Yes, your iPhone can act as a credit or debit card for secure, contactless payments in stores, apps, and online using Apple Pay. By adding cards to the Wallet app, you can double-click the side/home button and hold the top of the iPhone near a contactless reader.
To set up Tap to Pay on iPhone, enable it in the payment app of your choice. To accept a payment, open the app, enter the amount, and present your iPhone to your customer. To pay, the customer holds their card horizontally or places their device directly over the payment symbol.
Yes, you can tap a card on an iPhone in two main ways: customers can tap their contactless cards/devices on a merchant's iPhone using Tap to Pay on iPhone (requiring an app like Square or Stripe), and users can tap their own iPhone (with Apple Pay loaded) on compatible readers to pay, by double-clicking the side/home button and holding the top of the phone near the symbol.
With your eligible cards stored in the Wallet app on iPhone, you can use Apple Pay for secure, contactless payments in stores, restaurants, and more.
Quick Steps
Download the TAP App. the "Cards" tab on the bottom and then the "Add Card" Icon on the upper left-hand corner. Select "Add a TAP Card to Apple Wallet" (or Google Wallet if you have an Android).
Pay with your iPhone
No, Apple Pay and Apple Wallet aren't the same, but they work together: Apple Wallet is the app (your digital container) that stores your credit/debit cards, loyalty cards, tickets, and passes, while Apple Pay is the technology/service that uses those cards in the Wallet to make secure, contactless payments in stores, online, and in apps. Think of the Wallet as your physical purse and Pay as the tap-to-pay function.
To use Apple Pay you need a supported card from a participating card issuer. To check if your card is compatible with Apple Pay, contact your card issuer. Apple Pay is not available in all markets.
You can use your phone to pay for goods or services with Google Wallet.
With the update to iOS 13 (or later), all iPhones from 7 onwards are able to read and write an NFC Tag. As for the NFC Tags, the behavior of iPhones updated to (at least) iOS 13, is very similar to that of Android smartphones: for NFC Tag programming, an application is required (as for Android);
NFC tag scanning is always enabled on the iPhone 15 and cannot be turned off. There isn't an on/off setting. NFC can be turned off for payments if required.
Manage Android settings for Tap to Pay on Android
On your device, navigate to Settings > Connections > NFC and Contactless Payments, then toggle ON Use NFC. Ensure “Developer options” are turned OFF in your device settings.
Once the transfer is complete, your plastic TAP card will be deactivated and replaced with a new “virtual” TAP card (with a new card number) in your TAP account. Any Stored Value amount on your plastic TAP card will be transferred to the virtual card. One TAP card per Android phone may be used at a time.
Most modern smartphones, including iPhone (iPhone 6 and later) and many Android devices (Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, newer OnePlus, etc.), support tap-to-pay via NFC, using digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Wallet, or Samsung Pay for contactless payments, with specific model compatibility depending on the app and carrier. The key is an NFC chip and a compatible digital wallet app for seamless, card-free transactions.
Pay with your iPhone
You can see your full card number for Apple Card or other cards in Apple Pay by opening the Wallet app, tapping the specific card, then tapping the card number icon (or the three dots for Apple Cash) and authenticating with Face ID/Touch ID/passcode to reveal the virtual card number, expiration, and security code. This virtual number can be used for online purchases where physical card entry is required, as it's different from your physical card's number for security.
When you check out on a website or make an in-app purchase:
Use Tap to Pay on iPhone to accept in-person contactless payments with a compatible iPhone. Tap to Pay on iPhone includes support for Visa, Mastercard, American Express contactless cards, and NFC-based mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay).
Apple Pay enables you to make secure, contactless purchases using your Apple Cash, your Apple Card, and any other credit and debit cards that you add to Wallet. For apps or merchants that don't accept Apple Pay, use your Apple Cash virtual card number to make your purchase wherever Visa is accepted.