In a recent Instagram video, Anam Mirza, younger sister of tennis legend Sania Mirza, claimed that stopping UPI payments changed her spending habits, calling it a “small change” that made a “big effect.” According to her, deleting her UPI apps and switching to cash/cards made her more mindful about money. Her catchy slogan, “No scan = less spend,” seems to have struck a chord with many, but here’s the problem — her logic doesn’t hold up when you dig deeper.
Let’s break it down.
UPI Is Not the Problem — Habits Are
Anam Mirza says that deleting her UPI apps and emptying her account helped her control spending. But in reality, UPI is just a tool, not the enemy of financial discipline.
- You can overspend with cash/cards just as easily if your habits are impulsive.
- On the other hand, UPI gives you real-time records, unlike cash transactions that can vanish without a trace.
- There’s a “narration” field in most UPI apps, allowing you to label each payment (e.g., “grocery,” “coffee,” “rent”) — something I personally use for clarity and tracking.
So, rather than stopping UPI, using it consciously is a smarter approach.
Cash Isn’t King — It’s Confusing
Switching to cash often creates more problems:
- No automatic logs – Most people won’t take the time to write down where they spent ₹80 on tea or ₹230 on stationery.
- Higher chances of losing track – With physical cash, you’re more likely to forget or ignore small expenses.
- Manual expense tracking is tedious, and most won’t stick to it.
While Anam Mirza may claim that switching to cash made her more aware, in reality, it adds friction, not clarity.
Digital Tools Help You Stay Aware — If You Use Them Right
One of Anam’s key lines was:
“Made me way more aware of where my money’s going.”
But that’s exactly what UPI apps help you do — they show you date-wise, vendor-wise, and category-wise breakdowns. Platforms like PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm even have monthly insights or filters to view trends.
Awareness doesn’t come from deleting the tool — it comes from how you use the tool.
So, What Was Her Video Really About?
Let’s call it out: her video was more about going viral than actually educating users about financial discipline.
It’s a clickworthy trend — the kind that promotes extreme solutions (“Delete your UPI app!”) for complex problems (impulse spending) without offering practical alternatives.
While the intent may have been to inspire discipline, the execution and message are misleading.
The Smarter Takeaway
Instead of ditching UPI, try this:
- Use narration on every payment: “Lunch,” “Petrol,” “Groceries”
- Export your monthly UPI logs
- Use budgeting apps that link with your UPI records
- Create soft limits for weekly digital spending
UPI is not your problem — unconscious spending is. Blaming the tool instead of the behavior is not the solution.
While UPI is often blamed for easy spending, debit and credit cards also offer the same level of convenience and risk. However, they come with detailed monthly statements, categorized spending, and alerts that make it easier to track expenses. With features like transaction logs, spending limits, and real-time notifications, cards actually help users stay in control, if used responsibly. Just like UPI, the tool isn’t the issue—it’s how you use it that matters.
Final Thoughts
Financial discipline comes from a mindset and tracking, not from switching from one payment mode to another. If anything, UPI empowers you to understand your finances better — if you use it with intention.
Anam Mirza’s video might sound convincing, but in the end, it’s more of a reel-worthy gimmick than a reliable financial tip.
Share your thoughts in the comments or drop a message!
Photo Credit: Anam’s Instagram
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