Short answer: to charge for phone calls in India, take the payment before the call connects. Sell talk time as packages (for example Rs 20 for 3 minutes), collect it with UPI or card in your own Razorpay account, and put your phone behind a number that only lets paid callers through. Edesy Paid Calls does the gatekeeping: the money goes straight to you, Edesy takes no fee on payments, and you pay Rs 1.00 per minute of talk time.
Charging after the call ("send me Rs 500 on UPI once we're done") works until it doesn't. People forget, haggle, or vanish. Charging first fixes that, but only if the phone side enforces it: the caller who paid gets through, the caller who didn't is turned away, and nobody has to check screenshots of payments.
The three parts of a paid call line
| Part | What it does | On Edesy |
|---|---|---|
| Payment | Takes the money before the call | Your own Razorpay account; callers pay with UPI or card in Razorpay Checkout |
| Payment page | Shows who you are, your packages and hours | Hosted page at forwarding.edesy.in/p/your-name, in English or Hindi |
| Gate | Lets paid callers through, refuses the rest | An Edesy number that forwards only paid callers to your phone, for the minutes they bought |
You keep your own mobile. The Edesy number sits in front of it, the way call forwarding normally works, with a payment check added.
Step 1: Decide what you sell
Sell minutes, not "a consultation". A package is an amount mapped to talk time: Rs 20 for 3 minutes is the default, and you can add several, such as Rs 199 for 15 minutes and Rs 499 for 45 minutes. When the time runs out the call ends, so you never give away an extra half hour by accident. The longest single call is 4 hours.
Each payment also has a validity: how long the caller has to use it, from 1 to 720 hours (24 hours by default). A payment is used up only when you answer, so a missed call doesn't burn the caller's money.
If you are unsure what to charge, the consultation price per minute calculator suggests packages from a target hourly rate, and the paid call earnings calculator shows what is left after talk time and your Razorpay fee. Package rules are in packages and validity.
Step 2: Connect your Razorpay account
You need a Razorpay account in your name. In Razorpay, open Account & Settings, then API Keys, generate a key, and paste the Key ID and Key Secret into the Paid Calls setup. A key that starts with rzp_live_ takes real payments; one that starts with rzp_test_ only lets Razorpay test payments through, which is useful for a dry run.
Because the order is created with your key, the money lands in your Razorpay account and settles to your bank on Razorpay's schedule. Edesy never touches it. The full walkthrough is in connect Razorpay.
Step 3: Build the payment page
The hosted page is what you share. It carries your photo, name, a short "about", the languages you speak, your weekly hours in IST (callers see "Available now" or "Back at ..."), a refund policy and a contact. Starting text exists for astrology and tarot, counselling and coaching, tutoring and expert consultation, so you are editing rather than writing from a blank box.
Callers enter the mobile number they will call from, pick a package and pay. The page can switch between English and Hindi, and once your KYC is approved it shows an "ID verified" badge. See create a payment page and the payment link explainer.
Step 4: Choose how paid callers reach you
- Call-in: the caller dials your Edesy number from the mobile they paid with.
- Automatic callback: after payment the system rings you first, says "Paid call, 3 minutes. Connecting you now.", then rings the caller and joins you.
- Both: the default for new setups. The callback happens, and dialling in still works.
Call-in or callback? compares the two in detail.
What it costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Edesy fee on what callers pay you | Rs 0 |
| Talk time | Rs 1.00 per minute from your Edesy wallet, rounded up to the whole minute, never more than the minutes paid for |
| Number | Rs 499/month (mobile) or Rs 449/month (landline) |
| Razorpay | Razorpay's own fee on each payment, charged by Razorpay |
| Unpaid callers | Rs 0: they are refused before the call is answered |
Prices exclude 18% GST. New accounts get Rs 20 of welcome credit, no card needed. A 3-minute call sold at Rs 20 costs you at most Rs 3 in talk time. Details on Paid Calls pricing.
What happens to people who don't pay
An unpaid caller hears a short message, by default "This line is for paid callers only. Please complete the payment using the link you were given, with this same mobile number, and then call again", and the call is refused without being answered. You can swap the message for your own or play nothing. Either way your phone doesn't ring and no minutes are billed.
Paid with one phone but calling from another? Turn on the optional 4-digit PIN. The caller sees it once after paying and keys it in when they call. Three wrong tries within an hour lock it. See PINs.
Refunds and disputes
Write your refund policy on the page and stick to it. A common one: "If I miss your call, your payment stays valid for another try. If we never connect, you get a full refund." Refunds are issued from your Razorpay dashboard. When you connect the Razorpay webhook, a refund that comes through stops that unused payment from letting the caller in. More in refunds and disputes.
Who this suits
Anyone whose time on the phone is the product: astrologers (see how astrologers take payment before the call), coaches and counsellors, tutors and consultants. If you sell through a marketplace today, start a paid call line without an app covers running your own. Creators can sell 1:1 calls from Instagram and YouTube.
Ready to set it up? Create your paid call page. It takes about five minutes once your Razorpay account is ready.
FAQ
Can I charge people for calling my phone number in India?
Yes. The usual way is to take payment first and connect the call after. With Edesy Paid Calls, callers pay on a payment page through your own Razorpay account, and your Edesy number forwards only paid callers to your phone.
Does Edesy take a cut of what callers pay me?
No. Payments go straight to your own Razorpay account and Edesy takes no fee on them. You pay Edesy only for talk time (Rs 1.00 per minute from your wallet) and the number rental. Razorpay charges its own fee, separately.
What happens if someone calls without paying?
The call is refused without being answered. The caller hears a short message telling them to pay with the same mobile number and call again, or you can choose no message at all. A refused call costs nobody any minutes.
What if I miss a paid call?
The payment is used up only when you answer. If you miss the call, the caller can ring again any time within the validity you set (1 to 720 hours, 24 by default), or you can let the system call them back automatically.
How do refunds work?
Refunds are made by you, in your Razorpay dashboard, under your own refund policy. Edesy never holds or refunds money. A refunded payment that hasn't been used no longer lets that caller through.