Apple Pay is a mobile payment system developed by Apple Inc. It allows users to make payments using their iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. The system uses near-field communication (NFC) technology to transmit payment information between devices.
To use Apple Pay, you first need to add your credit or debit card to the Wallet app on your iOS device. To add a card, you must enter the card’s security code and billing address for verification purposes. You can then select which cards you want to use with Apple Pay on your devices.
When making a purchase using Apple Pay at a compatible registers, you simply place your iPhone or iPad near the register’s NFC reader and authorize the payment using Touch ID. Your credit card number is hidden and a virtual account number is used instead. The sale will be authorized and completed in the background, while your device’s screen remains locked. Unlike traditional smartphone payments that use your phone’s entire screen to authorize a transaction, Apple Pay keeps your information private until you’re ready to buy something, while still making the transactions faster and more secure.
Apple Pay also makes it easier to keep all of your credit cards organized in one convenient place. For example, you no longer have to carry around several different loyalty cards or store club coupons separately. Apple Pay includes support for both these types of cards within its Passbook app.
Security and Privacy
Apple Pay uses a number of security measures to protect user information and transactions. The system requires fingerprint authentication from the iPhone or Apple Watch owner in order to verify payments. In addition, transactions are authorized using a virtual account number instead of your actual credit card. Your name and billing address never have to be shared with merchants when you use Apple Pay, and merchants will never receive your actual credit card information.
If you lose your iPhone or iPad with Apple Pay enabled, you can use Find My iPhone to quickly suspend all payments from the device. You can also create a passcode lock or erase all content on the device if it is completely lost or stolen for extra protection while using Apple Pay.
Apple Pay is available in a growing number of countries and regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, China, France and Spain. The system works with most major credit and debit cards from participating banks. You can find a list of compatible banks and cards on Apple’s website.
If you’re not sure whether a merchant accepts Apple Pay, look for one of these symbols at the checkout counter:
Apple Pay is becoming a more popular way to make payments, and it’s likely that you’ll be able to use it at more and more places in the future. So far, it’s been accepted by many popular retailers, including Macy’s, Whole Foods, Walgreens, Subway and Starbucks.
If you’re an iPhone or iPad owner and haven’t tried Apple Pay yet, it’s definitely worth giving it a go. It’s fast, easy and more secure than traditional methods of payment. And with the addition of support for loyalty cards and store club coupons, there’s really no reason not to give it a try.