For Apple fans, the wait is finally over. For most Indians, the question is whether they need it at all.
At launch, the service works only with Axis Bank-issued Visa and Mastercard credit cards. Debit cards, RuPay cards and cards from other banks are not supported yet. And Apple Pay does not support UPI, the system India actually uses for almost everything.
How it works
Users can add an eligible Axis Bank credit card to Apple Wallet through the latest version of the Axis Bank app, or directly through the Wallet app by tapping the plus sign.
To pay in a store, they double-click the side button, authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode, and hold the phone near a contactless card machine. There is no PIN or OTP required at checkout.
Online and in apps, Apple Pay fills in card and shipping details, so users do not have to enter them each time. Card rewards and benefits continue to apply.
The service requires an iPhone XR or later running iOS 18, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later. At launch, it is accepted at Apple Stores, Zomato, Blinkit, Croma, Tata 1mg, Reliance brands and others.
Apple has partnered with payment companies including Razorpay, Paytm, PayU, Pine Labs, Cashfree and JusPay to bring more merchants on board.
On security, Apple says actual card numbers are not stored on the device or on Apple’s servers, and are not shared with merchants. Each card gets a unique device account number, which is stored in a secure chip on the phone.
How it stacks up against UPI
Had Apple Pay arrived in India in 2015, it might have changed how the country pays. Arriving in 2026, it faces a far tougher rival. UPI handled a record 24.51 billion transactions worth ₹29.82 lakh crore in August 2026. That works out to around 791 million transactions a day.
Who can use it: UPI works with almost any bank account on almost any smartphone. Apple Pay, for now, needs two things: a recent Apple device and an Axis Bank credit card. Most Indians do not have both. By starting with one bank and credit cards alone, Apple has made its target audience clear.
Where you can pay: UPI runs on QR codes that cost nothing to print. You will find them at vegetable carts, chai stalls and large retail chains alike. Apple Pay needs a contactless card terminal, and many small merchants in India have never needed one.
Cost to merchants: This is where the gap is about to narrow. Card payments, including those made through Apple Pay, carry a merchant discount rate. UPI has been free for merchants since 2020, but that changes on October 15, when a 0.4% MDR will apply to merchant UPI payments above ₹2,000, capped at ₹300 for transactions of ₹75,000 or more.
Payments up to ₹2,000, and small merchants receiving up to ₹1 lakh a month through UPI, will remain free. So, for the chai stall, UPI remains the obvious choice. For the large stores Apple Pay is targeting, the cost difference is shrinking just as Apple arrives.
Speed and convenience: Apple’s biggest pitch is tap-to-pay without a PIN or OTP. A few years ago, that would have felt like a leap. Today, the gap is smaller. NPCI launched on-device biometric authentication in October 2025, allowing users to approve payments with a fingerprint or face unlock instead of a PIN.
Biometric payments are capped at ₹5,000, which covers most everyday spending. So many UPI users can already pay with a glance or a touch, on phones that cost a fraction of an iPhone.
Where Apple Pay has an edge: It does have real advantages for the right user. Credit card users earn rewards and get a credit period, which UPI payments from a bank account do not offer. Online checkout is smoother, since Apple Pay stores card and address details. And Apple Pay already works in more than 90 countries, well beyond UPI’s international reach so far.
Can Apple’s late-entry playbook work here?
Apple has a long record of arriving late and winning anyway. It was not first with the MP3 player, the smartphone, the smartwatch or tap-to-pay. Each time, it entered a market full of clunky products and made them simpler.
India breaks that pattern. The existing option here is not clunky. UPI is fast, free for everyday payments, backed by the government and still adding features every year. Apple is entering a race that India has, in many ways, already run.
What Apple does have is a growing base of premium iPhone buyers who use credit cards and care about a smooth checkout. That is a valuable customer base. It is also a small one.
What to watch
Three things will decide whether Apple Pay matters in India: whether more banks join, whether debit and RuPay cards are added, and whether Apple eventually brings UPI into Apple Pay.
Google understood this early; Google Pay in India is built on UPI. Until Apple makes a similar move, Apple Pay will likely remain what it is today: a neat feature for a few, and an afterthought for most.