Apple Pay in India: Can You Pay with UPI?
Apple Pay has launched in India but it does not support UPI or RuPay cards. Right now, only Axis Bank credit card holders on Visa or Mastercard networks can use it. For most Indians, this changes very little about daily payments.
Your ₹30 chai at the local tapri is more likely paid via UPI than Apple Pay will ever reach.
Apple Pay skips UPI — the network powering most of your daily transactions
Key Takeaways
Check whether your card is eligible — only Axis Bank Visa or Mastercard credit cards work with Apple Pay right now; all other cards, debit or RuPay, do not.
Keep your existing UPI app as your primary payment method — Apple Pay cannot be used at UPI QR codes, which cover the vast majority of Indian merchants.
Watch for official announcements from NPCI or Apple about UPI integration before switching any payment habits — no timeline has been confirmed.
Apple Pay has launched in India but it does not support UPI or RuPay cards. Right now, only Axis Bank credit card holders on Visa or Mastercard networks can use it. For most Indians, this changes very little about daily payments.
Here's what happened: Apple Pay has launched in India but without UPI or RuPay support, limiting it to Axis Bank-issued Visa and Mastercard credit card holders at launch.. UPI accounted for roughly 84% of India's digital payment transactions in 2025, meaning Apple Pay currently bypasses the country's dominant payment network.. For Apple Pay to reach mainstream Indian users, Apple would need NPCI authorisation as a Third Party Application Provider — a process that is neither quick nor guaranteed..
What you should do: Check whether your card is eligible — only Axis Bank Visa or Mastercard credit cards work with Apple Pay right now; all other cards, debit or RuPay, do not.. Keep your existing UPI app as your primary payment method — Apple Pay cannot be used at UPI QR codes, which cover the vast majority of Indian merchants.. Watch for official announcements from NPCI or Apple about UPI integration before switching any payment habits — no timeline has been confirmed..
Even if Apple Pay adds UPI later, NPCI's 30% market-share cap for any single payment app could limit how widely Apple Pay is allowed to grow in India.
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This article is reported by GoCredit's Editorial Team based on the source above. GoCredit synthesises, contextualises, and adds India-borrower-relevant analysis. We are not the original publisher.
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