Apple Pay is coming to India: Here's what it'll offer
What's the story
Apple is gearing up to launch its digital payments service, Apple Pay, in India by the end of 2026. The mobile payment service and digital wallet allows you to make contactless purchases in stores, apps, and online using your Apple devices. It is beneficial because it uses tokenization to keep your actual card details hidden from merchants while providing a faster, one-tap checkout verified by your Face ID or Touch ID.
Service details
Apple Pay's initial offering and regulatory discussions
Apple Pay will initially offer a 'tap-to-pay' feature in India. This will let users make payments by tapping their Apple devices on point-of-sale terminals using near-field communication (NFC). The company is currently in talks with regulators, banks, and card networks to bring this service to India. To enable the service, Apple will have to finalize commercial arrangements with major card issuers.
Device compatibility
Apple Pay's exclusivity and market presence
Apple Pay is operated by Apple Payments Services, a subsidiary of Apple Inc. The service works exclusively on Apple devices such as iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads, and Macs. This makes it different from popular Indian payment apps like Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm which are compatible with non-Apple devices too.