It’s the moment Indian iPhone users have been waiting for. After 12 years of wait and anticipation, Apple Pay has officially gone live in India. Over my decade of covering consumer tech, few payment rollouts have sparked as much community excitement as this one.
At the moment, Apple Pay support is limited. Apple has partnered with Axis Bank, allowing customers with eligible Axis Bank Visa and Mastercard credit cards to add their cards to Apple Wallet and use them for contactless payments, in apps and on supported websites.
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Here is how you can get Apple Pay working on your iPhone in India.
Check if your card is supported
For now, Apple Pay works with eligible Axis Bank-issued Visa and Mastercard credit cards. RuPay cards, UPI and cards from other Indian banks are not supported at launch. Even with Axis Bank, a handfull or cards are eligible to be added onto Apple Pay.
Apple also recommends using the latest version of iOS and having Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode enabled on the device.
Add your Axis card to Apple Wallet
There are two ways to add the card.
- Open the Wallet app on your iPhone, tap the + button and follow the instructions to add your eligible Axis Bank card. You can scan the card or enter its details manually.
- Alternatively, you can open the latest Axis Bank app and use the option to add the card to Apple Wallet. Apple says the card needs to be verified by the bank before it can be used.
Reddit users have reported that verification works through the Axis app, while some have also received an SMS verification option. One user specifically said updating the Axis Bank app fixed a verification problem.
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How to pay using Apple Pay
Once your card is verified, double-click the iPhone’s side button, authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode, and hold the top of the iPhone near a contactless payment terminal.
Apple says Apple Pay is already accepted across millions of merchant locations and names services such as Blinkit, Croma, Zomato and Tata 1mg among the supported merchants.
While we wait for other major banks to join the ecosystem, this initial Axis Bank rollout is a massive step forward for the contactless payment experience in India.
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