Flipkart

Is Flipkart safe?

Yes, for ordinary shopping inside the app. Payments go through card, UPI and cash-on-delivery partners, returns mostly work, we found no confirmed breach of Flipkart customer accounts, and Flipkart pays outside researchers who report security flaws. The weaker points are elsewhere: the app collects a long list of data and uses it for marketing, its big sales attract copycat scam sites, and India's consumer regulator has fined it over walkie-talkie listings. We score it 55/100, just above Amazon (54) and Meesho (51).

Flipkart Internet Private Limited runs the app from Bengaluru and is majority owned by Walmart. Its sister company PhonePe has a separate page and score.

What does the Flipkart app collect?

More than most shoppers expect. Apple's privacy label says Flipkart uses identifiers to track you across other companies' apps and websites. It links a long list of data to you for Flipkart's own advertising and marketing: purchase history, precise location, email, name, phone number, search history, device ID and advertising data. For app functions the label adds payment information, your address, health data and photos.

The Google Play data safety section says Flipkart shares several kinds of data with other companies, including approximate location, search history, payment information, and the list of apps installed on your phone, which it gives as a fraud-prevention purpose. It also shares email and user IDs for advertising or marketing.

The privacy policy says that with your consent Flipkart may access your SMS, instant messages, contacts, location, camera, photos and device information, and may ask for your PAN, a credit report from credit bureaus and KYC documents when you apply for credit, insurance or payment products. It analyses your browsing and shares the resulting "insights" with group companies, business partners and third parties for promotions and advertising. Your data is "primarily" stored and processed in India.

India's Digital Personal Data Protection Rules were notified on 14 November 2025, with the main consent and notice duties phasing in over 18 months. Flipkart's current policy still cites the older Information Technology Act for its Grievance Officer.

Why was Flipkart fined?

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) fined Flipkart ₹10 lakh over walkie-talkie listings, PTI reported on 16 January 2026. It found 65,931 units sold where the frequency was left blank or fell outside the band that Indians can use without a licence, against 42,275 sold with a correct disclosure. Amazon, Meesho and Meta were fined the same amount in the same enforcement round. At the time of the report Flipkart had not yet paid.

Flipkart's other big regulatory matter is about competition, not privacy. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has investigated Flipkart and Amazon since 2020 over preferred sellers, exclusive launches and deep discounts, and its investigator reported possible violations in 2024. Court challenges have held up a decision, and we found no final order or penalty. We treat it as context, not as a finding against Flipkart.

The scams that use Flipkart's name

Most Flipkart-related fraud happens outside the app. Around big sales, links on WhatsApp and social media lead to copycat sites with impossible prices that take a UPI payment and ship nothing. Fake "Flipkart customer care" numbers found through web search ask callers for OTPs or to install screen-sharing apps. Inside the app, the main risk is a poor or fake product from a third-party seller. India's UPI fraud figures cover all apps: 12.64 lakh incidents worth ₹981 crore in 2024-25, the Finance Ministry told Parliament.

How to shop on Flipkart safely

1. Open sale offers in the Flipkart app yourself instead of tapping links in messages.
2. Pay inside the app or cash on delivery. Never pay a delivery agent or seller by a separate UPI link or QR code.
3. Contact support only through the Help Centre in the app. Flipkart staff do not need your OTP to process a refund.
4. Turn off contacts and SMS permissions in your phone settings if you do not use Flipkart's credit or payment features.
5. For phones and electronics, buy from the brand's own store or a seller with long, strong ratings, and film the unboxing.
6. If you lose money, call 1930 or file at cybercrime.gov.in straight away.

How we scored it

Regulatory record (80) is Flipkart's strongest factor: one small consumer-protection fine, with no privacy order; the unresolved competition case is context only. Privacy (42) is the weakest, because the app declares tracking identifiers, links precise location and purchases to you for marketing and shares behaviour insights with partners. Security (65) credits a clean breach record and a paid bug bounty, but finds little public detail on account protection.