Apple Pay Partners With Indian Payment Firms to Reach Millions of Merchants at Launch

Apple Pay is widening its reach in India from the outset by partnering with some of the country’s largest payment companies, giving the service access to millions of merchants without requiring businesses to set up separate payment systems. 

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Apple has tied up with Cashfree, Juspay, Mswipe, Paytm, PayU, Pine Labs, Razorpay and Worldline to build acceptance for Apple Pay across online and offline merchants in India. 

The approach allows Apple to use payment infrastructure that is already in place across the country. 

Axis Bank customers can link their cards to Apple Wallet and use compatible Apple devices to make contactless payments at physical stores. For online purchases, customers can choose Apple Pay at checkout where the option is supported. 

More banks, payment companies and merchants are expected to join the network over time. 

At launch, Apple Pay will be accepted at millions of merchant locations and platforms. The list includes Apple Stores, Blinkit, Chaayos, Croma, Ixigo, Reliance brands, Tata 1mg and Zomato. 

Existing payment networks give Apple a wider reach 

Apple’s partnerships with payment gateways will also help bring the service to online shopping. 

Cashfree, Juspay and PayU are among the companies enabling Apple Pay through their existing merchant networks. Juspay, for instance, has said businesses using its network can introduce Apple Pay without having to build and maintain a separate connection themselves. 

Cashfree has enabled the payment option for its Indian businesses, while PayU has made it available across its merchant network. 

For customers, Apple Pay removes the need to repeatedly enter card numbers and other payment information while making purchases. Transactions on supported Apple devices can be approved using Face ID, Touch ID or the device passcode. 

UPI and RuPay not part of the initial rollout 

Apple Pay’s India offering is initially centred on card payments. 

UPI, which accounts for a large part of India’s digital payment activity, is not currently part of the Apple Wallet offering. RuPay cards are also not supported at launch. 

Visa and Mastercard are the two card networks initially available through Apple Pay in India. 

The service enters the market at a time when card usage has grown considerably. Reserve Bank of India data cited in the report showed that credit card transaction volumes reached 570 crore in 2025, up 2.6 times from 2021. 

The value of those transactions increased from ₹8.9 lakh crore in 2021 to ₹23.2 lakh crore in 2025. 

Apple Pay uses tokenised card details 

Apple Pay does not store a customer’s actual card number on the device or Apple’s servers, according to the report. The card number is also not shared with the merchant during a transaction. 

Instead, a separate Device Account Number is created for the card and stored within the device. 

Payment companies are looking at Apple Pay as another way to make card payments easier for people using Apple devices, particularly by cutting down the number of steps involved at checkout. 

Cashfree said checkout abandonment on its international payment gateway fell 75% after Apple Pay was introduced as an option. The company, however, expects results in India to vary depending on the merchant and customer segment. 

For Apple, partnering with established payment companies gives the service immediate access to a large merchant network. For Indian businesses, it adds another card-payment option to infrastructure many of them already use.