Apple Pay launches in India, initially supporting only Axis Bank cards

After more than ten years since the feature’s inception, Apple has finally rolled out its contactless payment service to the world's most populated country. The delay stemmed from the need to comply with local banking regulations before the launch could proceed.

Limited initial card support

Currently, the service exclusively supports Visa and MasterCard credit cards issued by Axis Bank. It does not yet work with cards from other major institutions such as the State Bank of India or HDFC Bank. Additionally, the platform lacks support for RuPay, India's domestic credit card network.

TechCrunch reports that Apple intends to impose a 0.2 percent fee per transaction. Terms regarding this structure remain under negotiation with other banks in the region.

Merchant acceptance and usage

The payment method will function only on terminals enabled for Apple Pay. In its announcement, the company stated that "millions of merchants across India" would accept the service at launch. This includes Apple Store locations, Blinkit, Chaayos, Comet, Croma, Interflora, Ixigo, Le15 Patisserie, Reliance brands, Tata 1mg, Zomato, and others.

Users can add their Axis Bank cards through the bank's app or by tapping the plus sign inside the Wallet app and following the instructions, mirroring the process used in other regions.

Market share context

While Android devices continue to dominate India's smartphone market, Counterpoint Research told CNBC that Apple's volume market share is likely to reach 10 percent this year. This growth is attributed to strong demand for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models.