UPI is what most people go with, and honestly it makes sense. Just enter your UPI ID, confirm, and the money shows up before you've even properly switched apps. On a normal day it's that straightforward.
The problem is peak hours. IPL match nights, Sunday evenings — UPI servers just can't handle the load and your withdrawal gets stuck on "Processing" for two, sometimes three hours. Nothing wrong with your account, nothing wrong with the app, the servers are just getting hammered. Also keep in mind most apps have a ₹1 Lakh daily limit on UPI. For regular amounts that's fine, but if you've had a good day you might have to split it across two days.
For bigger amounts IMPS is the better option. Yes you have to find your IFSC code and account number which is a bit of a headache, but there's no daily cap like UPI. You can pull out ₹2-3 Lakh in one go without any issues. Just don't expect it to be instant — even after the app confirms, your bank might take another hour or two to actually reflect it. Submit and move on, don't sit refreshing your balance.
Wallets like Paytm or Mobikwik are decent if you want to keep gaming transactions off your main bank statement. Transfers are usually fast and smooth. But the moment you want to move that money to your actual bank account, there's a 2-3% fee waiting. After TDS has already taken 30% off the top, that extra cut is genuinely irritating. A lot of platforms are also removing wallet support slowly anyway so it's not always going to be an option.
If your KYC isn't done — Aadhaar, PAN, whatever the app needs — your withdrawal will just sit there going nowhere. Get that sorted before you need it.
Normal amounts, use UPI. Big withdrawal, go IMPS. Wallets only if you have a reason to, and factor in the cashout fee when you do.
