Apple Pay is very common and widely accepted in the United States, with over 85%–90% of retailers supporting it as of late 2025/2026. It is the dominant mobile wallet, used by an estimated 67 million Americans by 2026 (over 23% of the population) for in-store and online purchases.
Popular global platforms like PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Venmo are widely accepted in the USA. If you plan on using any of these wallet apps during your trip, make sure you update them before you leave to avoid any issues.
Apple Pay U.S. Stats:
Apple Pay had 60 million users in the United States (21.2% of the population) in 2024, growing to 63.9 million in 2025 (6.1% growth from 2024), and 67 million in 2026 (CAGR of 6.7% from 2020).
Number of Apple Pay users worldwide as of September 2020
It adds: "we estimate, based on survey work as well as the growth in transactions, countries, locations, and supporting banks, that 51% of global iPhone users have enabled Apple Pay."
While Apple's share of users nearly doubled from 2023 to 2025, PayPal, Cash App, and Google Pay all grew their share even faster. 15.9% of consumers said they'd used Apple Pay, up 85%. 12.8% said they'd used PayPal, up 133%. 10% said they'd used Cash App, up from 0%.
Apple Pay Usage Either for Online Payments in Various Countries in 2023. As of June 2023, the most of the people who pay for their purchases online using Apple Pay are in the United Kingdoms and the United States. 37% of British and 34% of Americans make online payments using Apple Pay.
Some possible reasons for why the transaction is declining even though the digital card still appears in the Apple wallet include: Your card has been temporarily locked. Your card or the transaction account has insufficient funds or limit for the transaction. An incorrect card PIN has been entered at the terminal.
Apple Pay is safer than using a physical credit, debit, or prepaid card. Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode is required for purchases on your iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac, or iPad.
If you were scammed on Apple Pay, immediately contact your bank/card issuer to dispute the charge, as they handle fraud for linked cards; for Apple Cash, report it via the Wallet app, but funds are hard to recover as it's like cash, so act fast, report to authorities (FTC, police), and secure your Apple ID, though refunds are difficult for accepted Apple Cash payments.
Since you don't need a physical debit/credit card, there's a reduced risk of someone stealing your card(s) or their information. In fact, Apple Pay doesn't use your card number to make a purchase; rather, it uses a token called a “device account number” to complete the transaction.
Two in five Americans typically use PayPal for purchases
You can put a heart on your iPhone by reacting to messages (tap and hold a message), adding a heart emoji to the keyboard, or creating a custom Focus Mode to display a heart icon on your status bar (iOS 15+). The status bar heart is a customized Focus icon that appears next to the clock when activated.
This decision is a reflection of Apple shifting strategy away from owning and servicing installment loans, and toward elevating Apple Pay as a digital payment platform.
Apple Pay is designed with your security and privacy in mind, making it a simpler and more secure way to pay than using your physical credit, debit, and prepaid cards. Apple Pay uses security features built-in to the hardware and software of your device to help protect your transactions.
If your payment has been declined using Apple Pay at the checkout in a store, it could be that there was a poor connection between your Apple device and the contactless terminal. To ensure a smooth payment, you should hold the top of your device on the terminal and wait for it to show that payment has been accepted.
If Apple Pay is not working, the issue is usually related to settings, connectivity, or your payment method 1-(855)(518)(8609). By checking your device, card status, and software updates, you can resolve most problems quickly 1-(855)(518)(8609).