Apple on Wednesday announced that Apple Pay is now available in India that will allow users to make payments through their iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch at stores, in apps and on websites. Support for Mac will be added soon.
The service, launched in India on Wednesday, allows users to make contactless payments without entering a PIN or OTP at checkout. Initially, customers with Axis Bank-issued Visa and Mastercard credit cards can add their cards to Apple Pay and use them at thousands of merchants across India, as well as anywhere that accepts NFC transactions.
Apple Pay can be used at millions of merchant locations in India, including Apple Store outlets, Blinkit, Chaayos, Comet, Croma, Interflora, Ixigo, Le15 Patisserie, Reliance brands, Tata 1mg and Zomato.
How does Apple Pay work?
Apple Pay stores a digital version of an eligible bank card in Apple Wallet. Instead of storing the actual card number on the device or Apple’s servers, Apple assigns a unique Device Account Number to the card.
The number is encrypted and stored in the Secure Element, a certified chip designed to securely store payment information on the device. This means the actual card number is not shared with merchants when a payment is made. Apple also says it does not retain transaction information that can be tied back to the user. For users, the payment process is similar to using a contactless card. On an iPhone, users can double-click the side button or Home button, authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID or the device passcode, and hold the top of the phone near a contactless payment terminal. Apple Watch users can similarly bring the display close to the contactless reader after authentication.
How to set up Apple Pay in India
Users can add an eligible Axis Bank card directly through the latest version of the Axis Bank app. They can also open the Wallet app on an iPhone, tap the plus sign and follow the instructions to add the card.
Once the card is added, it can be used for payments at participating stores and online merchants. Users will continue to receive the rewards and benefits associated with their cards.
Apple has also worked with payment service providers, including BillDesk, Cashfree, Juspay, Mswipe, Paytm, PayU, Pine Labs and Razorpay, to make Apple Pay available across their merchant networks.
What happens if the iPhone is lost?
Apple Pay is designed so that the physical card details are not stored on the device. If an iPhone is lost or stolen, users can use Apple’s Find My app to locate the device, lock it or suspend payments from it. Apple says transactions remain between the user, the merchant and the bank or card issuer.
Where can Apple Pay be used?
At launch, Apple Pay is available across a range of physical stores, apps and websites. Users can make payments at participating merchants without repeatedly entering card details, contact information or billing and shipping details. The service also supports NFC-based contactless transactions, allowing users to pay at compatible terminals.
Apple Pay is now available in more than 90 countries and regions and works with more than 11,000 bank and network partners globally.
The India launch currently supports Axis Bank-issued Visa and Mastercard credit cards, making the service's initial availability dependent on both the bank and card network.
How secure is Apple Pay?
Apple Pay uses tokenisation instead of sharing the actual card number with a merchant. Mastercard said each Apple Pay transaction is protected by a unique, cryptographically secured token. This means merchants do not receive the user's actual card details during a transaction.
The security system is designed to reduce the exposure of card information while allowing users to authenticate payments through Face ID, Touch ID or their device passcode.
For users, the key change is that an eligible card can be carried digitally on an Apple device and used for both contactless payments and online purchases without repeatedly entering card details.