Apple Pay

Apple Pay is a mobile payment and digital wallet service from Apple that allows users to make payments in person, in iOS apps, and on the web using Safari. It is supported on the iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac. It digitizes and can replace a credit or debit card chip and PIN transaction at a contactless-capable point-of-sale terminal. It does not require Apple Pay-specific contactless payment terminals; it works with any merchant that accepts contactless payments.^[1] It adds two-factor authentication via Touch ID, Face ID, PIN, or passcode. Devices wirelessly communicate with point of sale systems using near-field communication (NFC), with an embedded secure element (eSE) to securely store payment data and perform cryptographic functions, and Apple's Touch ID and Face ID for biometric authentication.

History[]

Originally launching in the United States on October 20, 2014, Apple Pay is available in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, China, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Macau, Georgia, Belarus, Montenegro, Serbia and all countries in the European Economic Area (EEA).^[1] Apple Pay supports both international payment schemes—such as American Express, Visa (including Electron and V Pay), Mastercard (including Maestro), and Discover—as well as country-specific domestic payment schemes like China's UnionPay, Japan's JCB, France's Cartes Bancaires, Canada's Interac, Australia's eftpos, Saudi Arabia's mada and Germany's Girocard. Participating banks vary by region. Apple Pay can also be used to ride some public transport networks^[2] either through the use of credit/debit cards (open loop) or dedicated travel cards such as JR East's Suica, the Chicago Transit Authority's Ventra, or the New York MTA's OMNY (closed loop). In April 2021, Apple Pay announced compatibility with Clipper, the transit payment method for accessing Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), the San Francisco MUNI transportation system, and the Caltrain commuter rail system.

Tap to Pay[]

In February 2022, Apple announced the Tap to Pay feature for contactless payments though Apple Pay. It became available as part of the iOS 15.4 update on following March 14th.^[3] The feature became available in Taiwan later on April 20, 2023.^[4]

Supported devices[]

The service is compatible with iPhone 6 and newer, iPad Air 2 and newer, Macs with Touch ID, and all Apple Watches. It can store between 8–12 payment cards.^[5]