IRCTC Introduces OTP-Based Refund System For Cancelled/Waitlisted Tickets

IRCTC has introduced a new OTP refund system for tickets that are canceled or are fully waitlisted. The new scheme was introduced by Railways Minister Piyush Goyal in a bid to ease the process of refund. The OTP-based refund scheme works for tickets booked by agents authorized by IRCTC.

How To Get IRCTC OTP For Refund

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation said that the passengers will receive an OTP via SMS on their registered mobile number. The OTP text message will also include the amount being refunded. The refund is generated for those tickets where passengers cancel them or drop a fully waitlisted ticket.

Once the passenger receives the IRCTC OTP for refund, it has to be shared with the authorized IRCTC agent to get the refund amount. The railway ministry believes this process will restrict any scope for malpractices on the agent's end.

IRCTC stresses that passengers need to mention the correct mobile number to the authorized agent while booking the tickets. The passengers are also advised to double-check the phone number entered by the authorized agent as well. The ministry further reminds that the OTP-based refund works only for e-tickets which are canceled or when the waitlisted ticket is dropped.

The railway ministry has been trying to modernize IRCTC services recently. New features like introducing Wi-Fi for long-distance trains have been a welcome one. Coming to the payments, the railways also introduced Google Pay and Paytm to give more options to the passenger booking the train tickets.

Yet, the implementation of these services remains a question. There are 299.24 million smartphone users in India, according to statista.com. If the Wi-Fi service is rolled out on a large scale, the number of people benefiting is many. Similarly, the new OPT refund system aims to bring transparency by clarifying the refund process on the passenger's end.