Apple Pay Arrives in India: What You Need to Know
Apple Pay has finally launched in India, more than a decade after its global debut. The service went live on September 30, starting with Axis Bank credit cards on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
At launch, only eligible Axis Bank credit cards on Visa and Mastercard work with Apple Pay. RuPay cards are not supported, and big issuers like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and SBI Card have not joined yet. Apple says more banks will follow, but has given no timeline.
The biggest gap: no UPI support. UPI handles about 84 per cent of India’s digital payments – 24.5 billion transactions worth nearly Rs 30 lakh crore in August alone. Apple Pay is card-based, so it cannot replace UPI for most Indians.
Still, it matters for premium card users. Tap-to-pay at stores, easy online checkout, and card rewards that keep working make it convenient. Launch partners include Zomato, Blinkit, Croma and Tata 1mg. For now, it is a niche upgrade, not a payments revolution.
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