Ever wondered why you have to enter an OTP every time you make an online card payment? That could soon become a thing of the past.
Visa has officially launched Visa Payment Passkey (VPP) in India, making it one of the first global card networks to introduce passkey-based authentication for online card payments in the country.
The feature is currently available for eligible IDFC FIRST Bank Visa cardholders and aims to replace OTPs with more convenient authentication methods such as fingerprint, Face ID, device PIN, or password.
The launch comes after the Reserve Bank of India’s September 2025 Framework on Alternative Authentication Mechanisms for Digital Payment Transactions, which allows payment providers to offer secure alternatives to one-time passwords for online transactions.
What is Visa Payment Passkey?
Visa Payment Passkey is a new authentication solution that allows users to verify online card transactions using their device’s built-in authentication methods instead of entering an OTP.
Depending on the device, users can authenticate payments using:
- Fingerprint authentication
- Face recognition
- Device PIN
- Password
- Pattern lock
Supported Merchants
Visa Payment Passkey is currently available on selected merchants, including:
- Myntra
- Paytm
- MakeMyTrip
- Tata Starbucks
- Reliance Digital
- EatSure (Rebel Foods)
The solution is also supported through several payment and fintech platforms, including Juspay, Razorpay, PayU, Wibmo, Pine Labs, BillDesk, M2P Fintech, and Paytm Payments Services.
Bottom Line
Visa says Payment Passkey is designed to improve both convenience and security while supporting India’s rapidly growing digital payments ecosystem.
The company also believes passkey authentication will help enable future use cases such as agentic commerce, where trusted digital agents or AI-powered assistants can securely complete transactions on behalf of users with strong authentication.
With the launch of Visa Payment Passkey in partnership with IDFC FIRST Bank, India becomes one of the early markets to receive Visa’s next-generation authentication technology, paving the way for faster and more secure online card payments.