New Delhi: Amazon Pay has taken another step in India’s fast-moving digital payments space. The company announced the launch of UPI biometric authentication, allowing users to approve payments using a fingerprint or face scan instead of entering a UPI PIN.
The move comes at a time when everyday UPI payments have become second nature for millions of Indians. From tea stalls to grocery shops, scanning a QR code is routine. Amazon Pay is now betting that removing the PIN step can make that routine even quicker, especially for small and frequent transactions.
Amazon Pay brings biometric payments to UPI
Amazon Pay said it has become one of the first payment service providers in India to roll out UPI biometric authentication. With this feature, users can approve transactions using their device biometrics, such as fingerprint or face scan, without typing a PIN.
The company said the feature works across key UPI flows on Amazon Pay. This includes sending money to friends, scanning and paying at stores, merchant payments, and even balance checks. For transactions up to ₹5,000, users do not need to enter a UPI PIN at all.
The idea is simple. Your face or fingerprint becomes your key.
How the new UPI biometric feature works
The biometric authentication feature is linked to the user’s device. This means the approval happens locally on the phone and is not shareable with others.
Amazon Pay said early signals show strong interest from users. According to the company, over 90 percent of customers chose biometric authentication for eligible peer-to-peer UPI transactions during early usage.
From a user point of view, this feels familiar. Many people already unlock their phones and apps using biometrics. Now that same action can approve a payment.
Girish Krishnan, Director of Payments at Amazon India, said the company’s focus has been on making digital payments easier to use.
“Our goal has always been to make digital payments convenient and secure. With UPI Biometric Authentication, we’re removing one more layer of friction from everyday payments and making them 2X faster. The strong adoption we’re seeing reinforces that customers value speed, simplicity, and trust. The feedback so far has been deeply encouraging, particularly around how intuitive and fast this experience feels, and it motivates us to keep raising the bar on how India pays digitally.”
The company said biometric authentication adds another layer of safety since it is tied to the customer’s physical presence and device.
Why this matters for daily UPI users
For many users, entering a UPI PIN is not hard, but it can slow things down. Think of paying a cab driver in a hurry or settling a small bill at a crowded shop. One less step can make a difference.
Amazon Pay listed a few clear benefits of the new feature.
- One handed usage for faster payments
- No need to remember or type a UPI PIN for payments up to ₹5,000
- Biometric verification tied to the user’s device
- Works across common UPI payment flows
Availability and what comes next
Amazon Pay said the biometric authentication feature is currently available for Android users. There was no update on when it may expand to other platforms.
The launch adds to the growing list of experiments in India’s UPI ecosystem, where speed, trust, and ease of use matter the most. Whether biometric payments become a common habit will depend on how reliable users find it in daily use.