NEW DELHI: Railway passengers will now be able to purchase tickets, buy tour packages and even tickets at monuments using RuPay based prepaid card as Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Tuesday launched IRCTC-UBI (Union Bank of India) pre-paid card.
The RuPay Pre-Paid card has been developed jointly by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a public sector unit under Railways ministry, Union Bank of India and National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) for the convenience of the travellers across India.
“It is a union with your bank for customers’ interest,” Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said here while launching the card while adding that railways is partnering with banks and financial institutions to promote passengers’ interest. He said that it is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s financial inclusive programme as one does not need to have a bank account in UBI to have the card and you can avail it online also.
Similar to payment gateway network like Visa and Master Card, RuPay is India’s own card payment system giving banks in India an alternative system for banks to provide a debit card service.
The card, which is first of its kind in the market, would be loaded with an amount as desired by customer. It would be redeemable for rail ticket, to buy goods and services on IRCTC website. Using this card, first five transactions every month on IRCTC for buying railways tickets will be free and no transaction charge would be levied on customers. But for every subsequent transaction post the free usage, the customer will be charged `10 per transaction.
The railways believe that the prepaid card may be targeted for use at IRCTC, tourism, e-catering, ASI, schools, colleges where there is a requirement of cash card for cashless transactions. To attract consumers, the ministry also is offering prepaid card users better speed of transaction, quick payments on IRCTC website and attractive reward points on every transaction and round the clock recharge of cards.
IRCTC Chairman and Managing Director A K Manocha said the card is a first-of-its-kind in the market.