Apple Pay India: 3 Cards That Work, 1 That Won't

Apple Pay is now live in India but only works with select Visa and Mastercard credit cards from Axis Bank. UPI, RuPay cards, and most major banks like HDFC, ICICI, and SBI Card are not supported at launch. Here's what this means for your wallet.

Here's what happened: Apple Pay launched in India supporting only Axis Bank Visa and Mastercard credit cards at launch, leaving out most major bank cards.. UPI and RuPay card networks are not compatible with Apple Pay at launch due to unresolved technical and commercial network agreements.. HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and SBI Card — India's three largest credit card issuers — are not part of the initial launch rollout..

What you should do: Check if your card is an Axis Bank Visa or Mastercard credit card — only then open the iPhone Wallet app and add it to Apple Pay right now.. Avoid assuming Apple Pay replaces your UPI apps like GPay, PhonePe, or Paytm — keep them active for all QR-code and bank-to-bank payments.. Watch your bank's official app notifications or website for Apple Pay support announcements — HDFC and ICICI are expected to join in later phases..

Apple Pay uses NFC tokenisation — your real card number is never shared with the merchant, which reduces fraud risk compared to swiping your physical card at POS terminals.