The short answer
Paytm creates a UPI ID from your mobile number by default. To switch to what Paytm calls a personalised UPI ID: open the Paytm app, tap your profile icon, go to UPI & Payment Settings, tap View next to your existing ID, then choose Try Personalised UPI ID. Pick a suggested handle or type your own, confirm, and it becomes your new primary ID — your original one stays linked to the account.
Step by step in Paytm
Paytm has been rolling this feature out in phases, so the exact button label ("Try Personalised UPI ID" or "Create your personalised UPI ID now") may differ depending on your app version.
After you create it
What you can do next
- Share your personalised ID as the one you give out from now on.
- It's set as primary automatically once confirmed.
- Pick from a suggested name or type your own to check availability.
Worth knowing
- Your original number-based ID is not deleted by this step.
- Available bank handles for the feature can vary by account.
- Old QR codes and saved contacts using the previous ID still work.
Related UPI guides and tools
Sources and methodology
- Paytm: Personalised UPI IDs launch and setup steps — official steps, handles and framing of this as a privacy feature.
- Paytm Support: How to change UPI ID and set a new primary — official support article on switching your primary ID.
- MediaNama: NPCI asks UPI apps to mask phone numbers, pushes username IDs — the masking directive this guide's "what happens to your old ID" answer relies on.
Steps and handle names come from Paytm's own blog and support pages. Available handles and exact screen wording can change as Paytm expands the feature to more banking partners.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Paytm call its username-based UPI ID?
Paytm's own blog calls the feature a "personalised UPI ID" — a chosen name in place of your mobile number, paired with a Paytm bank handle such as @ptaxis or @ptyes.
Which handles does Paytm's personalised UPI ID support?
Paytm's announcement names @ptyes (Yes Bank) and @ptaxis (Axis Bank) at launch, with more banking partners expected to follow. Check the Manage UPI ID screen in your app for the current list.
Will my old number-based Paytm ID keep working?
Paytm's own guidance is to set the personalised ID as your new primary ID rather than requiring you to delete the old one, and NPCI's masking rule only affects how much of the number the other party sees — not whether that ID still functions.
Does the personalised ID become my default automatically?
Following Paytm's steps, confirming your chosen personalised ID sets it as your primary UPI ID for that account. You can still use or share the older one if you need to.
What if I want to keep using my old ID for some contacts?
You don't need to switch everyone over. Both IDs stay linked to the same account, so old contacts and saved QR codes with your previous ID continue to work.