Apple Pay has officially launched in India on September 30, 2026, with Axis Bank as its first card partner. At launch, the service supports Axis Bank Visa and Mastercard credit cards, allowing eligible users to pay with their Apple devices instead of carrying physical cards. The rollout marks the start of Apple’s payments journey in one of the world’s largest digital payments markets.
Apple Pay works on iPhone and Apple Watch models that come with NFC and biometric authentication, using either Face ID or Touch ID to verify payments. However, UPI and RuPay card support are not available at launch. Since UPI dominates everyday digital payments in India, this leaves a significant part of the ecosystem outside the service for now.
Users can pay in stores and online across a mix of merchants, including Apple Store, Blinkit, Chaayos, Comet, Croma, Interflora, Ixigo, Le15 Patisserie, Reliance brands, Tata 1mg and Zomato. The list covers retail, food, travel, gifting and healthcare, pointing to a broad push across everyday spending categories.
To support acceptance, Apple has partnered with payment processors including Cashfree, JusPay, Mswipe, Paytm, PayU, Pine Labs, Razorpay and Worldline. This gives merchants of different sizes a route to accept payments through the platform. With only one bank partner and no UPI or RuPay support at the start, the next phase will depend on how quickly more banks and payment networks come on board.
