The Bengaluru-based digital payments company announced the new offerings at the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026 in Mumbai, as it seeks to bring the convenience of its digital payments ecosystem to card transactions in India and overseas.
The partnership introduces three key solutions — Tap to Pay, Cross Border Scan to Pay and Smart Accept — while building on PhonePe’s existing Visa card tokenisation capabilities.
PhonePe said the initiative is aimed at creating a more seamless, cardless payment experience for consumers and expanding digital card acceptance for merchants.
PhonePe introduces Tap to Pay
The new Tap to Pay feature will allow eligible users to make contactless payments at point-of-sale terminals using their smartphones, without physically carrying the card.
The service uses tokenised card credentials, allowing a user’s phone to act as the payment instrument when making contactless transactions. The feature is being rolled out in phases, according to PhonePe.
The move expands PhonePe’s role beyond QR-based UPI payments and into the growing contactless card-payment segment.
For consumers, the feature could make card payments more convenient, particularly for people who already use smartphones as their primary payment device.
Cross Border Scan to Pay targets international travel
PhonePe is also introducing Cross Border Scan to Pay, which is aimed at Indians travelling overseas.
Under the new service, PhonePe users can scan Visa QR codes at participating merchants in international markets and make payments through the app.
PhonePe said it has become the first app in India to introduce Visa’s Cross Border Scan to Pay capability. The service is expected to support international transactions across multiple markets, including countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Japan and South Korea.
The feature adds another option for Indian travellers who traditionally rely on physical cards, forex cards or other payment methods when making purchases abroad.
It also reflects the broader expansion of digital payment options for Indian consumers as international travel and cross-border commerce increase.
Smart Accept targets small merchants
The third major offering, Smart Accept, is designed for merchants, particularly micro and small businesses.
The solution will allow merchants to accept card payments through compatible devices, potentially reducing the need for dedicated payment hardware.
Visa’s broader Tap to Phone technology, for example, enables smartphones to function as contactless payment acceptance devices, allowing merchants to accept payments without additional point-of-sale hardware.
For small businesses, such technology can reduce the barriers associated with accepting card payments and provide another digital payment option alongside QR-based transactions.
PhonePe builds on existing card tokenisation
The latest partnership is not PhonePe’s first move into card payments.
The company has been building card capabilities on its platform through tokenisation, which replaces sensitive card details with secure digital tokens.
In January 2026, PhonePe Payment Gateway launched PhonePe PG Bolt for Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards. The service allows users to tokenise their cards once and use the saved card across merchants integrated with PhonePe Payment Gateway, reducing the need to repeatedly enter card details.
The new Visa partnership expands this strategy by bringing together online card tokenisation, contactless payments and international QR-based transactions.
PhonePe said it now offers a unified suite of Visa capabilities covering Online Device Tokenisation, Tap to Pay and Cross Border Scan to Pay, alongside Smart Accept for merchants.
PhonePe moves beyond its UPI identity
PhonePe has built its position in India’s digital payments market primarily through UPI, but the company has increasingly expanded into other financial and payment services.
The latest Visa partnership represents another step in that diversification.
Rather than replacing UPI, the new card services complement it by addressing situations where cards remain widely used, including international travel, contactless point-of-sale payments and card-based online transactions.
The strategy also gives PhonePe access to Visa’s global acceptance network while allowing Visa to reach consumers through one of India’s largest digital payment platforms.
What the expansion means for consumers
For consumers, the new services could bring several payment methods into a single smartphone-based experience.
A user could use UPI for everyday domestic transactions, a tokenised Visa card for online purchases, Tap to Pay for contactless transactions and Cross Border Scan to Pay while travelling internationally.
This convergence could reduce the need to carry multiple physical payment instruments.
For merchants, Smart Accept could make card acceptance more accessible, particularly for smaller businesses that may find traditional payment terminals expensive or inconvenient.
The partnership therefore seeks to connect consumers and merchants through a broader digital payment ecosystem rather than focusing on a single payment method.
PhonePe’s card strategy enters a new phase
PhonePe’s latest Visa partnership signals a broader shift in the company’s payments strategy.
The company is retaining its strong UPI foundation while building additional capabilities around cards, contactless payments and international transactions.
With Tap to Pay, Cross Border Scan to Pay and Smart Accept, PhonePe is positioning its app as a platform capable of supporting multiple forms of digital payment.
As card payments increasingly become mobile and tokenised, the partnership with Visa could help PhonePe strengthen its presence across domestic and international payment use cases.