Apple Pay Launches in India: Axis Bank Cards Supported, but UPI and RuPay Are Missing at Launch
After years of waiting, Apple Pay is officially available in India.
Apple launched its contactless payment service in the country on September 30, 2026, allowing eligible users to make payments using an iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad.
However, the initial rollout is much narrower than India’s enormous digital-payments market might suggest.
At launch, Apple Pay supports eligible Visa and Mastercard credit cards issued by Axis Bank. India’s RuPay cards are not currently supported, and Apple Pay has not launched with UPI integration.
That means Apple Pay is entering India primarily as a card-based contactless payment option, rather than as a replacement for the QR-code and bank-to-bank UPI payments used by hundreds of millions of consumers.
Apple Pay India Launch: What Works Right Now?
The initial rollout can be understood simply:
Apple Pay: Available in India
Launch date: September 30, 2026
First banking partner: Axis Bank
Visa credit cards: Supported if eligible
Mastercard credit cards: Supported if eligible
RuPay cards: Not supported at launch
UPI: Not supported at launch
iPhone: Supported on compatible models
Apple Watch: Supported on compatible models
iPad: Supported for apps and online payments
Mac: Support coming later
Apple says users can make payments in physical stores, apps and on websites where Apple Pay is supported.
Which Cards Support Apple Pay in India?
For now, access is limited to eligible Axis Bank credit cards operating on the Visa and Mastercard networks.
This is an important limitation.
Having an iPhone does not automatically mean every Indian credit or debit card can immediately be added to Apple Pay.
Reuters reported that Axis Bank is the first Indian bank offering Apple Pay and had approximately 16.3 million credit cards outstanding as of August, while India had about 124 million credit cards overall.
The potential addressable market could therefore expand significantly if additional banks eventually join.
What About HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Other Banks?
Apple Pay does not begin its India journey with all major banks participating.
Reuters previously reported that Apple had held discussions with HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, but commercial terms had not been agreed at the time of the September 30 launch.
Therefore, customers should not assume that a Visa or Mastercard from another bank will work simply because the card network itself is supported.
The issuing bank must also support Apple Pay.
Additional banks could be added later, but users should wait for official announcements rather than relying on unconfirmed lists circulating online.
Does Apple Pay Support UPI in India?
No, not at launch.
This is probably the most important distinction for Indian users.
Apple Pay has entered India using credit-card payment rails rather than the country’s Unified Payments Interface.
UPI directly connects participating bank accounts and has become the dominant digital payment method for everyday purchases in India.
Apple Pay, meanwhile, initially stores an eligible Axis Bank credit card digitally and allows the user to authenticate and pay using an Apple device.
Reuters notes that UPI accounts for around 84% of India’s digital-payment volume, based on IMF data, highlighting the scale difference Apple faces as it enters the market.
So an Apple Pay launch should not be interpreted as Apple replacing UPI on the iPhone.
They are currently different payment systems.
Apple Pay vs UPI: What Is the Difference?
For a consumer, both systems can make paying with a phone convenient, but the underlying transaction is different.
With traditional UPI, money is transferred using the UPI system from a linked bank account.
With Apple Pay’s current India implementation, an eligible credit card remains the underlying payment instrument.
Apple Pay essentially turns the compatible Apple device into a secure interface for using that card.
That distinction also means the two systems may serve different payment habits.
A customer buying something inexpensive from a neighbourhood merchant may continue scanning a UPI QR code.
A customer using an eligible credit card at a compatible contactless terminal could instead authenticate on an iPhone or Apple Watch and tap to pay.
Business Standard reported that UPI processed 24.51 billion transactions worth ₹29.82 trillion in August, while credit-card spending during the month stood at approximately ₹2.02 trillion.
Those figures illustrate why Apple Pay is entering a market where UPI already has an enormous head start.
RuPay Cards Are Also Missing
The other major limitation is RuPay.
Cards issued on India’s domestic RuPay network are not eligible for Apple Pay at launch, Reuters reported.
This means an Axis Bank customer still needs to check the network on the specific eligible credit card.
A supported Visa or Mastercard may work, while a RuPay card currently will not.
Whether RuPay support will be added later has not been confirmed in the launch information reviewed here.
How to Set Up Apple Pay in India
For eligible Axis Bank customers, setup is relatively straightforward.
Users can add an eligible card through the latest version of the Axis Bank app.
Alternatively, on an iPhone:
Open the Wallet app.
Tap the + button.
Follow the instructions to add the eligible credit card.
Complete the required bank verification.
Once the card has been successfully added, it can be used with Apple Pay.
Apple says an eligible card can begin working through Apple Pay after the setup and verification process is complete.
How Do You Pay in a Store?
At a compatible contactless terminal, the process is different from scanning a normal UPI QR code.
The user can double-click the side button—or Home button on supported devices—authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID or the device passcode, and then hold the iPhone or Apple Watch near the contactless payment reader.
The transaction then uses the eligible card stored in Apple Wallet.
This can eliminate the need to physically remove a credit card from a wallet for compatible transactions.
No Card PIN or OTP at Apple Pay Checkout
One of Apple’s main selling points for the India launch is reducing checkout friction.
Apple says users can make supported Apple Pay transactions without manually entering their card PIN or an OTP at the checkout stage, with authentication instead handled through the Apple device.
For online purchases, Apple Pay can also remove the repeated process of typing card numbers, billing information and other checkout details at participating merchants.
This could be particularly useful for online purchases on an iPhone or iPad.
However, this does not mean every transaction everywhere will automatically work identically. Merchant support, payment infrastructure, issuer requirements and other factors can still affect individual transactions.
Which iPhones Support Apple Pay in India?
According to Apple’s India launch information, Apple Pay requires an iPhone XR or later running iOS 18 or later.
For Apple Watch, the service requires an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 11 or later, paired with an iPhone XR or later.
Mac support is expected later.
This means users with older Apple devices may not be able to use the service even if they have an otherwise eligible Axis Bank card.
Where Can Apple Pay Be Used in India?
Apple says Apple Pay will be accepted by millions of merchants across India as the rollout begins.
Launch partners named by Apple include Blinkit, Croma, ixigo, Tata 1mg and Zomato, among others.
Apple has also worked with payment-service providers to expand merchant acceptance.
The company says Apple Pay can also work anywhere compatible NFC transactions are accepted, subject to issuer and merchant support.
Can Apple Pay Work Without Internet in a Store?
For supported in-store transactions, the phone itself does not necessarily need an active Wi-Fi or mobile-data connection at the moment it communicates with the contactless terminal.
The payment interaction uses NFC, or Near Field Communication.
However, connectivity can still be needed for other functions, and transaction information may update after the device reconnects.
This is another difference from the QR-based payment experience many Indian consumers associate with mobile payments.
What Happens to Credit Card Rewards?
Adding a supported card to Apple Pay does not mean giving up the card’s normal rewards.
Apple says customers will continue earning the rewards and benefits offered by their eligible cards when using them through Apple Pay.
That could be important in India, where credit-card users frequently choose payment methods based on cashback, reward points, discounts and other card benefits.
Is Apple Pay Secure?
Apple Pay does not simply expose the actual credit-card number every time a transaction is made.
According to Apple, the actual card number is not stored on the Apple device or Apple’s servers and is not shared by Apple with merchants.
Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned and stored in the device’s Secure Element.
Transactions are then authenticated through the device.
Mastercard says its Apple Pay transactions use tokenisation, meaning the merchant receives a cryptographically secured payment credential rather than the user’s original card details.
Apple also says it does not retain transaction information that can be tied back to an individual user.
What If an iPhone Is Lost?
If an Apple Pay-enabled iPhone is lost or stolen, Apple says users can use Find My to locate or lock the device and suspend payments.
Device authentication also means simply possessing a lost iPhone should not by itself provide unrestricted access to Apple Pay.
Users should still act quickly if a device or payment card is lost and follow their bank’s normal security procedures.
Apple Pay Arrives as India’s Credit Card Market Expands
UPI dominates India’s digital-payment volume, but the country’s credit-card market is also growing.
Business Standard, citing RBI data, reported approximately 124.05 million outstanding credit cards in August 2026, up from 112.34 million a year earlier.
That gives Apple a potentially growing market even without immediately competing for every small UPI transaction.
The company’s likely early audience is narrower: iPhone and Apple Watch owners who also use supported credit cards and regularly shop at merchants with compatible payment infrastructure.
That group may be smaller than India’s overall UPI population, but it could still represent a valuable segment of consumers.
Apple Pay Is Not a UPI Replacement
The biggest misconception surrounding today’s launch could be the idea that Apple Pay is a new version of UPI for iPhone users.
It isn’t.
At least at launch, Apple Pay and UPI operate on different payment rails.
Apple Pay India: eligible credit card → Visa/Mastercard network → merchant.
UPI: linked bank account → UPI network → recipient/merchant.
The physical experience can also differ.
Traditional UPI transactions are commonly initiated by scanning QR codes.
Apple Pay’s in-store experience is based on bringing an iPhone or Apple Watch close to a compatible NFC terminal.
UPI itself is also moving into contactless payments through newer Tap & Pay functionality, meaning the distinction between “QR payment” and “tap payment” may become less obvious to consumers over time.
Interesting Timing: UPI Charges Are Also Changing
Apple Pay’s arrival comes at an especially interesting moment for India’s pyments industry.
From October 15, a 0.4% merchant discount rate is scheduled to apply to specified UPI merchant transactions above ₹2,000 under India’s new framework, while person-to-person UPI transfers remain free.
The charge applies to merchants under the specified framework rather than directly to customers.
That does not mean Apple Pay suddenly becomes cheaper than UPI; card payments have their own merchant economics.
But it makes the timing notable because India is simultaneously debating how its massive digital-payment infrastructure should be funded.
Why Apple Pay’s India Launch Matters
India is very different from many markets where Apple Pay expanded earlier.
Apple is not introducing smartphone payments to consumers unfamiliar with paying digitally.
It is entering a country where scanning a QR code with a phone has already become routine.
That changes the competitive question.
Apple Pay does not need to convince Indians that phones can be used for payments.
Instead, it needs to convince eligible iPhone users that storing and using their credit cards through Apple Wallet provides enough convenience to become part of their existing payment habits.
The answer will depend heavily on three things:
How quickly additional banks join.
Whether RuPay eventually becomes supported.
And whether Apple introduces deeper compatibility with India’s UPI ecosystem.
For now, Apple’s India payment journey has officially begun—but in a deliberately limited form.
Apple Pay is live. Axis Bank is first. Visa and Mastercard credit cards are supported. UPI and RuPay are not.
That makes September 30 an important milestone for Apple in India, but today’s launch is more accurately viewed as the beginning of Apple Pay’s India expansion rather than the finished version of it.