PayU Review (2026): Fees, FIRA and Payout Experience for Indian Exporters

PayU is best for Indian businesses taking international card payments on a website or checkout. It is a weaker fit for freelancers whose clients pay by bank transfer, or users who need a published FX rate and FIRA.

PayU is an Indian payment gateway that lets merchants accept online payments through cards, UPI, net banking and wallets. For overseas customers, it accepts international credit and debit cards and PayPal at checkout, converts the amount to INR and settles to the merchant's Indian bank account. It is a checkout tool. It does not give users foreign bank account details for receiving bank transfers.

• Regulated by: Not confirmed. PA-CB status could not be verified on rbi.org.in, and PayU's pages make no PA-CB claim
• Used by: Yes. New merchants sign up online, and existing merchants enable international payments through help.payu.in or care@payu.in. PayU's international card terms (clause 1.2(b)) say international card processing is provided at PayU's discretion, subject to additional due diligence by PayU, the acquiring banks and the nodal bank, and that approval can be withdrawn at any time
• Best for: Indian businesses taking international card payments on a website or checkout

1. Check eligibility: Yes. New merchants sign up online, and existing merchants enable international payments through help.payu.in or care@payu.in. PayU's international card terms (clause 1.2(b)) say international card processing is provided at PayU's discretion, subject to additional due diligence by PayU, the acquiring banks and the nodal bank, and that approval can be withdrawn at any time
2. Sign up on PayU's official website and choose the account type that matches your business.
3. Complete KYC with the documents listed below for your entity type.
4. Add your Indian bank account for INR payouts.
5. Share the receiving details or payment link with your client, and check the purpose code and FIRA settings before the first payment.

The RBI pages checked did not confirm a PA-CB (cross-border) authorisation for PayU. PayU's international payments page refers to compliance with global standards but makes no specific RBI PA-CB claim.

Pros

• Published base rate: the standard plan lists 3% for international transactions, plus 18% GST
• No fixed costs: no setup, onboarding or annual fees on the standard plan
• Fast settlement: T+2 business days to an Indian bank account
• One checkout: domestic and international payments run through the same gateway
• International card acceptance (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) and PayPal at checkout
• Payments accepted in over 135 currencies, settled in INR

Cons

• FX markup not published: PayU's terms name an inter-bank rate set by banks or card associations but do not state its margin over mid-market
• No bank transfer receiving: there are no local USD, GBP or EUR account details for clients who pay by wire or ACH
• Pricing on request and approval needed: the international payments page sends merchants to an account manager for detailed rates, and PayU's international card terms say the service is provided at PayU's discretion, subject to extra due diligence by PayU and its acquiring and nodal banks
• FIRA not documented: PayU's public pages say nothing about FIRA or FIRC for international receipts

PayU is worth considering for Indian businesses taking international card payments on a website or checkout. It is a weaker fit for freelancers whose clients pay by bank transfer, or users who need a published FX rate and FIRA.

Other platforms ranked by the INR received on a $5,000 invoice. See the full PayU alternatives comparison.

Fees, FIRA terms and RBI status were checked on PayU's own pages and RBI sources on 30 Sept 2026. INR figures use the XE mid-market rate for 3 Nov 2026. User ratings are not included because they were not independently checked.

1. PayU Pricing, 3% for Diners, American Express, EMI, International transactions; 18% GST applicable on all transactions; No set-up fee; standard settlement T+2; custom pricing slabs for higher volumes or enterprise needs, based on payment mode, industry type, risk profile, transaction volume, value-added features and processing requirements; no setup, onboarding or annual fees (checked 7 Oct 2026)
2. PayU International Payments, 135+ currencies; Visa, Mastercard, American Express and PayPal; INR conversion at transaction-date rate; T+2 business days; specific rates via account manager or care@payu.in; compliance with global standards (checked 7 Oct 2026)
3. PayU terms for international card processing and multicurrency payments, 1.2(e): the exchange rate used by PayU for all Authorised Currencies will be the inter-bank rate as decided by the respective banks or card associations and as shared by PayU with the Merchant by issuing the merchant payment report on every Business Day; non-Business Day transactions use the rate of the immediately preceding Business Day; 1.2(b): the International Card Processing Payment Mechanism and the Multicurrency Payment Feature shall be provided solely at PayU's discretion, subject to additional due diligence and criteria specified by PayU and/or Acquiring Banks and the Nodal Bank, who may withdraw approval at any time; 1.2(g): PayU may charge Customers a Currency Calculator Fee at a rate specified at the time of payment, upon the Customer consenting (checked 7 Oct 2026)