Informative

Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) is an app introduced by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to facilitate money transfer between individuals based on UPI (Unified Payments Interface). Do not worry more about the technical details. We will explain these below.

In this post, we see how Doctors can make use of it and actually participate in a wave of creating a mobile revolution by educating their patients to pay through it.

We will see why to use BHIM and all the other details in the post later. For now, the objective is to get you started on BHIM.

Prior to installing BHIM, you need

• Android Smartphone
• Bank account in one of the Major Banks which currently support UPI on which BHIM works
• Your mobile number linked to your Bank account (which is true in most cases now)

Installing BHIM

• Download the BHIM app from Playstore: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.org.npci.upiapp&hl=en
• Follow instructions, it is very simple. The app will auto-detect the Bank accounts against which your mobile number is linked
• You will be required to set a Code to access this App. This is to safeguard you so that no one else, who has your phone, will be able to access BHIM app without this code. Set this 4 digit code.
• Once done, you will have a payment address as XXX@upi where, XXX is your phone number.

Setting UPI PIN

This is additional level of security. You will have to set this code to make transactions work. When you want to pay someone, you will have to enter this 4 digit code, much like your ATM pin. To set this code you will need your Debit Card, that’s it.

How will your clients pay you?

Ask clients to Dial *99# and follow instructions. This payment method will work even when there is no internet on the client’s phone. The client must have done the basics of setting up the UPI transaction password for his / her account. That’s it, the money would directly get transferred from client’s bank account to your bank account. This service is available on All Days at All times. No holidays, nothing!

Then why BHIM?

The next question you may ask is, why do I need BHIM if everything can be done by *99# on a phone?

BHIM or for that matter any other UPI complaint app puts a UI to the *99# service. You can see the list of paid transactions, pending transactions and so on in a much better way. Also, you clients are less like to enter a wrong phone number using the BHIM app than the *99# service.

Further, you can print the QR code like the one below and have your clients scan it and pay using the BHIM app. However, this feature would require internet on your client’s phone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transaction charges

As of writing this post, there are no transaction charges on the transferred amount from NPCI. Charges may be applied in future.

Let’s go cashless and contribute our bit to Digital India.