🍏 Apple Pay Is Finally Live in India (Axis Bank Cards First): How to Add Your Card, Rewards & Is It Better Than Google Pay?
📅 Updated as of 30 Sep 2026. Apple Pay has just gone live in India. We’ll update this post as more banks and card types join.
After nearly a decade of “coming soon”, Indian iPhone users can finally tap their phones at the counter for something other than scanning a QR code. Apple Pay is live in India, and Axis Bank is the first bank on board, with its Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards.
We added our own Axis Magnus for Burgundy and Axis Atlas this morning, and both went through. Setup took about two minutes per card, including a quick hop to the Axis app for verification. Here’s everything you need to know, points-nerd style.
⚡ TL;DR
- ✅ Works with: Axis Bank credit and debit cards on Visa and Mastercard.
- ❌ Not yet: RuPay, Diners Club, Amex network cards, and every other bank. We tried our HDFC, ICICI and Amex cards; all three were rejected. HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank are reportedly still negotiating.
- 📱 Where: tap-to-pay at contactless terminals that accept it, plus online and in-app checkouts that show the Apple Pay button. Works on iPhone and Apple Watch.
- 🎯 Points: Apple Pay is still your Axis card underneath, so you should earn your card’s normal EDGE Rewards or Miles. Check your first statement to be sure.
- 🚫 No UPI. This isn’t Apple’s answer to Google Pay’s UPI; it’s a digital wallet for your credit card.
📲 How to Add Your Axis Card (2 Minutes)
Here’s exactly what we saw when adding our own Axis Magnus card. These are real screenshots, with card numbers hidden.
- Update your iPhone, open the Wallet app and tap + → Debit or Credit Card → Continue.
- Scan your Axis credit card with the camera, or tap Enter Card Details Manually and type in the number, expiry date and CVV. Wallet shows “Contacting the Card Issuer…” while it checks with Axis.
- Your card appears in Wallet with “Verification Required”. Tap Complete Verification.
- Choose Verify With App: Axis Bank Mobile Banking and tap Next. The Axis app opens; log in and approve.
- Done! ✅ Your card is ready to tap. (You can also tap Complete Verification Later, but the card won’t work until you’ve verified it.)
- Got an Apple Watch? Open the Watch app → Wallet & Apple Pay → add the same card. It syncs in seconds.
💳 Which Axis Cards Work?
| Card type | Apple Pay? |
|---|---|
| Axis credit cards on Visa or Mastercard (check the logo on your card, e.g. Magnus, Reserve, Select) | ✅ Yes |
| Axis Magnus for Burgundy and Axis Atlas | ✅ Yes, tested by DealUni |
| Axis credit cards on RuPay (including RuPay variants used for UPI) | ❌ Not yet |
| Axis Diners Club or Amex network cards | ❌ Not yet |
| Axis debit cards on Visa or Mastercard | ✅ Yes, tested by DealUni |
| HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Amex India cards | ❌ Not yet. We tried all three and got the same message: “Your Issuer Does Not Yet Offer Support for This Card” |
| SBI Card and other banks | ⏳ Not yet |
🎯 Do You Still Earn Points?
You should. Apple Pay doesn’t change who you’re paying. It sends a secure stand-in number (a “token”) instead of your real card number. The merchant’s category stays the same, so your card’s usual earn rules should apply: EDGE Miles on Atlas, EDGE Rewards on Magnus, and the rest.
What won’t change: the exclusions. Fuel, rent, wallet loads, gift cards and government payments that earn nothing on a swipe won’t suddenly earn on a tap either. And forex markup still applies when you tap abroad.
🥊 Apple Pay vs Google Pay vs Samsung Wallet
| 🍏 Apple Pay | 🟢 Google Pay | 🔵 Samsung Wallet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phones | iPhone + Apple Watch | Android | Samsung Galaxy |
| UPI payments | ❌ No | ✅ Yes, its main strength | ✅ Yes |
| Tap-to-pay with credit card | ✅ Axis only (for now) | ✅ Many banks | ✅ Many banks |
| Card rewards on tap | ✅ Card’s normal rate | ✅ Card’s normal rate | ✅ Card’s normal rate |
| Works abroad | ✅ Wherever Apple Pay is accepted | ✅ Where Google Pay is accepted | ⚠️ Patchy |
| Smartwatch payments | ✅ Apple Watch | ✅ Wear OS | ✅ Galaxy Watch |
Tough competition? Yes, but not for UPI. Google Pay’s real strength in India is UPI, and Apple Pay doesn’t do UPI. Where Apple Pay wins is card payments: premium card users (Magnus, Atlas and others) who want the points, a smooth Face ID tap, and the same wallet working in Singapore, London or New York. For the points crowd, that’s a better fit than a UPI app.
✈️ The Traveller’s Angle
- 🌍 Your Axis card on Apple Pay works in countries where Apple Pay is already big, for tapping into the metro, paying at hawker centres and checking out on airline websites.
- 🔐 Safer abroad: your real card number never reaches the merchant, and every payment needs Face ID or Touch ID.
- 💸 But the forex markup still applies. Tapping doesn’t make it cheaper. Pick the Axis card with the lowest markup for international spends, and always pay in the local currency, not INR, when a terminal asks.
❓ FAQ
I have an HDFC Infinia, ICICI or Amex card. Can I use Apple Pay?
Not yet. On launch day we tried adding our HDFC, ICICI and Amex cards. For all three, Wallet stopped us right after we entered the expiry date and security code, with the message below. Until those banks join, keep tapping the physical card. We’ll update this post the day any of them works.
The terminal shows contactless, but Apple Pay failed. Why?
Acceptance at launch depends on the merchant’s terminal and acquiring bank. A terminal that takes your physical card on tap may still not take Apple Pay. Try another counter, or use the card.
Is my card number stored on the iPhone?
No. Apple Pay uses a device-specific token, and each payment is approved with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. If you lose your phone, you can suspend the card from Find My or the Axis app.
📋 DealUni Verdict
If you have an iPhone and an Axis Visa or Mastercard credit or debit card: add it today. It’s free, it’s safer than handing over your card, you keep your points, and it’s brilliant abroad. Don’t get a new Axis card just for Apple Pay, though. Pick cards for the rewards; the wallet comes later. Once HDFC and ICICI join, things get interesting.
Ab phone se tap karo, points waise hi kamao. Bas UPI ke liye Google Pay abhi bhi rakhna padega. (Tap with your phone now and keep earning points the same way. Just hang on to Google Pay for UPI for now.)
Not sure which Axis card earns you the most? Compare earn rates and transfer partners in our Rewards Toolkit, or read our Axis Magnus and Atlas guide.
Based on DealUni’s own setup of Axis Bank cards in Apple Wallet on 30 Sep 2026, with launch details reported by Business Standard and TechCrunch. Card eligibility is decided by Axis Bank; check the Wallet app for your card.
