Hajj 2027 Digital Payment Glitches Leave Applicants Struggling With PSID, Portal and HBL Transactions

Technical glitches in the digital payment infrastructure for Hajj 2027 are causing frustration among prospective pilgrims, with applicants reporting failed PSID generation, unstable online portals, and unavailable banking links while trying to deposit their first instalments.

Under the payment schedule communicated to applicants, those opting for the long Hajj package, priced at around Rs 1.2 million, are required to deposit a first installment of Rs 600,000. Applicants choosing the short Hajj package, costing around Rs 1.3 million, are required to submit approximately Rs 650,000 as the first installment through HBL.

The issue came to light in a video report shared by journalist Amin Hafeez, who spoke to several Hajj applicants facing difficulties completing payments through digital and branch-based channels.

Applicants said the problems were not limited to a single platform. Users reported issues with the online registration system, PSID generation, mobile payment options, and HBL’s branch payment interface, raising questions about the readiness of the technology infrastructure handling a high-volume national payment process.

PSID generation errors add to payment problems

One applicant registered for the short Hajj package said he attempted to generate a PSID online but received an identifier that did not match the expected format.

After cancelling the online attempt, he generated a manual challan and visited an HBL branch, only to be informed that the relevant banking link was down.

The applicant said he had been waiting at the branch since morning without being able to complete the transaction.

Other users described similar problems, saying the payment portal either failed to load, repeatedly crashed, or remained unavailable for extended periods.

Portal reportedly crashed repeatedly

Another applicant said the payment option was activated later than expected and the portal subsequently collapsed multiple times under use.

He said his family had already completed the required registration process and had been told that payments could be made through PSID, debit card, or a manual challan.

However, according to his account, none of the digital options worked reliably.

Applicants also claimed that even after successfully generating manual challans, they were unable to deposit funds because the banking system required for processing Hajj payments was unavailable.

The reports point to a broader issue of system reliability and backend integration between the government’s Hajj registration platform and the banking infrastructure responsible for collecting payments.

Complaints also Surfaced on MoRA’s Facebook page

The difficulties described in Hafeez’s report are also reflected in comments posted by users on recent Facebook posts of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony (MoRA).

Several commenters complained about payments being deducted from debit or credit cards while their Hajj application continued to show an “unpaid” status. One user said the amount had been deducted but was neither reflected as paid nor reversed, while attempts to contact the helpline had reportedly gone unanswered.

Another applicant said he had generated a PSID for himself and his spouse and paid the full Hajj package amount through another bank, but the portal still showed the payment status as unpaid and asked him to generate a new PSID.

Other comments point to problems extending beyond payment processing. Users reported difficulties generating PSIDs, issues with adding or merging family members into Hajj groups, and discrepancies involving passport information.

One commenter said a female applicant who had registered separately was unable to be added to another group, while another user complained that the system repeatedly returned a “try after some time” message when attempting to generate a PSID.

Another applicant said updated passport information was not being reflected properly in the system, creating additional complications in completing the Hajj process.

A further set of comments on another MoRA post raised similar concerns over the ministry’s digital systems.

One user said the portal continued to show an unpaid status despite payment having been completed, while others criticized recurring technical problems and called for improvements to the online system before applicants were asked to make high-value transactions.

The comments indicate that the reported problems may not be limited to a single bank branch or payment method, but could involve multiple stages of the broader digital Hajj ecosystem.

Banking integration under scrutiny

The complaints also put the spotlight on the integration between the Hajj payment portal and Habib Bank Limited (HBL).

Several applicants said branch staff told them the system or payment link was down, leaving customers unable to submit payments even after obtaining the required challans.

For a digital payment ecosystem to function smoothly, government portals, payment identifiers, banking APIs and branch systems need to remain synchronised and available throughout the payment window.

Any failure at one stage can prevent transactions from being completed and create significant queues at physical branches.

Hafeez questioned the effectiveness of introducing technology-driven systems without ensuring that they are sufficiently robust and reliable.

He argued that if digitally literate users in major cities are struggling to complete Hajj payments, the situation could be significantly more difficult for applicants in remote and rural areas.

The episode underscores the need for authorities to conduct capacity testing, redundancy planning, real-time system monitoring, and stronger banking integration before opening high-demand public payment portals.

It also highlights the importance of offering reliable fallback mechanisms when online systems fail.

Meanwhile, the National Information Technology Board (NITB) is working to address the technical issues affecting the digital Hajj system and improve the stability of the online services. Efforts are expected to focus on resolving portal and payment-related problems so that applicants can complete their transactions smoothly.

For a national program involving billions of rupees in payments, prolonged outages and transaction failures can quickly turn a digital convenience into a major access problem.

Also read:

NITB Takes Charge of Hajj Digitalization Under Digital Pakistan Vision