Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has a rightful claim to be in an elite club of game changing financial innovations in India. It took digital payments from point-of-sale machines in elite sanitised spaces to the proverbial last man in the queue. This was made possible by a trinity of widespread financial inclusion, mobile based internet and, last but not the least, free rollout of UPI. The decision to end blanket free-of-charge UPI payments may level the playing field and foster future innovation