Apple has started rolling out Apple Pay in India, bringing its iPhone-based payments service to one of the world’s largest digital-payment markets after years of anticipation. The initial launch is limited to eligible Axis Bank cards, while other major banks and India’s dominant UPI network remain outside the first phase.
Apple Pay has finally begun its rollout in India, with Axis Bank becoming the first banking partner for the service.
The launch, which began on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, gives eligible Axis Bank customers a new way to use supported credit cards for online purchases and contactless payments. But the initial version of Apple Pay in India is considerably narrower than the company’s established offering in markets where card payments are more deeply embedded.
For now, Apple Pay supports eligible Axis Bank Visa and Mastercard cards. India’s domestic RuPay card network is not included in the initial rollout.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add INDYASTORY on GoogleThe service will also work only at merchants and payment terminals whose payment infrastructure has been enabled for Apple Pay.
Apple Pay in India: What works at launch?
Eligible Axis Bank customers can add supported credit cards to Apple’s Wallet application and use them for payments where Apple Pay is accepted.
The initial service covers:
| Feature | Launch status |
|---|---|
| Axis Bank cards | Supported for eligible cards |
| Visa | Supported |
| Mastercard | Supported |
| RuPay | Not supported at launch |
| Online payments | Supported at participating merchants |
| Contactless payments | Supported at enabled terminals |
| UPI bank-to-bank payments | Not the model used by Apple Pay |
Apple says the service will be available at millions of merchants across India. The launch list supplied for the rollout includes brands such as Blinkit, Croma, Ixigo, Reliance brands, Tata 1mg and Zomato.
Apple has also worked with payment providers including Cashfree, JusPay, Mswipe, Paytm, PayU, Pine Labs, Razorpay and Worldline to support acceptance.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add INDYASTORY on GoogleWhy Apple Pay is different from UPI
The arrival of Apple Pay in India is notable partly because it enters a payments market built around a very different system.
India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) allows consumers to transfer money directly between bank accounts, often using QR codes and mobile applications. It has become a central part of everyday digital payments in the country.
Apple Pay follows a different model.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add INDYASTORY on GoogleRather than creating a direct bank-account payment rail, Apple Pay uses supported payment cards stored digitally in Apple Wallet. That means banks, card networks, acquiring systems and payment providers all need to support the service.
This makes the rollout more dependent on individual financial institutions and payment infrastructure than a typical UPI transaction.
In practical terms, an iPhone user may have an eligible Apple Pay card and still encounter a merchant terminal where Apple Pay does not work because the underlying payment infrastructure has not yet been enabled.
Why Apple Pay’s initial rollout is limited
The first phase begins with Axis Bank, while some of India’s largest card issuers are not yet participating.
According to the reporting supplied with the story, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and SBI Card are not supporting Apple Pay at launch as discussions over commercial terms continue.
People familiar with the negotiations told TechCrunch that Apple is seeking a transaction fee of approximately 20 basis points, or 0.2%.
The same reporting put the margin available in the relevant payments layer at roughly 40 to 50 basis points, meaning Apple’s proposed fee could represent a significant share of that economics.
Apple and the banks named in the report had not responded to requests for comment at the time of the cited reporting.
These commercial discussions help explain why Apple Pay’s Indian debut is starting with a narrower banking lineup rather than immediately supporting all major card issuers.
Apple Pay acceptance could vary from one terminal to another
Another issue for early users is that acceptance may not be uniform.
Payment terminals can be connected to different acquiring banks and payment infrastructure providers. One terminal may have Apple Pay enabled while another terminal at a different location may not yet support it.
That means a customer with a compatible Axis Bank card could potentially find Apple Pay working at one merchant and unavailable at another.
This distinction is important because the phrase “millions of merchants” does not necessarily mean every payment terminal operated by those merchants will be immediately configured for Apple Pay.
The rollout is therefore likely to expand gradually as more acquiring infrastructure and financial institutions participate.
Could Apple’s iPhone customer base drive adoption?
Despite India’s overwhelming reliance on UPI, Apple Pay is entering a potentially valuable segment of the market.
Apple has been expanding its presence in India through higher iPhone sales, local manufacturing and physical retail operations. The company’s devices also have a relatively strong presence among consumers who use premium smartphones and credit cards.
That audience could give Apple Pay a starting customer base even if the service remains much smaller than UPI in overall transaction volume.
For banks, the question is whether enough high-value customers actively want to pay using their iPhones to justify the cost of supporting another payment platform.
For Apple, the opportunity extends beyond convenience.
A transaction-based payment service could provide another way for the company to generate revenue from its growing installed base in India.
Apple’s India business is expanding beyond the iPhone
The Apple Pay launch is part of a wider expansion of Apple’s business in India.
According to the Counterpoint Research figure cited in the supplied report, Apple accounted for 28% of India’s smartphone market by value in 2025, up from 23% a year earlier.
India has also become increasingly important to Apple’s manufacturing strategy.
A TechCrunch report cited with the original material said India was already responsible for approximately one-quarter of global iPhone production. A separate Business Standard report, citing an Indian government official, said India’s share could potentially rise to 30% to 35% over the next five years.
These figures underline why payments could become another strategically relevant part of Apple’s Indian expansion.
The larger the company’s installed base becomes, the more useful an integrated payments ecosystem can be.
Apple Pay enters a market where QR payments are already mainstream
The biggest challenge for Apple Pay may not be technical.
Indian consumers already have a highly developed habit of making digital payments through UPI QR codes. The system works across banks and payment applications and does not require consumers to rely on a particular smartphone manufacturer.
Apple Pay therefore does not arrive in a market waiting for mobile payments.
Instead, it enters a market where mobile payments are already deeply established and attempts to offer a different experience centred on Apple devices and payment cards.
That could make Apple Pay particularly relevant to users who already prefer credit cards, contactless payments and the Apple Wallet ecosystem.
What Apple Pay users should know
For customers considering Apple Pay in India, the initial limitations are important.
At launch, users need an eligible Axis Bank card, and the card must operate on a supported network. RuPay cards are not part of the initial offering described in the supplied launch information.
Customers also need to use merchants and payment terminals where Apple Pay has been enabled.
As additional banks and payment providers complete integrations, those limitations could ease. The scale of the eventual service will depend heavily on how quickly Apple expands its banking partnerships and payment acceptance network.
What comes next for Apple Pay in India?
The launch is an important first step, but it is only the beginning of Apple’s payments push in India.
The immediate questions are whether major banks such as HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and SBI Card will join, whether RuPay support will eventually be added, and how quickly Apple Pay acceptance becomes widespread across different merchant payment systems.
India’s huge UPI ecosystem also means Apple Pay will have to establish its value without replacing the country’s dominant bank-to-bank payments infrastructure.
That could leave the service occupying a more specialised position: an iPhone-focused, card-based payment option aimed at consumers who want to use their stored cards through Apple’s ecosystem.
For Apple, however, even a comparatively narrow payments business could become more significant as its hardware presence in India grows.
Apple Pay has arrived in India, but its first chapter is likely to be defined less by replacing UPI than by building a new card-based payment option around Apple’s growing customer base.
