Google Pay app will be useful in making payments for FASTag, in addition to allowing users to track the payments

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Google Pay app now supports the FASTag feature for Indian users.
  • Users can recharge their FASTag accounts after they link their bank accounts.
  • The FASTag feature is now available on Google Pay Android and iOS apps.

Google Pay India has announced its apps for Android and iOS now support FASTag accounts via the Unified Pay (UPI) facility. The app will allow users to link their FASTag accounts for purposes such as the amount recharge and payments record. Google India has said that users will be able to link the FASTag accounts by navigating to the ‘Bill Payments’ section inside the app, followed by choosing the bank that has issued FASTag and linked it to their bank account.

Users will be required to enter the vehicle registration number after they have set up their FASTag account in the app. After the details have been filled out, users can proceed to recharge FASTag using UPI for as much as the maximum limit. All the recharge details, amount remaining in FASTag, and other support links will be available inside the app.

While Google Pay has now added support for FASTag, other peers, such as Paytm, also provide sales of the FASTag chip to their users via their apps. After it was mandated by the government, FASTag chips have been put on sale by almost all vendors, including banks, digital payments services, and offline retailers.

Essentially, FASTag is a digital toll collection tool that is attached to the windshield of a car or a truck. It used the Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) to enable contactless payments when vehicles zip through toll plazas across highways in the country. These devices are linked to the owner’s bank account, which is used for instant payments. Additionally, digital payments accounts can also be linked as a prepaid method for FASTag payments.

The Indian government issued the mandate wherein all cards sold after December 2017 must use FASTag for toll payments. The implementation of FASTags across the country was supposed to be completed by January 15, 2020 the last deadline for the rollout. FASTag devices are being provided to customers free of charge, however, there is a minimum account balance amount that has to be maintained. FASTag system is now operational in over 500 state and national highways in the country. Moreover, the same technology is now being implemented for payments at fuel stations and parking plazas across the country.