Planning for Apple Pay

Provide a fast, easy, and secure way for users to buy goods and services in your app or on your website. Developers that implemented Apple Pay using best practices have substantially increased checkout conversion rates, customer loyalty and purchase frequency, and reduced checkout time.

Presenting the Option to Buy with Apple Pay

Apple Pay is compatible with most active Apple devices and is used by hundreds of millions around the world. We recommend adding Apple Pay to product detail pages, the cart, checkout page, in payment settings, or anywhere else a user can choose a payment method or initiate a purchase.

Apple Pay APIs provide several types of buttons you can use in your app or website. Each button displays an Apple-approved caption, font, color, and style and maintains ideal proportions when scaled for various interfaces layouts. You can configure the button’s corner radius to match the style of your UI. And support for localization and accessibility are built in.

For details, view the Human Interface Guidelines and Acceptable Use Guidelines for Apple Pay on the Web.

Presenting the Payment Sheet

When a user chooses Apple Pay as the payment method, a payment request is created. The payment sheet must be presented immediately after the user taps the Apple Pay button, without any interim screens or pop-ups except to prompt for necessary product details, such as size or quantity.

The payment sheet can include the user’s name, billing address, shipping address, shipping method, phone number, and email address. When deciding what information to display, remember to show only what’s necessary to process and service the transaction. You can configure line items to add relevant information such as shipping cost, taxes and discount.

For details, view the Human Interface Guidelines and the interactive demo.

Processing the Payment Token

Once the user has authenticated to confirm purchase intent, you don’t need to handle their actual credit or debit card numbers. Instead, your app or website receives a payment object containing an encrypted payment token. This token encapsulates the information needed to complete a payment transaction, including the device-specific account number, the amount, and a unique, one-time-use cryptogram. The token can be decrypted by the merchant with the certificate private key or by the Payment Service Provider (PSP) on behalf of the merchant. Once decrypted, the token needs to be passed to the payment service provider for processing.

Customer

Transaction includes unencrypted billing and shipping contacts, and encrypted payment token.

Merchant

Decrypts payment token. This can also be done by a payment service provider.

Payment Service Provider

Uses token to run an eCom credit/debit card authorization, which includes a one-time cryptogram.

Card Network

Validates token, translates it into the credit/debit account, and submits to issuer for confirmation.

Bank Issuer

Receives payment request and can either approve or decline.

If you already work with an e-commerce platform or Payment Service Provider (PSP) supporting Apple Pay, they can simplify and shorten your integration effort. Alternatively, you can develop your own solution to receive and decrypt the Apple Pay payment tokens from your app or website and submit it for regular processing. Contact your platform or PSP to ensure that it supports Apple Pay, or view our list of platforms and providers.

Make the Most of Apple Pay

Apple Pay lets you accelerate checkout and create great new customer experiences. Follow these best practices and increase checkout conversion rates, customer loyalty, and purchase frequency.

Choose the Most Relevant Button Type

Make sure that the call to action in the button is aligned with the action the user needs to take. The system provides several Apple Pay button types and styles you can use in your app or website, and the Human Interface Guidelines provide options for further customization. Display the Apple Pay button prominently and above the fold.

Product Page
Cart
Subscription
Booking
Custom

Implement Express Checkout

Offer express checkout by displaying the Apple Pay button on the product or cart page. Users can select shipping options and addresses directly in the payment sheet and check out without any typing, which leads to decreased cart abandonment and increased overall conversion rates.

Express Checkout on Product Page
Express Checkout on Cart Page

Simplify Payment Method Selection

Leverage PassKit APIs for apps and Javascript-based APIs in Safari for websites to identify users with a card in Wallet and preselect Apple Pay as the payment method to accelerate checkout.

Use Information Provided by Apple Pay

The Apple Pay sheet can include the user’s name, billing address, shipping address, shipping method, phone number, and email address needed to complete the transaction. Consider using the information provided by the payment sheet for check out and avoid asking the user to enter any of these fields, as doing so increases purchase abandonment.

Offer the Ability to Register Only After Purchase

Requiring users to register for an account before purchase is a leading cause of checkout abandonment. Apple Pay allows users to easily check out as a guest. After the purchase is complete, you can provide the option to set up an account with their Apple ID using Sign in with Apple.

Checkout
Create Account

Implement Order Tracking

Starting in iOS 16, detailed receipts and order tracking information can be displayed in Wallet. You can notify customers about order changes and provide easy access to customer service and order management options. Use the Wallet Orders web service to seamlessly add order details to Wallet once the payment is complete. For design guidance on order tracking, view the Human Interface Guidelines.

To simplify and shorten your integration effort, get started with an order management platform (AfterShip, Narvar) that supports Order Tracking. Additional platforms will be available soon.

iPhone showing two active orders and order history for the last month.
iPhone showing the details of an active order.

Offer commerce experiences with App Clips

App Clips provide streamlined, in-the-moment experiences that help users perform specific tasks without downloading a full app. By combining Apple Pay with App Clips, you can enable exciting new omnichannel commerce experiences that delight customers while increasing sales and conversion.

App Clips enable experiences like:

  • Ship to home. Customers can purchase a product in store and have it delivered.
  • Pay at the table. Guests can order, view, and pay their bill instantly and with no assistance.
  • Ride. Riders can tap to ride scooters, bikes, and more.
  • Self checkout. Users can skip the line and pay in stores.
  • Donate. Users can donate digitally with just a tap.

Learn more about App Clips

Supporting Apple Pay

Countries and Regions

Apple Pay is available for consumers to use in many countries and regions. Merchants in any country or region can accept payments with Apple Pay, as long as their payment service provider supports Apple Pay. In China mainland, Apple Pay on the web is supported in Safari on iOS only.

View supported countries and regions

Cards and Banks

Users need to add a card in Apple Wallet to pay with Apple Pay. Apple Pay supports many of the major credit, debit, and prepaid cards from top banks and card issuers around the world.

View participating banks

E-Commerce Platforms and Payment Service Providers

The most popular e-commerce platforms and payment service providers support Apple Pay in apps and on the web. Using an Apple Pay SDK or JavaScript API from a payment provider is the quickest and most reliable way to support Apple Pay in your app or on your website.

View providers

Apple Pay Web Merchant Registration API

Approved e-commerce platform and payment service providers can use the Apple Pay Web Merchant Registration API, along with their merchant IDs, to register and unregister their merchants’ websites for Apple Pay.

Learn more about the API

Donations

Similar to using Apple Pay to buy goods and services, users can enjoy the convenience and security of Apple Pay when donating money to their favorite charities online. Registered nonprofit organizations that would like to accept donations in their app or website must be approved by Apple.

Learn more about accepting donations

Web Views within Your App

If your app uses a web-based interface for purchasing goods and services, you can support Apple Pay by moving the request to your app’s native code. If your app uses Safari View Controller to display third-party web content that has integrated Apple Pay, the user will have an opportunity to use Apple Pay as if the content is viewed in Safari.

To integrate Apple Pay into an app that has a web checkout experience, follow these steps.

Transaction Types

Apple Pay supports most E-Commerce transaction types and offers the flexibility to accommodate simple to complex business models. Your payment service provider can help you define the best Apple Pay implementation method to support your business model.

Below are examples of transaction types supported by Apple Pay. Ask your payment service provider which transaction types they support.

Transaction type

Description

Example

Authorization & capture

Reserve funds on a customer’s account and transfer money to your bank

Online shopping where merchandise is readily available for shipping

Authorization & delayed capture

Reserve funds on a customer’s account and transfer money to your bank later

Pre-order, delivery service with tip, or order online to pick up in store

Authorization & capture with different amount

Reserve funds on a customer’s account and transfer money to your bank once an order is successfully completed for an amount higher or lower than authorized

Taxi, Scooter

Partial shipment

Divide a purchase into multiple payments for goods that are not shipped together

Multi-item purchase with more than one delivery

Fixed subscription

Handle repeating payments at a regular frequency and with a fixed amount

Monthly gym membership

Flexible frequency subscription

Handle payments for services where frequency is inconsistent or the user has a choice to vary frequency

Meal subscriptions, where user can skip deliveries, reschedule delivery dates, and change frequency of deliveries

Flexible amount subscription

Handle payments for services where price varies based on consumption

Utility bill, or subscription with a promotion on the first month

Managed subscription

Handle payments for services where the user can vary frequency and amount of services received

Meal delivery service with high flexibility

Canceled transactions

Reverse money for canceled, reimbursed, or disputed transactions

Chargeback, voided transaction, or refund

Card verification

Verify that the selected card is associated with a cardholder account that is valid and in good standing

$0 or $1 authorizations

Guidelines and Documentation