A Mumbai man’s warning about UPI AutoPay traps has sparked a conversation around how easily free trials can turn into unnoticed monthly payments.
Lokesh Ahuja, who works at Nykaa, shared his experience on LinkedIn after noticing several AutoPay mandates activated on his mother’s phone. He explained how a simple attempt to help her use digital payments made him realise how subscription services often rely on users overlooking small recurring deductions.
In his post, Ahuja wrote that he had taught his mother to use UPI a few months ago. While checking her phone recently, he noticed multiple AutoPay mandates and asked her what services she had subscribed to. She replied that she had not knowingly signed up for anything.
He later found that the mandates were linked to free trials that required users to approve automatic payments after the trial period ended. Ahuja pointed out that while the initial offer might advertise “Rs 0 for the first 30 days”, users often miss the fact that they are also authorising future monthly charges until they manually cancel the subscription.
He explained that a small deduction, such as Rs 79 (around $0.90), can easily go unnoticed among numerous UPI transactions appearing in a bank statement. According to him, the real value for these companies is not just the free trial itself, but the AutoPay permission that keeps payments flowing.
Reflecting on the changing digital habits of older generations, Ahuja added that while parents once worried about their children’s safety in the physical world, many children now find themselves worrying about their parents navigating the online world.
Take a look at his post here:
His post triggered discussions among users, with many agreeing that automatic payments linked to free trials can become a hidden financial drain, especially for people who are less familiar with digital payment systems.
Some users pointed out that many payment pages make AutoPay approval part of the process, making it easy for people to overlook the recurring payment terms.
One user pointed out that the biggest issue was that people often realise they have been charged only after the payment has already gone through. They added that many then continue using the service for another month because they have already paid, only to forget again and get charged repeatedly.
Another user wrote that while digital payments have made transactions easier, they also require users to be more careful about permissions and subscriptions.
They said that free trials turning into paid plans have become a common problem, particularly among those who may not regularly check their payment settings.
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