ONDC Payments: How To Order Food For Cheaper Than Zomato, Swiggy

ONDC offers users a special code, ONDC50, which automatically reduces food bills by up to Rs 50.

Post demonetisation and covid-induced lockdowns, online payments have seen an unprecedented level of usage as various apps and systems are being leveraged by people to carry out transactions for everything between paying taxi/rickshaw fares and buying items on online/brick-and-mortar stores. Lately, Indian citizens are increasingly using the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) payments system, sharing their experiences of availing heavy discounts on food bills, online shopping, and others on social media. 

Read on to find out more about ONDC, how much cheaper it is compared to other systems, and how to use it.

What Is ONDC?

Incorporated in December 2021, ONDC is a payments system that has been established by the Government’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to develop and promote open e-commerce. ONDC was primarily devised to take on market monopoly by big online players such as Amazon, Flipkart, and others. 

Essentially, ONDC works just like Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and can be used via e-commerce platforms such as Paytm, Meesho, and others. 

Is ONDC Really Cheaper?

As shared by several users on Twitter, ONDC food orders are notably cheaper when compared to Zomato and Swiggy. ABP Live could independently verify that if you use ONDC, your food bill can see discounts of nearly Rs 70 to Rs 100, depending on the amount of order.

The reason behind ONDC’s pocket-friendly pinch is a special discount the platform is offering to all users placing an order. Upon ordering food, you are automatically entitled to get 50 per cent discount up to Rs 50 (you will have to use the code ONDC50, but it will be auto-applied in all cases) along with free shipping. This easily amounts to a discount of Rs 70 to Rs 100 in most cases.

Readers should note that this could be a promotional offer and there are no details how long the ONDC50 code will last. 

How To Use ONDC?

While you can switch to ONDC payments on Paytm and other affiliate platforms, here’s the easiest way to use ONDC:

• Head to ONDC.org on your mobile or desktop browser.


• If you scroll down a bit, you will see a How To Join button. Tap on it.


• On the new window, if you scroll down, you will see a Buy on ONDC link. Tap on it.


• Now, you will see a list of affiliate e-commerce platforms that use ONDC mode of payments. You can click on any platform of your choice. 


• Once you do that, the respective app/website will open, you can place your order, and the discount codes will be auto-applied at checkout. 

Note that so far, only a handful of e-commerce platforms are currently offering ONDC payments. These include Paytm, Mystore, Craftsvilla, Spice Money, Meesho, Pincode, and Magicpin. Paytm has its own food delivery system, and if you use Paytm with ONDC, your food bill will actually become cheaper when compared to Zomato or Swiggy.

Late last month, Razorpay announced that it will join the ONDC ecosystem. So, it is safe to speculate that as ONDC gains more popularity, more and more e-commerce platforms and portals will be onboarded soon.