Approximately 21% to 22% of the U.S. population uses Apple Pay as of 2024-2025, with an estimated 60 to 64 million active users. While roughly 75% of U.S. iPhone users have enabled the service, regular in-store usage is lower, with Apple Pay accounting for 54% of all in-store mobile wallet transactions in 2024.
In terms of market share, Apple accounts for nearly half of all U.S. mobile wallet users (49.0%), compared to Google's 30.1%. And when it comes to actual in-store mobile wallet transactions, Apple captures a majority share – roughly 54% of all mobile wallet taps in 2024 carried the Apple Pay logo.
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."
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.
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%.
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.
TL;DR: Apple Pay leads digital wallet payments with ~744 million users, U.S. dominance, and transit integration, ideal for iPhone users. Google Wallet shines with 200-250 million users, Android flexibility, and privacy features, kinging in emerging markets.
The greatest concentrations of use, in terms of both user count and frequency, come from Generation Z and Millennials. In the younger cohort, Generation Z, 73.1% of digital wallet holders use Apple Pay every week, while 51.1% of Millennials do the same.
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.
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.
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.
Apple Pay participating banks in Canada, Latin America, and the United States. Apple Pay works with many of the major credit and debit cards from the top banks. Just add your supported cards and continue to get all the rewards, benefits, and security of your cards. We're working with more banks to support Apple Pay.
Apple Pay is the safest payment method to use. It doesn't provide card numbers to merchants and it doesn't store them on your devices or Apple servers. Apple Pay also requires authentication every time you pay, so no one else can use your device to make transactions unless they know your passcode.
When will the U.S. version of the Google Pay app no longer be available for use? Starting on June 4, 2024, the U.S. version of the Google Pay app is no longer available for use.
Samsung Pay works in a very similar way to Apple Pay. It's a secure, widely accepted contactless payment method, primarily used for in-person payments. Once you add debit and/or credit cards to your Samsung Wallet app, then you can start using your phone instead of plastic cards to make contactless payments.
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.
How secure is Apple Pay? 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. Your identity isn't shared with merchants, and they don't see your actual card number.