Apple Pay has officially started rolling out in India, marking a major expansion for Apple’s digital payment service. Axis Bank is the first Indian banking partner to support the service, allowing eligible customers to add supported Visa and Mastercard cards to Apple Wallet.
At launch, Apple Pay can be used for contactless payments at compatible terminals as well as for online purchases. However, support is currently limited, with India’s RuPay network unavailable and major banks such as HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and SBI Card not participating at launch. Negotiations with additional banks are reportedly still ongoing.
Apple says the service will be accepted by millions of merchants across India, including businesses such as Zomato, Blinkit, Croma and Tata 1mg. Apple has also partnered with several payment providers to expand availability, although users may initially find that Apple Pay works at some payment terminals but not others.
The biggest challenge for Apple Pay in India will be UPI, the country’s dominant digital payment system, which allows users to transfer money directly between bank accounts without relying on credit or debit cards. Apple Pay, on the other hand, remains primarily card-based.
Despite that competition, the launch gives Apple another way to serve India’s growing iPhone user base as the company continues expanding its retail presence, manufacturing operations and overall business in the country.
