Twelve years after its debut in the US, Apple Pay has gone live in India. It launched on September 30, 2026, with Axis Bank as the first card partner.
If you own an iPhone and were hoping to leave your wallet at home tomorrow, hold on a bit. The launch is narrow. Only Axis Bank credit cards on the Visa and Mastercard networks are eligible at the start. Debit cards are out for now, and so are RuPay cards. UPI isn’t supported either. Apple has reportedly been talking to other banks, including HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, but nothing has been announced yet.
Setting it up is simple. Open the Wallet app on your iPhone, tap the plus icon at the top right, and scan your Axis Bank card or enter its details. The bank verifies it with a one-time passcode sent by SMS. After that, you can use it in stores, in apps and on the web. You can also pay with an Apple Watch or iPad, while Mac support is still to come.
The real convenience is at the counter. Apple Pay works through device authentication, so you don’t type a PIN or wait for an OTP at checkout. You hold your phone or watch near the terminal, confirm it’s you, and you’re done. Your physical card stays in your bag, and you skip the fumbling in a queue.
The audience for this is big. IDC data shows Apple sold 14.4 million iPhones in India in 2025, and iPhone sales there grew 16% that year. Omdia ranks India as the fourth-largest market for iPhone shipments in the second quarter of 2026, behind the US, China and Japan. Many of those users already carry premium credit cards, and this gives them a smoother way to use them.
Let’s keep expectations realistic. UPI runs most of India’s everyday payments, from chai stalls to malls, and Apple Pay isn’t replacing it. Right now it is simply a faster, tidier way to use one bank’s credit cards. The bigger question is how quickly Apple adds more banks and cards, and whether it eventually works with UPI.
For now, if you hold an eligible Axis Bank credit card, try it at a store this week. Everyone else should keep an eye out for more bank announcements.