Apple Pay has taken another step towards wider adoption in India, with digital payments company PayU enabling the service across its merchant network.
The integration allows merchants using PayU’s payment infrastructure to offer Apple Pay as an additional payment option at supported online checkouts and contactless payment points.
Apple Pay was launched in India on September 30, with Axis Bank becoming its first banking partner. At present, the service is available only to customers holding eligible Axis Bank Visa or Mastercard credit cards.
RuPay cards are not supported at launch.
At physical stores, users can double-click the side button on their iPhone, authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID or the device passcode and hold the phone near an NFC-enabled payment terminal.
Apple Watch users can also make contactless payments at supported terminals.
Apple Pay can additionally be used for purchases on compatible apps and websites, reducing the need to repeatedly enter card details and billing information.
The service currently supports iPhone XR or later models running iOS 18 or above. Apple Watch Series 6 or newer devices running watchOS 11 or later are also supported.
PayU says its integration will allow a large number of merchants on its network to add Apple Pay to their existing checkout systems.
For businesses, this provides another payment option alongside UPI, cards, net banking, EMI, wallets and pay-later services.
For customers, however, actual availability will depend on whether the merchant supports Apple Pay and whether the user has an eligible card.
Apple says actual card numbers are not stored on the device or its servers and are not shared with merchants during transactions.
Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned to the card and stored securely on the device. Each payment also requires authentication, adding an additional layer of security.
The launch brings Apple Pay into an Indian digital payments market dominated by UPI. For now, the service is positioned mainly as a contactless and online card-payment option for Apple users, with broader adoption likely to depend on more banks, cards and merchants joining the ecosystem.