Apple Pay Goes Live in India With Only Axis Bank Cards Supported
Apple Pay has launched in India, but the service initially works only with Visa and MasterCard credit cards issued by Axis Bank, leaving other major banks and the domestic RuPay network out for now.
For now, the service supports only Visa and MasterCard credit cards issued by Axis Bank. Cards from other Indian banks, including State Bank of India and HDFC Bank, are not supported, and neither is RuPay, the country's domestic card network. TechCrunch reported that Apple is seeking a 0.2 percent fee per transaction and that its terms are still under negotiation with the other banks.
Apple said in its announcement that millions of merchants across India will accept Apple Pay at launch, listing Apple Store locations, Blinkit, Chaayos, Comet, Croma, Interflora, Ixigo, Le15 Patisserie, Reliance brands, Tata 1mg and Zomato among them. The service will not work on terminals that have not been enabled for the payment method.
Adding a card follows the same pattern as in other markets. Axis Bank customers can add their cards through the bank's app, or they can tap the plus sign inside the Wallet app and follow the on-screen instructions.
India's smartphone market remains dominated by Android devices, but Counterpoint Research told CNBC that Apple's volume market share is likely to reach 10 percent this year, citing strong demand for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
The limited card support sets Apple Pay apart from established domestic payment options at a time when India's digital payments market is already crowded with bank-backed and network-backed services. Whether Apple can widen its bank partnerships, and on what fee terms, will determine how quickly the service moves beyond Axis Bank customers.