglePay #PayTM
Time for a backup plan?
With RuPay credit cards soon to be enabled for UPI, experts say the infrastructure needs urgent strengthening. Until then, the message from users is clear: don¡¯t ditch your wallet full of cash just yet.
Because when tech takes a tea break, it¡¯s good old-fashioned cash that saves the day!
Kriti Shukla is a lifestyle journalist with over two years of experience, writing about celebrity fashion, beauty, and culture. She covers trends both on and off the red carpet, with a sharp editorial eye and a knack for spotting what¡¯s current. Based in Delhi, Kriti blends her love for glamour and culture with a deep understanding of the zeitgeist.
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