Google Pay Now allows train ticket bookings in India, available on both Android and iOS

The UPI based payments app Google Pay, has added train ticket booking support in India. Powered by IRCTC, the feature is now rolling out to all the users on iOS and Android platforms, which was reported to be popping out by some users over last few days.

According to Google, the feature is made available to both android and iOS users and can be accessed by tapping on trains chat head in the app, which can be found under the 'businesses' section. 

The ticket booking feature would allow the users to search, book and cancel train tickets within the app itself. Users will also be able to check seat availability, journey duration and travel timings in Google Pay. To access this feature, users will require an IRCTC account, but won't be charged any additional fee for booking tickets via Google Pay. The implementation seems to be similar to what Paytm and Cleartrip currently offer.

"The train ticket booking feature addresses an important need for Indian users, right within the app and is another step towards making the lives of our users easier and more convenient with Google Pay", said Ambarish Kenghe, Director, Product Management, Google Pay, in a statement.

How to book a train ticket via Google Pay? 

1. Open Google Pay app and tap on 'Trains' chat head in 'Businesses' section.

2. Tap on 'New Ticket'.

3. Search for trains by origin, destination and date of travel. A list of trains will be shown.

4. Find the train that you want to book a ticket for, and then tap on 'Check Availability'.

5. Choose the class you want to travel in and then tap 'select'.

6. Confirm whether the stations are correct and then tap 'OK'.

7. You will now be asked to enter your IRCTC account details. If you don't already have an account, you will be asked to create one.

8. Enter the passenger information and tap 'Continue'.

9. Confirm the booking information, then tap 'Continue'.

10. Select a payment method and then tap 'proceed to continue'.

11. Now enter your UPI PIN, following which you will be redirected to IRCTC website.

12. Enter your IRCTC password and then enter the captcha.

13. Tap 'Submit' and your ticket shall be booked. You will now see a confirmation screen.

Originally launched in September 2017 in India as Tez, Google Pay has seen great adoptation in the country. Unlike other markets, where Google Pay uses debit and credit cards for payment, the app in the Indian market is powered by the indegenous United Payments Interface (UPI) and offers a number of features including bill payments, peer-to-peer payments, recharges, online payments and more.

"UPI payments are fast gathering momentum in India as consumers become increasingly comfortable with the concept of bank-to-bank transfers. Two out of every three transactions on Google Pay come from 300,000 of India's towns and villages, well beyond India's largest metros", Khengle added in his statement.