How to use Apple Pay on iPhone

In this article we explain how to set up Apple Pay so that you can use your iPhone to pay for things using your bank debit or credit card.

You will need to do the following to use Apple Pay on the iPhone, we how to do each step below.

1. Make sure you have a compatible iPhone running the latest version of iOS.
2. Add your credit or debit card to the Wallet app.
3. Call your bank to verify your card.
4. Choose your default card for payments.
5. Hold your Apple iPhone up to a payment terminal.
6. Use your fingerprint, passcode, or FaceID (if you have an iPhone X) to confirm your identity.

Which iPhones can use Apple Pay?

You’ll need a compatible iPhone running the latest version of iOS (find out about the latest version of iOS here).

• iPhone X
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 6s
• iPhone 6s Plus
• iPhone 6
• iPhone 6 Plus
• iPhone SE

Apple Pay can also be used on the Apple Watch and some Macs.

How to add card to use with Apple Pay

As long as your bank is offering Apple Pay you will be able to add your credit or debit cards to use with Apple Pay. You can find out which banks offer Apple Pay here.

Before you can use Apple Pay on your iPhone you will need to add your credit and debit cards to the Wallet app. If you have more than one device you wish to use Apple Pay on, you will need to add your card details to each device.

1. Open the Wallet app.
2. Tap on the + sign (in the right corner).
3. Tap on Continue.
4. Click on Add another Card if this appears as an option.
5. Above Add Card you will see a box. Angle the camera so that your card appears inside the box.
6. It may take a few moments but the Wallet app should recognise your long card number and expiry date.
7. The next screen should show you the Card Details with your Name and Card number automatically added.
8. Verify that the data is correct, or amend it if it is wrong.
9. Tap Next.
10. On the next page you will see your Expiry Date, check this is correct and amend if necessary.
11. Add your 3-digit security code from the back of your device.
12. Apple will contact your card issues and then add the card.
13. Agree to the Terms and Conditions and wait while your your iPhone sets up Apple Pay for that card.
14. The next step is Card Verification. You can choose whether to verify your card by calling your bank, or, a new option, via Text Message. If you choose the latter then your bank will text you a code to enter.
15. If you have an Apple Watch you may then see the option to Add to Apple Watch. You’ll need to unlock the Apple Watch first and it will need to be nearby and not in Airplane Mode. The Add Card option will come up on your iPhone in the Apple Watch app. Click on Agree and verify by text (or via a phone call). Read How to use Apple Pay on the Apple Watch here.
16. If you have another card to add to your iPhone tap the + sign again.

Note: The verification stage doesn’t necessarily have to happen at the same time that you added the card: you can come back later and verify a card that added a card earlier. Just go to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay, or open Wallet again.

How to remove a card from Apple Pay

You can also add or remove a card from Apple Pay via Settings on your iPhone 

1. Opening Settings.
2. Scroll to Wallet & Apple Pay.
3. Click on Add Credit or Debit Card if you want to add a card.
4. If you have any other cards they will be listed here with only the last four digits showing. If you want to remove one of these, click on the card you want to remove, scroll down and click on Remove Card.

How to pay with Apple Pay with Touch ID

To pay using Apple Pay on your iPhone using Touch ID follow these instructions:

1. Hold your iPhone up to the contactless payment terminal near the cash register (within one inch, officially). Your iPhone should automatically sense the presence of the terminal and open the Wallet app.
2. If your phone uses TouchID, touch your Touch ID button with the finger you have associated with your ID to complete your purchase.
3. If Touch ID doesn’t work, or isn’t set up on your device, you will be asked for your passcode to unlock your iPhone.

Note: You don’t even need to wake up your iPhone or launch Wallet to use Apple Pay: your phone wakes up as soon as it gets in range of a terminal and initiates the payment process.

How to pay with Apple Pay with iPhone X

With the removal of the home button, and therefore Touch ID on the iPhone X, Face ID is used to authenticate Apple Pay purchases. Here’s what you need to do: 

1. Double tap the Side button (which is sometimes referred to as the Power button).
2. Look at your iPhone to authenticate.
3. Hold your iPhone near the contactless terminal to complete the transaction.

If you’re using Apple Pay online or in an app on your iPhone X the device already knows it’s you, but you still need to double-press the side button to confirm that you want a transaction to take place. For example, if you are purchasing an app in the App Store you need to press the side button twice in order to confirm you wish to buy it.

You have 30 seconds to complete the transaction – if you don’t hit this deadline, you’ll have to double-press and authenticate again.

How to change the card you pay with in Apple Pay

If you are wanting to pay with a different card to the one that you usually use in Apple Pay you can change the card in the Wallet app (assuming it is set up and verified). Here’s what to do:

1. From the lock screen, double tap the Home Button on your iPhone. (Or double tap the Side Button on an iPhone X).
2. This will bring up your default card and the other cards stacked below it.
3. Find the card you want to use and tap on it.

You can also change the card that you use as the default, we will explain how next.

How to choose a default card for Apple Pay

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll to Wallet & Apple Pay.
3. Scroll to Default Card.
4. Tap on the card that’s there to be taken to a page showing all the cards you have set up for Apple Pay.
5. Tap on the card you wish to use as your default.

Using Apple Pay in the car

UK law states that if you use your phone while driving you could get six points on your licence and be fined £200. This has lead to questions regarding whether you can use Apple Pay on your phone to pay for your burger at a McDonalds drive-through, for example.

According to the GMP Traffic twitter account, as long as your engine is turned off and your handbrake applied it should be ok – if on the other hand you are driving your car through the drive-through while using your phone then you could be penalised, theoretically.

We think it’s unlikely that the police will be hanging around drive-throughs looking for people using their phones, but it’s something to bear in mind.

How to use Apple Pay to make payments in apps

If you like to do your shopping inside an app rather than inside a supermarket, you can also use Apple Pay (presuming, of course, that the app works with Apple Pay).

Depending on the app, you may have to toggle on a setting to allow the app to access Apple Pay, or to set Apple Pay as your default method of payment.

At the appropriate point in the transaction, tap the button to use Apple Pay. This will be labelled with ‘Buy with Apple Pay’, or may just have the Apple Pay logo.

Check that the details are correct, as you would with any credit/debit card payment.

Also check the payment information and contact details are right and enter any additional information that is requested.(Apple Pay is clever about things like this. You should only need to enter things like billing addresses once, because it will remember them and offer them automatically next time. If Apple Pay is entering the wrong information here go to Settings & Wallet & Apple Pay, scroll to the Transaction Defaults and choose the correct options.)

Put your finger on the Touch ID scanner to complete the payment.