Apple Pay Launches in India After 12 Years, Starts With Select Axis Bank Cards

New Delhi: After waiting for about 12 years, Apple has started its payment service Apple Pay in India. The company has linked select Visa and Mastercard credit cards of Axis Bank with it in the initial phase. This means that not every iPhone user will be able to use this feature right now. Apple has indicated that other banks and card issuing financial institutions will also be added to the platform in the coming time. Apple Pay has been launched in India at a time when UPI is already the most used medium of digital payment.

How can payment be made through Apple Pay?

Through Apple Pay, users will be able to make payments at stores, apps and websites from their iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. For this, there will be no need to enter card number, PIN or OTP during every transaction. Payments can be authorized using Face ID, Touch ID or security features of the device.

In stores with contactless payment, transactions can be done by taking the iPhone or Apple Watch near the payment terminal. Apple Pay option can also be used in online shopping and supported apps. Apple Pay support for Mac is also said to be available later.

Which cards will be supported initially?

At present the scope of Apple Pay has been kept limited. In the initial phase, only eligible Visa and Mastercard credit cards of Axis Bank will be able to be added to Apple Wallet. Users can start using Apple Pay by adding their eligible cards to the Wallet app.

RuPay card does not currently have Apple Pay support. Apart from this, cards of big card issuers like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and SBI Card are also not under the ambit of this facility at the time of launch. Apple, however, has announced plans to add more banks and financial institutions in the future.

Will Apple Pay work on every card machine?

The arrival of Apple Pay in India does not mean that it will work on every contactless card machine. It can be used only at the merchant or payment terminal where Apple Pay support is available. Businesses related to food and beverage, travel, fashion and lifestyle are being included in the initial rollout. There are plans to gradually expand its reach to more merchants and apps. So even if normal contactless card payments are available at a store, the Apple Pay option may not necessarily work.

How is Apple Pay different from UPI?

There is a fundamental difference between the payment system of Apple Pay and UPI. Through UPI, money is usually transferred directly from bank account to bank account. At the same time, Apple Pay in India has been started as a credit card based system.

This means that Apple Pay is not a direct alternative to UPI at the moment. Its initial use will be most relevant to users who have an eligible card linked to Apple Pay and want to make card payments through an iPhone or Apple Watch.

Why is this launch important for Apple in India?

Apple has been working on expanding its presence in India over the past few years. The company is also expanding its manufacturing and retail network along with iPhone sales in the country. In such a situation, the introduction of Apple Pay adds another important service to its Indian ecosystem.

Currently, the service has started with limited cards and select merchants. The next big picture will be how widespread Apple Pay usage becomes in India as bank, card network and merchant support increases in the coming time.