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Prompt to design a referral programme with UPI cashback

What you get: A UPI cashback referral design with fraud checks and cost per user. Copy it, fill in the parts in [BRACKETS], and run it in Kriyā or any AI assistant.

The prompt

You are a growth product manager. Design a referral programme that pays in UPI cashback.

Product: [PRODUCT]
What a new user is worth: [LTV]
Budget per month: [BUDGET]

Give:
1. The reward: how much, to whom (referrer, new user, both), and when it is paid
2. The action that unlocks the reward, so we pay only for real users
3. Fraud rules: device, UPI ID, bank account and velocity checks
4. Cost per acquired user and how many users the budget buys, with the arithmetic
5. The screens and messages, step by step
6. What to measure and when to change the reward

Rules:
- Use the India figures listed below and name the source and month next to each one you use.
- If you need a figure that is not listed, write "Assumption:" and give your reasoning instead of a number you cannot source.
- Plain words. Short sections with headings. No filler.

India figures to use (from productgrowth.in/numbers):
- UPI processed 24.07 billion transactions worth ₹29.37 lakh crore in September 2026, according to NPCI data. Source: https://productgrowth.in/numbers/upi-transactions-per-month-india/
- PhonePe is the biggest UPI app, with 10.91 billion transactions or 45.57% of UPI app volume in September 2026, according to NPCI's UPI Applications data. Source: https://productgrowth.in/numbers/upi-app-market-share-india/
Run this in Kriyā → Kriyā opens with this prompt in its box; nothing is sent until you press send. Replace the [BRACKETS] first.

What to fill in

ReplaceWithExample (used for the sample answer)
[PRODUCT]Your productA UPI-based expense tracker
[LTV]Value of a userAbout ₹300 in the first year
[BUDGET]Monthly budget₹2 lakh

The numbers this prompt uses

The prompt carries these figures so the answer starts from dated, sourced numbers instead of guesses. Each page shows the source, the month and the history.

Sample answer

Sample answer from Kriyā, 26 October 2026, for the example inputs above. Kept as it came back; links added beside each figure.

Design principle

Pay a flat ₹60 per qualified referral, split ₹30 to the referrer and ₹30 to the new user, released only after the new user shows real, repeated use. A new user is worth about ₹300 in year one (your figure), so ₹60 is 20% of that value. That is a payback of roughly 2.5 months at your run-rate. your input Kriyā's estimate

1. The reward

  • New user: ₹30, paid on qualification (below). Kriyā's estimate
  • Referrer: ₹30 per qualified friend, capped at 10 friends a month (₹300 max). your input Kriyā's estimate
  • Paid by: UPI payout to the user's own verified UPI ID, within 48 hours of qualification. Not a wallet credit, not a coupon.
  • Why not pay at install: installs are what fraudsters farm. Paying only on use is what keeps ₹60 safe. Kriyā's estimate
  • Assumption: ₹30 + ₹30 is enough to move a user to act. Test ₹20 + ₹20 and ₹50 + ₹50 in the first 4 weeks (see section 6). Kriyā's estimate

2. The unlock action

The new user qualifies when all of these happen within 14 days of install:

  • Links one bank account through UPI and passes OTP verification.
  • Has 3 or more transactions auto-categorised in the app.
  • Opens the app on 3 separate days.
  • Sets one budget or category goal.

The referrer's ₹30 releases at the same moment. This pays for a user who got value, not an install. Kriyā's estimate

3. Fraud rules

  • Device: one reward per device ID. Block rooted devices, emulators and app clones. One referrer cannot refer a device that ever had the app installed.
  • UPI ID: one reward per UPI ID, and the payout UPI ID must belong to the verified account holder. Reject a payout ID already used by another user.
  • Bank account: one reward per linked bank account. Block the same account linked on two profiles.
  • Referrer-referee link: no payout if both share a device, UPI ID or bank account. Block pairs that share a contact book or sign-up IP.
  • Velocity: flag a referrer with more than 3 sign-ups in 24 hours or 10 in 7 days. Hold payouts for manual review. Hold any cluster of sign-ups from one IP or device in an hour.
  • Hold window: every payout waits 48 hours for checks. Claw back if the user uninstalls or unlinks the bank inside 30 days.
  • Assumption: expect 10-20% of claims to fail these checks and budget for it below. Kriyā's estimate

4. Cost and reach (arithmetic)

  • Reward per qualified user: ₹30 + ₹30 = ₹60. Kriyā's estimate
  • Assumption: fraud review, payout fees and failed-payout handling add ₹10 per user, so about ₹70 all-in. Kriyā's estimate
  • Budget ₹2,00,000 ÷ ₹70 = about 2,850 qualified users a month. Kriyā's estimate
  • Value check: 2,850 × ₹300 = ₹8.55 lakh of first-year value against ₹2 lakh spend, a 4.3x return before your other costs. your input Kriyā's estimate
  • Budget guard: hard-cap payouts at ₹2 lakh a month; if you hit 80% by day 24, slow new invites rather than cut rewards already earned. Kriyā's estimate

5. Screens and messages

  1. Home banner: "Invite a friend. You both get ₹30 on UPI." Button: Invite. Kriyā's estimate
  2. Invite screen: the unique code, a WhatsApp share button first and a copy-link option, plus the cap and rules in one line. Share cards with the friend's savings summary tend to be shared more than plain links [3].
  3. Friend's landing page: "Rahul invited you. Track your UPI spends free and get ₹30." One button to install. Kriyā's estimate
  4. Friend's onboarding: link bank, then a progress bar: "3 steps to your ₹30" (3 transactions, 3 days, 1 goal). Show value in the first 60 seconds with a spend summary; it cuts D7 uninstalls [3]. Kriyā's estimate
  5. Progress nudge (push or WhatsApp, day 2 and day 5): "You are 1 day from ₹30. Open the app to count today." Kriyā's estimate
  6. Qualified message, both users: "₹30 is on its way to your UPI ID. Arrives in 48 hours." Kriyā's estimate
  7. Referrer dashboard: invited, qualified, pending, paid, and ₹ earned this month.

6. What to measure and when to change the reward

  • Qualification rate: installs that reach all four steps. Target 25%+. Kriyā's estimate
  • Cost per qualified user against the ₹70 plan. Kriyā's estimate
  • Day-30 and day-90 retention of referred vs organic users. If referred users retain worse, tighten the unlock action before touching the reward.
  • Fraud-flag rate and clawback rate; above 20%, tighten rules. Kriyā's estimate
  • Referral share of new users and referrals per referrer.
  • Reward test (weeks 1-4): split new users into ₹20+₹20, ₹30+₹30 and ₹50+₹50. Pick the arm with the lowest cost per qualified user that keeps day-30 retention equal to organic. Kriyā's estimate
  • Change triggers: budget burning too fast, cut the cap from 10 to 5 friends. Qualification below 15%, raise the new-user share, not the referrer's. Day-90 retention below organic, add a 60-day usage condition. Kriyā's estimate

Why UPI is the right payout rail

UPI processed 24.07 billion transactions worth ₹29.37 lakh crore in September 2026 (NPCI, per productgrowth.in/numbers). Paying out on UPI means a ₹30 reward lands where users already live. PhonePe was the biggest UPI app, with 10.91 billion transactions or 45.57% of UPI app volume in September 2026 (NPCI UPI Applications data, per productgrowth.in/numbers). So test payouts to handles on all major apps, with PhonePe handles first since they source source Kriyā's estimate

Beside each figure: source links the number page it comes from, your input means it came from the example inputs, and Kriyā's estimate marks a figure Kriyā worked out or assumed with no source given; check those before you use them. Your own run will differ.

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