Tatkal Railway ticket: You can book now and pay later

IRCTC in an announcement has said that it will allow users to book tickets first and pay later. Users need to first register with irctc.payondelivery.co.in. Users can get the tickets delivered at their doorsteps and pay in cash.

If you book tickets under the tatkal quota, then IRCTC will let you book now and pay later. Until now, this facility was only available for general reservations.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp (IRCTC) website in an announcement has said that it will allow users to book tickets first and pay later. They will be able to pay via cash or use debit or credit cards and opt to get their tickets delivered to their doorsteps.

Until now, people had to pay first via the standard online payment gateways and then IRCTC portal would confirm their tickets. This would often lead to money getting debited without issuing the ticket. The money then needed to be refunded to users, which would take about 7 to 15 days.

How to book your tatkal ticket first and pay later

Users need to first register with irctc.payondelivery.co.in. During registration, you will need to key in PAN or Aadhaar details too. When booking a ticket on the IRCTC website, users need to choose the 'pay on delivery' option. This delivery will happen instantly via SMS or email and the collection will take place within the next 24 hours.

There is also the option to pay online via the payment link sent during booking. It should be noted that the tatkal amount is more than the usual ticket reservation amount. There is no concession or waiver of any kind. Only four tickets can be booked on per PNR number.