Apple Pay Finally Comes to India: Why Did It Take So Long?

After years of waiting, Apple Pay has finally arrived in India. Apple officially launched its payment service in India on September 30, 2026, giving iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch users a new way to make payments using supported credit cards. Mac support is also expected to arrive soon.

The initial launch is limited. At the moment, eligible Axis Bank Visa and Mastercard credit cards can be added to Apple Pay. RuPay cards are not supported at launch. Apple says the service can be used at thousands of in-store and online merchants, with acceptance expanding over time.

But one question remains: Why did Apple Pay take so long to come to India?

The answer is more complicated than simply saying Apple delayed the launch.

Apple Pay Took More Than a Decade to Reach India

Apple Pay originally launched in the United States in 2014. Since then, Apple has expanded the service to many countries around the world.

India, however, remained outside the Apple Pay ecosystem for years.

One important reason is that India's payment market developed differently from many other countries. Instead of relying mainly on traditional card payments, India experienced a massive expansion of instant bank-to-bank digital payments through the Unified Payments Interface, better known as UPI.

Today, consumers can scan a QR code and pay directly from their bank account within seconds. This has made digital payments extremely common across everything from large retailers to small local businesses.

Apple Pay follows a different model. It is primarily built around cards, contactless payments and Apple's device ecosystem.

That meant Apple needed more than just permission to launch an app. It needed banks, card networks, payment providers, merchants and the wider payments infrastructure to work together.

India Already Had a Different Payment Habit

This is probably the biggest difference between India and many other markets.

In a traditional card-focused market, a service such as Apple Pay can become a convenient digital layer on top of existing card payments.

In India, however, UPI changed consumer behaviour.

People became accustomed to opening a payment app, scanning a QR code and completing a bank-account payment. Services such as Google Pay, PhonePe and Paytm built their presence around this ecosystem.

Apple Pay, at least at launch, is not a replacement for UPI.

Instead, it gives eligible cardholders another way to use their credit cards, particularly for contactless payments and online purchases.

Reuters reported that UPI accounts for about 84% of India's digital payment volume, highlighting the scale of the challenge Apple Pay enters into.

Regulation and Payment Authentication Also Mattered

Apple has said that launching Apple Pay in a new country requires several pieces to come together, including regulations, payment infrastructure and suitable partners.

According to Apple's Jennifer Bailey, an important development for the Indian launch was the regulatory framework around authentication for digital payments. The ability to use biometric authentication, such as Face ID or Touch ID, is particularly relevant to the Apple Pay experience.

This matters because Apple Pay is designed to make a payment without repeatedly entering card details, PINs or OTPs at checkout.

Instead, depending on the device and transaction, the user can authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID or the device passcode.

That creates a payment experience that is closely connected to Apple's hardware and security architecture.

Why Did Apple Start With Axis Bank?

Apple Pay's first Indian banking partner is Axis Bank.

At launch, eligible Axis Bank customers with Visa and Mastercard credit cards can add their cards to Apple Wallet. Axis Bank confirmed that customers can add eligible cards either through the Axis Bank mobile banking application or directly through Apple Wallet.

Apple's current India support page lists Axis Bank's Visa and Mastercard credit cards as the supported cards at launch and says that the list will be updated as additional banks are added.

This means the launch is not yet a universal Apple Pay rollout for every Indian bank customer.

If you have a different bank's card, you may have to wait until that bank becomes supported.

Apple Pay Is Not the Same as UPI

It is important to understand this distinction.

UPI generally moves money directly between bank accounts. Apple Pay, in the initial Indian implementation, works with supported payment cards.

For example, an eligible Axis Bank credit card can be added to Apple Wallet. When the user pays at a compatible contactless terminal, Apple Pay securely communicates the payment credentials required by the card network.

The actual card number is not simply handed over to the merchant.

Apple says Apple Pay uses a unique device account number and transaction-specific security information, while the actual card number is not stored on the device or shared with the merchant during payment.

This is one of the major differences between simply storing a physical card and using a digital wallet designed around device-based security.

How Does Apple Pay Work in India?

Using Apple Pay is relatively straightforward for supported cards.

First, the eligible card needs to be added to Apple Wallet.

For an in-store payment, the user can double-click the side button on a compatible iPhone, authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID or the device passcode, and hold the device near a contactless payment terminal.

Apple Watch users can similarly authenticate and hold the watch near a supported contactless reader.

For online purchases and supported applications, Apple Pay can reduce the need to repeatedly enter card numbers and other payment information.

Apple says users can continue receiving the rewards and benefits associated with their eligible cards when using Apple Pay.

Where Can Apple Pay Be Used?

Apple says Apple Pay is being accepted across millions of merchants in India, including businesses such as Blinkit, Croma, Ixigo, Reliance brands, Tata 1mg and Zomato.

However, acceptance can depend on the payment infrastructure being used by a merchant.

For in-store transactions, the terminal needs to support contactless payments. Having a card machine does not automatically mean that every payment method will work on it.

Apple has worked with payment service providers including Cashfree, JusPay, Mswipe, Paytm, PayU, Pine Labs, Razorpay and Worldline to expand Apple Pay acceptance across merchant networks.

What About RuPay?

One important limitation of the initial launch is RuPay.

Apple Pay currently supports eligible Axis Bank Visa and Mastercard credit cards, while RuPay is not supported at launch.

That could become an important area to watch as Apple expands its partnerships in India.

RuPay has a significant presence in India's domestic payments ecosystem, so future support could potentially make Apple Pay relevant to a broader group of cardholders.

However, Apple has not announced a confirmed timeline for RuPay support.

Why Is Apple Pay Launching Now?

The timing makes more sense when India's payment ecosystem is considered as a whole.

India's digital payments infrastructure has matured significantly. At the same time, credit card usage has grown, and Apple has continued expanding its presence in the Indian market.

Apple Pay can therefore target a specific part of the market rather than trying to replace India's entire digital payment system.

The service also fits naturally into Apple's broader ecosystem.

An iPhone, Apple Watch and Apple Wallet can work together to provide a payment experience that requires fewer physical cards and fewer manual steps.

Apple says Apple Pay is now available in more than 90 countries and regions and works with more than 11,000 bank and network partners globally.

Will Apple Pay Replace UPI in India?

At this stage, there is little reason to view Apple Pay and UPI as direct replacements for each other.

They solve somewhat different problems.

UPI is deeply integrated into India's everyday payment behaviour, especially QR-code payments and direct bank-account transactions.

Apple Pay's initial Indian offering is focused on supported credit cards, contactless payments and online checkout.

That means an iPhone user could potentially use UPI for one transaction and Apple Pay for another, depending on the payment method, card and merchant.

The bigger question is whether Apple will expand Apple Pay's capabilities and banking partnerships in India over time.

What Happens Next?

The September 2026 launch is only the beginning.

Apple will need to expand its bank partnerships if it wants more Indian users to access Apple Pay. The company has also indicated that more merchants and applications will support the service over time.

Additional bank support could make a major difference because the current launch is restricted to eligible Axis Bank Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Mac support is also listed as coming soon.

For consumers, the most important development to watch will be whether Apple Pay expands beyond its initial card and bank support.

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Final Thoughts

Apple Pay's arrival in India is significant, but it is not simply the launch of another payment app.

India already has one of the world's most developed real-time payment ecosystems through UPI. That made Apple's entry different from its expansion into many other markets.

The long delay appears to have been connected to the need to align regulations, authentication standards, payment infrastructure, card networks, banks and merchant acceptance.

Apple now has that foundation in place for its initial launch with Axis Bank.

For Indian iPhone users with eligible cards, Apple Pay offers another way to pay—particularly through contactless transactions and online checkout.

Whether it becomes a mainstream payment method or remains mainly an option for Apple's existing customer base will depend on future bank partnerships, merchant adoption and how the service develops in India's highly competitive digital payments market.

For now, one thing is clear: after more than a decade, Apple Pay is finally available in India.