Apple Pay Is Coming to India: What You Need to Know
Apple Pay is set to launch in India on September 29, 2026, with Axis Bank as its first bank partner. Eligible Axis Bank customers will be able to add their credit cards to the Wallet app on iPhone for online shopping and tap-to-pay in stores that support it, according to sources reported by TechCrunch.
At first, only Axis Bank credit cards on Visa and Mastercard will work. Cards on India's RuPay system will not work at launch. Stores and card machines will also need to turn on support, so it will not work everywhere.
Apple is seeking a fee of about 20 basis points on each Apple Pay payment in India. That equals 0.2%, or 20 paise for every 100 rupees paid. HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and SBI Card are not expected to offer it at launch.
Earlier September reporting based on information from three sources familiar with the matter said Apple had talked with HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank about Apple Pay support but had not agreed final terms, as summarized by The Next Web. Axis Bank is the fourth-largest credit card issuer in India, according to Payments Journal. Apple accounted for 28% of India's smartphone market by value in 2025, up from 23% a year earlier, per Counterpoint Research cited in the Sept. 29 reporting.
The broader context here is a small start. One bank. Two card types. Only some stores. Availability is limited.
In my view, starting small makes practical sense. Apple can test adding cards and taking payments with one partner while talks with bigger banks continue. For now, whether you can use it depends on two things. Do you have the right Axis Bank card. And does that store or website accept it.
Worth flagging for the longer term is what going live allows. Once real payments flow, banks and stores can see costs and problems in practice. That record usually makes later deals easier. If more banks join, more iPhone users will get an easy way to pay with a face or fingerprint check, like using a secure stand-in for their card number instead of the real one.
