PSA: You Should Be Using Apple Pay All The Time
I love Apple Pay, and you will too. Let me tell you why.
First things first, it’s important to make the distinction between Apple Pay, the payment facilitation service, and Apple Card, Apple’s recently launched credit card offering. This article is about the payment facilitation service, bu you can click here to see my thoughts on Apple Card, if you’re interested.
There are two primary reasons that I love Apple Pay: financial security/privacy protections and convenience. In both areas, Apple Pay is truly top of class.
Convenience
When it comes to convenience, Apple Pay is hard to beat because it’s lightning fast and can be used in a variety of contexts.
Primarily, Apple Pay was designed to replace your physical card when you need to pay for something in a brick and mortar store. It works a lot faster than the chip cards, and it doesn’t require any physical contact between your device and the payment terminal (this is obviously a plus, given that we’re in the middle of a pandemic). After you’ve added your card to Apple Pay, the Wallet app will offer more detailed transaction lists than most bank accounts provide (whether you used the version of your card in Apple Pay or the physical card), which are easy to read and even include location data so you know exactly where that transaction took place. It really comes in handy if you need to purchase something and find you’ve forgotten your wallet or purse. Most retailers accept Apple Pay these days, and I personally prefer to shop at places that do because it’s so much faster than swiping or inserting a physical card. You can use Apple Pay anywhere you see one of these two symbols:
However, Apple Pay isn’t limited to in-store use: you can also use Apple Pay in apps and on websites on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac to quickly pay for things with just one step. It’s great when you want to order something from a merchant you don’t frequently purchase from because it keeps your payment information private and doesn’t require you to create an account with that retailer.
Most recently, Apple Pay has expanded to allow individuals to send money to other Apple Pay users directly through the built in Messages apps from their iPhone, Apple Watch, or iPad. This expansion challenges popular services like Venmo and the Cash App, and it gives Apple users another, more convenient option to send money to their friends without needing to install separate apps that have their own security and privacy baggage. To facilitate payments between individuals, Apple has also created a digital Apple Cash card, which works just like your other credit and debit cards. Whenever you receive money from someone, this card is essentially the debit card account where that money lives, until you either spend it using Apple Pay (which you can do in stores or online), send it to someone else, or transfer the funds to your bank account.
Security & Privacy
A common misconception is that Apple Pay is not very safe because it’s digital, but in fact, the opposite is true. Apple Pay is so secure that it’s actually safer than using your real credit or debit card in brick and mortar stores, online, or in apps. Let me elaborate.
When you add your card to Apple Pay, your device will create a new 16-digit card number (called a device account number) which will be given to merchants when you use Apple Pay for a transaction. This number is unique to your device, and it cannot be unscrambled or put through any sort of algorithm to spit out your real card number. This means that if someone were to get their hands on your device account number, they wouldn’t be able to use it to steal your money. For example, when a merchant’s payment system gets hacked and bad actors get ahold of a bunch of people’s credit card numbers (like what happened with Target in 2013), had you been using Apple Pay, they would’ve only gotten your device account number, not your real credit or debit card number (because your device never gave Target your real number). They wouldn’t have been able to steal any money, and you wouldn’t need to get a new card from your bank. In fact, you wouldn’t have had to do anything at all.
The reason for that is that each Apple Pay transaction you initiate requires a unique token code that is specific to the time and date, the amount of money you’re trying to spend, and the merchant trying to process the transaction. This works in concert with the Device Account Number, and if all of those elements don’t check out, the transaction won’t be authorized.
Even still, cards you add to Apple Pay are never stored in iCloud or Apple servers, and are protected by your device’s passcode and biometric authentication systems, meaning that even if a bad actor somehow got around the protections offered by the device account number and the token code, they would still have to have physical possession of your device, AND know your passcode.
There is really no imaginable way in which this system could be thwarted.
Adding Your Card in Wallet
So, you’re interested, but how do you set it up and try it out? I’ll help you get started.
The process for setting up Apple Pay is largely the same across devices. You’ll scan your card with your device’s camera or just type in the numbers manually, and in some cases you’ll need to verify your identity with your bank, usually through a text message authentication code. If your device doesn’t already have a passcode (which it absolutely should, even Apple Watches*)
To set up Apple Pay on your iPhone, go to the Wallet app and tap the + button in the top right corner, then choose “Credit or Debit Card”, and follow the steps to add your card.
To set up Apple Pay on your Apple Watch, start off by going to the Watch app on your iPhone, tap Wallet & Apple Pay → Add A New Card.
To set up Apple Pay on your iPad, go to Settings → Wallet & Apple Pay → Add A New Card.
To set up Apple Pay on your Mac, go to System Preferences → Wallet & Apple Pay, and click the + button.
If you have any trouble along the way, check out Apple’s “Set Up Apple Pay” support page, or get help from CopyrightBro by selecting “Tech Help” from the menu and filing a support request.
Using Apple Pay
Actually using Apple Pay couldn’t be any easier.
To use Apple Pay in stores:
With an iPhone:
If your iPhone has Face ID:
Open the Wallet app, or double click the side button to quickly open the Wallet app with your default payment card ready to go. If you want to use a different card, just slide your default card down and your other cards will pop up. Choose the one you’d like to use, authenticate with Face ID, and hold your device near the payment terminal when the merchant is ready. You should feel a little pulse, hear a chime, and see a checkmark appear on screen: these cues are just letting you know you’ve done your part to complete the transaction.
If your iPhone has Touch ID:
Open the Wallet app, or double click the home button from the lock screen to quickly open the Wallet app with your default payment card ready to go. If you want to use a different card, just slide your default card down and your other cards will pop up. Choose the one you’d like to use, authenticate with Touch ID, and hold your device near the payment terminal when the merchant is ready. You should feel a little pulse, hear a chime, and see a checkmark appear on screen: these cues are just letting you know you’ve done your part to complete the transaction.
With an Apple Watch:
Open the Wallet app, or double click the side button (the flat one that doesn’t turn) to quickly open the Wallet app with your default payment card ready to go. If you want to use a different card, just slide your default card to the left to access the next card in your wallet. Hold your Watch near the payment terminal. You should feel a little pulse, hear a chime, and see a checkmark appear on screen: these cues are just letting you know you’ve done your part to complete the transaction.
To use Apple Pay in apps and online:
With an iPhone, iPad, or Mac:
Click or tap on the button that says “Pay with Pay”, confirm all of the details that appear, select the card you want to use and the appropriate billing/shipping addresses, and then authenticate with Touch ID or Face ID. You should feel a little pulse, hear a chime, and see a checkmark appear on screen: these cues are just letting you know you’ve done your part to complete the transaction.
To use Apple Pay to send money to friends:
With an iPhone or iPad:
Go to the Messages app and open a conversation with the person you’d like to send money to. Choose the Pay button from the app drawer that shows up at the bottom of the screen when the keyboard is dismissed. Select the amount you want using the +/- buttons or the keypad, and then tap “Request” or “Pay” depending on whether you want to send or ask for money. You can also type a message to send with the request or payment denoting what it’s for. If requesting, you can send the request by tapping the send button. If sending money, an Apple Pay screen will pop up when you tap the send button, prompting you to review the details of your payment and then authenticate with Touch ID or Face ID to complete it. You should feel a little pulse, hear a chime, and see a checkmark appear on screen: these cues are just letting you know you’ve completed the payment.
With an Apple Watch:
Open Messages and chose a conversation with the person you want to send money to. Tap the Pay button, adjust the amount you want to send, and then double tap the side button to confirm the payment.You should feel a little pulse, hear a chime, and see a checkmark appear on screen: these cues are just letting you know you’ve completed the payment.
Next time you go to the store, you’ll be delighted by how much faster it is to pay for your items. Next time a retailer you frequent has their payment systems compromised, you won’t have to freak out because some stranger might have your debit card number. Apple Pay solves a lot of problems, and it’s also delightful to use. Try it out for a few weeks: you won’t want to go back.