Wallet, payments, and identity
Apple Pay and Wallet
Most people call this paying by holding the phone to a reader.
Wallet holds your cards and Apple Pay authorises payments with Face ID or Touch ID, sending a device specific number rather than your real card number.
This setting is present on your iPhone.
Where to find it - iOS 8
- Settings
- Passbook & Apple Pay
What it does
The merchant never sees your card number. Double-Click Side Button decides whether a double press opens Wallet. Express Transit lets a transit card work without authentication so you can tap and go.
What changes
When it is on
You can pay by holding the phone to a reader.
When it is off
Wallet and contactless payment are unavailable.
Should you turn it on?
Good reasons to turn it on
- The merchant never sees your real card number.
- Every payment needs your face or fingerprint.
- Works when you have left your wallet behind.
Good reasons to turn it off
- Express Transit works without authentication, so a thief could use it.
- Double-Click Side Button can open Wallet by accident.
Battery
No real change
Privacy
Helps
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
No real change
Out of the box: Offered during setup. Express Transit is off until you enable it.
Worth reading first
Where this setting used to live
Apple moves settings between releases. This is every location we have on file.
-
iOS 16 and later
Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay
-
iOS 8
Settings > Passbook & Apple Pay
Questions people actually ask
- Is Apple Pay safer than a card?
- The merchant receives a device specific number rather than your card number, and every payment needs biometric confirmation.
- Can someone use my phone to pay if they steal it?
- Not for normal payments, which need Face ID or Touch ID. An Express Transit card is the exception.
If it is not working
- Apple Pay requires a passcode. Removing the passcode removes the cards.
- Express Cards with Power Reserve keeps a transit card working for a period after the battery dies.
- If a payment fails, check the card is set as the default and that the phone is unlocked.