French woman praises India's UPI payments culture in viral video: ‘ ₹20 chai? Just scan and pay’

For one French tourist, the ultimate Indian marvel isn't some historical monument, but a tiny, ubiquitous QR code. While parts of the world are still fumbling for exact change at the café, a viral video is proving that India’s decade-old Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is the ultimate culture shock for visiting Europeans.

Taking to Instagram, on the 10th anniversary of UPI, Manika — a content creator ‘helping French travellers discover the real India’ — shared her sheer amazement at the deep integration of cashless payments across all levels of the Indian economy.

While she was aware of UPI before her travels, she said the on-ground reality of scanning QR codes for everyday micro-transactions left her stunned.

“One thing I NEVER expected to discover in India… Before coming to India, I knew about UPI, but I honestly didn’t realise how deeply digital payments are integrated into everyday life,” she said.

Scan. Pay. Done

As a French woman, Manika said she never expected to pay for almost everything with her phone in India, “and I mean... everywhere”.

“Street food? Just scan the QR code. Chai? Scan the QR code. Auto? Scan the QR code. Even a tiny little shop in the middle of the street? QR code. Coming from France, this honestly surprised me,” the influencer said.

For the European creator, the biggest culture shock was the seamless accessibility of digital infrastructure outside of upscale restaurants and metropolitan malls. From a quick ₹20 snack to a short rickshaw ride, the “Scan. Pay. Done.” culture operated flawlessly at small street-food stalls, local cafés, and neighbourhood vendors, Manika noted.

“And what surprised me most is that it’s not just in big cities or fancy places. You can find QR codes at small street-food stalls, local shops, cafés, rickshaws and businesses of all kinds,” she said.

Her viral reaction highlights a monumental economic shift. Launched in August 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), UPI has revolutionised financial inclusion.

Over the last decade, annual transaction volumes have skyrocketed from 1.78 crore in FY 2016-17 to a staggering 24,162 crore in FY 2025-26, an almost 13,000-fold surge.

“Coming from France, this was one of those little everyday cultural differences that made me think: ‘Wow… I really didn’t expect this,’” Manika shared.

By turning the simple QR code into an omnipresent tool for everyday street vendors, India’s digital public infrastructure continues to leave foreign visitors asking their peers back home: “Do you even realise how impressive this feels to Europeans?”

The interest in ‘viral video’ was high on Google during 24-25 August: