Apple Pay has launched in India, offering a new contactless payment option for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users through the Wallet app. Initially, only Axis Bank customers with Visa and Mastercard credit cards can utilize the service, which provides secure transactions without PINs or OTPs by using an encrypted Device Account Number. Despite its security features, Apple Pay enters a market dominated by UPI-based platforms and does not support UPI.

Apple Pay has launched in India, offering a new contactless payment option for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users through the Wallet app. Initially, only Axis Bank customers with Visa and Mastercard credit cards can utilize the service, which provides secure transactions without PINs or OTPs by using an encrypted Device Account Number. Despite its security features, Apple Pay enters a market dominated by UPI-based platforms and does not support UPI.

Apple Pay has launched in India, offering a new contactless payment option for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users through the Wallet app. Initially, only Axis Bank customers with Visa and Mastercard credit cards can utilize the service, which provides secure transactions without PINs or OTPs by using an encrypted Device Account Number. Despite its security features, Apple Pay enters a market dominated by UPI-based platforms and does not support UPI.

September has barely ended, and the season’s first canon event seems to have come knocking at my door. However, this one is definitely not teaching me to let go of material desire, and might actually increase my spending. This morning, I woke up to a trending Google search: “Apple Pay.” Suddenly shifting into privileged-brat mode, I added my Axis credit card to the Wallet app on my iPhone. A few more taps, and my Apple Watch was also linked. Yes, that’s right, Apple Pay is now available in India.

Apple users in India can use the tech giant’s flagship tap-and-pay feature, Apple Pay, from Wednesday. The service eliminates the need to carry a card or use a separate payments app, making payments easier for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users. According to the Wallet app, the service can also work on Macs, as long as it's in close proximity to an iPhone or an Apple Watch.

The service can be accessed via the Wallet app on iPhone. Once a user adds their eligible credit or debit card to the app, they can simply double-click the side button, complete the authentication (Face ID, Touch ID or device passcode) and hold the top of the Apple device near the contactless reader to pay.

However, there is a catch. Currently, only Apple users with Axis Bank-issued Visa and Mastercard credit cards can use the service. This is because Axis Bank is powering its initial launch. The lender is India’s fourth-largest credit card issuer with 16.26 million active cards in July.

“At Axis Bank, our aspiration is to remain at the forefront of this transformation by building payment experiences that are progressive, trusted and deeply relevant to our customers. The introduction of Apple Pay advances this ambition, bringing greater choice and flexibility to our Credit Card customers, with support across the Mastercard and Visa networks,” said Amitabh Chaudhry, MD & CEO, Axis Bank.

The tech giant is reportedly in talks with other Indian private lenders such as HDFC and ICICI. If the partnership is successful, customers from these banks will be able to access the services soon.

The smartphone maker’s sales in India surpassed $10 billion in the fiscal year 2026, compared to $9 billion in the previous financial year, signalling that this can be a huge win for Apple as it brings a popular ecosystem to a populated market.

“India is home to a dynamic and digitally savvy population that continues to embrace a cashless future while expecting the highest standards of security and privacy, and we’re so excited to bring Apple Pay to users in India today,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.

The differentiating point for Apple Pay is that it allows card payments without the need to enter PINs or OTPs at checkout. Unlike the case of Google Pay or PhonePe, Apple Pay does not store the actual card numbers on the device or rely on a cloud server to operate. Instead of the real card number, a unique encrypted Device Account Number is saved on an industry-standard certified chip built directly into Apple hardware.

However, Apple is entering a tough Indian market dominated by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), led by PhonePe and Google Pay. Around 85 per cent of the country’s total digital payments are made through UPI. Apple Pay does not support UPI and relies entirely on card-based payments, leaving a market with 554.9 million users untapped.