Abstract: Digital payment platforms, which provide speed, convenience, and increased transparency, have completely changed how financial transactions are carried out in recent years. This change has spread beyond India's cities and is progressively affecting the country's rural areas. The perceptions, adoption trends, and influencing factors surrounding rural consumers' use of digital payment systems are examined in this study, which was carried out in Kodad Mandal. This study's main goal is to evaluate how rural consumers perceive the usability, convenience, and security of digital payment platforms. Primary data was gathered from 120 respondents using structured questionnaires as part of a descriptive research design, and regression analysis was used for analysis. Journal articles, government publications, and digital payment reports were the sources of secondary data. a sizable percentage of users (70.83%) use digital payment systems on a daily basis, and awareness of these systems is remarkably high in rural Kodad (96.67%). Well-known platforms like PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm are used for a variety of things, including online shopping, utility bill payments, grocery shopping, and mobile recharges. The use of digital payments is strongly positively correlated with perceived security, convenience, and general satisfaction, according to regression analysis. Digital literacy, mobile internet accessibility, platform trust, and support from banks and local businesses are important factors that impact adoption.Some obstacles still exist despite widespread adoption, most notably network problems (53.33%), fraud anxiety, and sporadic transaction failures. The overwhelming majority of respondents (86.67%) indicate a readiness for a deeper integration of digital finance in rural life by expressing interest in learning more about digital payment systems.

Keywords: Digital Payments, Consumer Perception, Financial Inclusion, UPI, Mobile Wallets, Payment Security, Convenience, Demonetization, Transaction Challenges.

Downloads: | DOI: 10.17148/IARJSET.2026.13230