Apple Pay is a contactless payment method that is only available on Apple devices. It was created to transition users away from physical wallets and toward a world in which your debit and credit cards are stored on your iPhone or Apple Watch, allowing you to pay with your device rather than a card.
This section contains information about Apple Pay, such as how it works, how to set it up, which banks support it, and where you can use it.
Where can you use Apple Pay?
Apple Pay is compatible with any payment method that accepts contactless payments. They will take Apple Pay if you see the contactless payments icon or the Apple Pay emblem near readers at the checkout.
Hundreds of thousands of retailers and eateries worldwide support it. In the United States, more than 75% of stores and restaurants accept Apple Pay, whereas in the United Kingdom, more than 85% do. Support is available at 99 percent of Australia’s retailers and restaurants.
Bloomingdales, Disney, Duane Reade, Macy’s, McDonalds, Nike, Petco, Staples, Subway, Unleashed, Walgreens, Whole Foods, and others offer Apple Pay in the United States.
The United Kingdom has a well-established contactless payment system, and you will be able to use Apple Pay at all of the retailers and restaurants where you already use contactless.
Apple Pay is also available in many apps and the Safari web browser, as well as on public transportation and at non-profit organizations such as Cancer Research UK, RSPCA, WaterAid, and WWF, among others.
Which banks and cards support Apple Pay?
Apple Pay is compatible with the majority of major credit and debit card providers, including Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Unsurprisingly, Apple’s Apple Card is also supported.
You must use a partnering bank, however the majority of large banks now accept Apple Pay. Complete lists of all the banks supported in each nation can be found by clicking the relevant links below:
- Participating banks in Canada, Latin America and the United States
- Participating banks in Europe and the Middle East
- Participating banks in Asia-Pacific
Is there a limit for Apple Pay?
No. Apple Pay has no such restriction unlike contactless card payments, which have a £100 maximum.
It means you can pay for your weekly groceries or fill up your car using your iPhone or Apple Watch.
Apple Pay is supported by a wide range of apps, including travel apps, shopping apps, entertainment apps, and service apps.
Adidas, Bloom & Wild, Starbucks, Deliveroo, Apple Store, Topshop, Zara, ASOS, Uber, British Airways, Booking.com, Emirates, StubHub, DesignMyNight, Made.com are just a handful of the applications that accept Apple Pay.
How to set Apple Pay up on an iPhone or iPad
To use Apple Pay on your iPhone or iPad, you must first install the Apple Wallet app. The Apple Wallet will then keep your credit and debit cards, extracting the information when you use Apple Pay to pay for items.
Open Wallet on your iPhone. Navigate to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay on your iPad. Tap Add Credit or Debit Card or the “+” icon in the upper right corner, then click “Continue.” You can use the camera on your device to capture the information on your credit, debit, or store card. Then enter any extra information that is required.
Your details will be verified by your bank. You may be required to give extra verification, which could include calling your bank or receiving a text message with a unique code that you must enter. The procedure varies according on the bank. After your card is verified, tap Next, and then you can start using Apple Pay.
How to set up Apple Pay on Apple Watch
To enable Apple Pay on the Apple Watch, launch the Watch app on your iPhone. Check that you are in the My Watch tab (bottom left) > Scroll down to Wallet & Apple Pay and then click Add Card.
Your bank, like the iPhone, will validate your details. You may be required to provide additional verification. Your Apple Watch will notify you when your card is ready for Apple Pay.
How do you use Apple Pay on iPhone?
On iPhone 6 and later, Apple Pay requires the Near Field Communication (NFC) antenna as well as Touch ID or Face ID. How you use Apple Pay will be determined by the iPhone you have. Touch ID, Face ID, or your passcode must be used to authorize each transaction.
For Touch ID iPhones, double tap the Touch ID home button and hold your finger on it until your screen says “Hold Near Reader.” If your fingerprint isn’t recognized, you can use the “Pay with Passcode” option instead.
To open Apple Pay on iPhones with Face ID, double-press the sleep/wake button on the right-hand side of your iPhone. Authorization will then take place using Face ID, or you can pick “Pay with Passcode” if your face isn’t recognized. Once authorized, your screen will display “Hold Near Reader” once more.
When your iPhone says “Hold near reader,” simply place it near a contactless terminal, and a tiny vibration or ping (if your phone isn’t on mute) validates payment. A receipt is saved in the Wallet app so you can check your most recent purchases. There’s no need to open an app or wake your iPhone’s display to use Apple Pay, regardless of iPhone model.
How to use Apple Pay with Watch
Double-click the button next to the Digital Crown to activate Apple Pay on your Apple Watch. Your default payment card will appear on your Apple Watch screen, with the words “Hold Near Reader to Pay” below, after which you can place your watch up to the payment terminal and a pulse and beep will confirm that your payment was successful.
Swiping right to left on your Apple Watch display will display any more cards you have registered.
How to change your default card on Apple Pay
To change your Apple Pay default card, open the Settings app on your iPhone and scroll down to Wallet & Apple Pay. You’ll see a list of settings under the headline “Transaction Defaults” on this screen.
“Default Card” is the first option. When you click on this, you may select which card you wish to use as your preferred Apple Pay card, however you can easily swap between them when you activate Apple Pay.
How to use Apple Pay within Apps
Apple iPhone apps also support Apple Pay, so you’ll be able to pay with Apple Pay when you order something through an app. When paying, you must still touch your finger on Touch ID or utilize Face ID.
Apple Pay is also available through the Safari browser. If you have a compatible MacBook model, you can either utilize Touch ID or pay with your iOS smartphone. To use Apple Pay on a Mac without Touch ID and confirm the payment using your iPhone, go to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > Allow Payments on Mac at the bottom of the screen.
Which devices work with Apple Pay?
Apple Pay works with the following Apple devices:
- Apple iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus and newer models
- Apple iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 and newer
- Apple Watch Series 1 and newer (when paired with iPhone 5 or newer)
Is Apple Pay secure?
Yes. Apple has stated that it does not keep your transaction details or card numbers on its servers, but your most recent purchases are saved in the Wallet app.
Apple Pay, which uses a tokenized backend architecture, secures card payments by generating a number or token that replaces your credit card information. In particular, it generates a Device Account Number for each of your cards.
According to Apple, the Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted, and securely stored in the Secure Element, a dedicated chip in the iPhone and Apple Watch, and the token is sent to the retailer or merchant when a payment is initiated. As a result, the store or merchant never gets direct access to your credit card information.
