What Is BharatQR?
BharatQR is India's first interoperable payment QR code standard, developed jointly by NPCI, Mastercard, and Visa in 2017. Unlike a standard UPI QR, a BharatQR code can accept payments from UPI apps, Mastercard debit/credit cards, Visa debit/credit cards, and RuPay cards — all through a single QR scan. The customer's banking app determines which payment rail to use based on their available payment instruments.
UPI QR — What It Supports
A standard BHIM UPI QR code uses the upi://pay protocol. It is supported exclusively by UPI-enabled apps — GPay, PhonePe, BHIM, Paytm, Amazon Pay, WhatsApp Pay, etc. Debit cards and credit cards cannot be used to pay a plain UPI QR (unless the card is UPI-linked via tokenisation on apps like GPay).
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | BHIM UPI QR | BharatQR |
|---|---|---|
| Payment via UPI apps | Yes | Yes |
| Debit card payment | No (direct) | Yes |
| Credit card payment | No (direct) | Yes |
| RuPay card support | No (direct) | Yes |
| Requires bank merchant account | No | Yes |
| Setup complexity | Instant (online tool) | Days (merchant onboarding) |
| MDR (transaction fee) | Zero MDR | Card MDR applies |
| Best for | Small merchants, street vendors, freelancers | Mid-to-large retailers, hospitality |
Which Should Your Kirana Store Use?
For the vast majority of Indian kirana stores, street vendors, auto-rickshaw drivers, and small service providers, a free BHIM UPI QR code generated using an online tool (like our UPI QR Code Generator) is the right choice. 95%+ of retail payments in India now flow through UPI apps, and a UPI QR incurs zero merchant discount rate (MDR) for the merchant — meaning you receive the full amount, every time.
BharatQR is valuable if you serve customers who prefer paying with physical debit or credit cards and you want one QR to handle both. However, setup requires a formal merchant account with an acquiring bank, and card transactions attract MDR fees (0.4%–2% depending on card type and merchant category).
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