Indian Railways: Did you know you can book tickets on IRCTC and pay later? Here is how

New Delhi: In India, trains are arguably the most popular mode of public transport. The British Raj introduced passenger trains in our country in 1853. While the colonisers did it for their benefit, over the years, railways have become the lifeline of India, especially since Independence. The Railways cater to every stratum of our society, from the rich to the poor. It enables people to travel from one place to another in this vast country without burning a hole in their pockets.

Indian Railways has played a crucial role in the progress of our country, and the evolution of trains shows the advancements in technology we have made over the years. The vast network of railways in India connects every corner of the country and has boosted tourism and the economy. The Indian Railways and the IRCTC must do everything possible to make the passengers' train journey smooth and convenient.

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As part of the benefits, the IRCTC enables us to book tickets without paying in advance, a facility which has greatly helped the common people. It allows a person without money to book train tickets and pay later. So, in case you are going through a financial crunch and cannot book train tickets due to a monetary shortage, you can use this facility of IRCTC to book the ticket and pay the amount 14 days later.

After booking a ticket through the IRCTC website, this facility enables a person to pay for the tickets 14 days later. The service charge levied in this transaction is 3.50 per cent of the transaction amount, and there will be other charges.

This payment system is available on the IRCTC website. No interest will be charged if the due payment is made within 14 days.

Log in to your IRCTC account if you have one. If you don't, then you must create an account.

On the IRCTC website, visit the 'Plan My Journey' page. There, enter your source and destination stations with the journey date and click on 'submit'.

Select the train you want to travel on and click on 'book now' on the date you want to travel.

Enter your details, the captcha code, and click on 'Next'. The payment page of IRCTC will appear next.

There will be many online payment options on that page. You have to choose the option of 'Pay on Delivery/ePaylater'.

The ePaylater website will come, and you will have to log in. This facility will pay the ticket fee to IRCTC, and the booking of your train ticket will be completed.

Next, the IRCTC website will come up, and you can download or print the tickets.

You should have e-Paylater for this. An email and SMS will be sent to your registered email ID and mobile number with the amount details and a link to make the payment. You must use the same registered email ID and mobile number that you use with IRCTC. Also, in case you fail to make the payment within two weeks, then interest will be charged on a pro-rata basis at the per annum rate. Also, it can lead to the cancellation of your train ticket or IRCTC account.

The option of 'Buy Now Pay Later' is also available on the digital payment platform Paytm for various options, including booking tickets in IRCTC. For that, first log in to your IRCTC account, enter journey details and then proceed to book tickets. Then click on the 'Pay Later' option, followed by Paytm Postpaid and log in to your Paytm account. Once you enter the OTP, the ticket booking will be done.