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Apple Pay

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Apple Pay is a digital wallet that lets customers pay using cards stored on Apple devices in apps, online, and in-store.

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Published
Last updated
2 min
Apple Pay
Apple Pay payment phone

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Apple Pay Company Overview

Foundation
2014
Stock ID
NASDAQ:AAPL
Company Type
public
Employees
160,000+
Location
USAUSA
Channel
OnlineIn person

Features

Merchant acceptance across channels

Supports in-app, web, and contactless in-store payments where Apple Pay is enabled. Acceptance is determined by your PSP/gateway and acquiring setup.

Authorization and processing compatibility

Uses the underlying card rails (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, Amex) linked to the customer’s wallet. Works with most modern payment stacks that support Apple Pay.

Approval rates and declines visibility

Apple Pay outcomes still depend on issuer authorization and your acquirer/PSP routing. Track Apple Pay declines separately to compare performance vs standard card entry.

Authentication and risk signals

Device-based authentication (e.g., biometric/passcode) can support smoother checkout for returning users. Confirm your PSP’s support for relevant authentication and exemptions.

Security and data handling

Designed to reduce exposure of raw card details at checkout compared to manual entry. Align token/data fields with your fraud tools and reporting.

Disputes and chargebacks

Chargebacks follow the underlying card network rules and are typically managed via your acquirer/PSP. Ensure your descriptor, receipts, and fulfillment evidence are consistent.

Reliability and customer experience

Optimized for quick checkout on Apple devices, which can reduce input errors. Maintain fallback payment methods for customers without Apple Pay enabled.

Tip from SmartRetry If Apple Pay declines are higher than expected, review issuer decline codes and compare routing/acquirer performance for Apple Pay vs manual card entry before changing checkout UX.

Currencies

Processing currenciesUSD, EUR, GBP, JPY, CAD, AUD, CHF, SEK, NOK, DKK, PLN, CZK, HUF, RON, BGN, HRK, RUB, TRY, AED, SAR, INR, SGD, HKD, IDR, MYR, THB, KRW, TWD, PHP, ZAR, BRL, MXN, CLP, COP, PEN, ARS

Available in

Available countries
  • Egypt
  • Mauritius
  • Morocco
  • South Africa
  • Australia
  • China
  • Hong Kong
  • Japan
  • Macau
  • Malaysia
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Taiwan
  • Vietnam
  • Albania
  • Andorra
  • Armenia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Bulgaria
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Faroe Islands
  • Finland
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Greenland
  • Guernsey
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Isle of Man
  • Italy
  • Kazakhstan
  • Jersey
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Montenegro
  • Netherlands
  • North Macedonia
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • San Marino
  • Serbia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom
  • Argentina
  • Bahamas
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Mexico
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Uruguay
  • Bahrain
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Oman
  • Palestine
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Canada
  • United States

FAQ

Apple Pay is a digital wallet and payment method; the transaction still runs on the customer’s underlying card network (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, Amex) through your PSP/acquirer.
Yes. Most merchants enable Apple Pay through a payment service provider/gateway and an acquiring setup that supports Apple Pay for the relevant channel (web, in-app, in-store).
Declines are typically issuer decisions on the underlying card, or risk/validation rules from your PSP/acquirer. Review issuer response codes and compare declines by device/channel to isolate patterns.
It can differ by merchant and region; Apple Pay may reduce entry errors, but issuer authorization rules still apply. Measure approval rate and soft declines for Apple Pay vs other card payment types in your reporting.
Apple Pay availability depends on Apple-supported regions, participating banks/issuers, and whether your PSP supports Apple Pay in your markets and channels.

Statuses

StatusesAll
CodeDescriptionLevelFrequencyResolution
Payment Status
STATUS_SUCCESS

Payment Authorized Successfully

The payment was successfully authorized. Call completePayment(STATUS_SUCCESS) to dismiss the Apple Pay sheet with a success animation and proceed with order fulfillment.

SuccessCommonT0
STATUS_FAILURE

Payment Authorization Failed

The payment authorization failed for an unspecified reason (e.g., gateway rejection, processor error). The Apple Pay sheet is dismissed and the customer is prompted to try another method.

Error, DeclineCommonT2
STATUS_INVALID_BILLING_POSTAL_ADDRESS

Invalid Billing Postal Address

The billing postal address provided by the customer is invalid for this merchant. The payment sheet remains open so the customer can correct their billing address. Deprecated in Apple Pay JS v3 (use ApplePayError instead).

ErrorOccasionalT0
STATUS_INVALID_SHIPPING_POSTAL_ADDRESS

Invalid Shipping Postal Address

The shipping postal address is invalid or unserviceable (e.g., PO boxes not allowed, unsupported country). The payment sheet remains open so the customer can update their address. Deprecated in Apple Pay JS v3.

ErrorOccasionalT0
STATUS_INVALID_SHIPPING_CONTACT

Invalid Shipping Contact

The shipping contact information (e.g., phone number, email) provided is invalid. The payment sheet stays open for correction. Deprecated in Apple Pay JS v3.

ErrorOccasionalT0
STATUS_PIN_REQUIRED

PIN Required

The payment requires a PIN to be entered by the cardholder. Primarily used in Europe for PIN-authenticated transactions.

PendingOccasionalT0
STATUS_PIN_INCORRECT

PIN Incorrect

The PIN entered by the cardholder is incorrect. The customer must re-enter the correct PIN to proceed.

Error, DeclineOccasionalT0
STATUS_PIN_LOCKOUT

PIN Lockout

The cardholder has exceeded the allowed PIN attempts and the card is locked. The customer must contact their bank to unlock the card.

Decline, ErrorRareT2
shippingContactInvalid

Shipping Contact Invalid

A field in the shipping contact is invalid (e.g., phone number, email, or name). Used in Apple Pay JS v3+ completeShippingContactSelection and completePayment to indicate which contact field is invalid.

ErrorOccasionalT0
billingContactInvalid

Billing Contact Invalid

A field in the billing contact is invalid (e.g., incorrect billing name, postal address field). Used in completePayment with ApplePayError to surface specific billing field errors on the payment sheet.

ErrorOccasionalT0
addressUnserviceable

Address Unserviceable

The shipping address is valid but cannot be serviced by the merchant (e.g., merchant does not ship to this country or region). The payment sheet prompts the customer to choose a different address.

ErrorOccasionalT0
couponCodeInvalid

Coupon Code Invalid

The coupon code entered on the Apple Pay sheet is not valid. Used in completeCouponCodeChange to indicate the coupon code is unrecognized or incorrectly formatted.

ErrorOccasionalT0
couponCodeExpired

Coupon Code Expired

The coupon code entered on the Apple Pay sheet has expired and can no longer be applied.

ErrorOccasionalT0
unknown

Unknown Error

An unknown or unclassified error occurred. Used as a catch-all when the error does not fit a specific category. Log for debugging and prompt the customer to retry.

ErrorOccasionalT0
PKPaymentAuthorizationStatus.success

Authorization Success

The payment was successfully authorized and processed. Returned from the merchant server to PKPaymentAuthorizationResult to close the payment sheet with a success checkmark.

SuccessCommonT0
PKPaymentAuthorizationStatus.failure

Authorization Failure

The payment authorization failed. Returned to PKPaymentAuthorizationResult when the merchant server rejects the transaction. May include specific PKPaymentError objects for detailed field-level feedback.

Error, DeclineCommonT2
PKPaymentError.unknownError

Unknown Payment Error

An unspecified error occurred during the payment flow. Use as a fallback when no specific error code applies. Code = -1.

ErrorOccasionalT0
PKPaymentError.shippingContactInvalidError

Shipping Contact Invalid Error

The shipping contact information (phone, email, name, or address) submitted is invalid. Specify which field is invalid using PKPaymentErrorKey.contactFieldUserInfoKey. Code = 1.

ErrorOccasionalT0
PKPaymentError.billingContactInvalidError

Billing Contact Invalid Error

The billing contact information submitted is invalid. Use PKPaymentErrorKey.contactFieldUserInfoKey to specify the invalid field (e.g., name, street, postal code). Code = 2.

ErrorOccasionalT0
PKPaymentError.shippingAddressUnserviceableError

Shipping Address Unserviceable

The shipping address is valid but the merchant cannot service it (e.g., out-of-range delivery zone, unsupported country). Prompts the customer to select an alternative address. Code = 3.

ErrorOccasionalT0
SESSION_NOT_STARTED

Session Not Started

An ApplePaySession could not be created. Common reasons: the page is not served over HTTPS, the domain is not registered with Apple, or the user's device does not support Apple Pay.

ErrorOccasionalT1
MERCHANT_VALIDATION_FAILED

Merchant Validation Failed

The merchant validation step (completeMerchantValidation) failed. The validationURL request to Apple's servers returned an error, or the merchant identity certificate is invalid or expired. The session is terminated.

ErrorOccasionalT1
PAYMENT_NOT_PROCESSED

Payment Not Processed

Apple Pay cannot process the payment. Common causes: the merchant domain is not verified with Apple, the merchant identity certificate has expired, or the merchant session request contains an incorrect initiativeContext.

ErrorOccasionalT1
USER_CANCELLED

User Cancelled

The customer dismissed the Apple Pay sheet without authorizing the payment. The oncancel event is fired. No charge has been made; treat as an abandoned checkout.

InfoCommonT0
APPLE_PAY_NOT_AVAILABLE

Apple Pay Not Available

Apple Pay is not available on this device/browser. ApplePaySession.canMakePayments() returns false. Merchant should hide the Apple Pay button and offer alternative payment methods.

InfoCommonT3
APPLE_PAY_NO_ACTIVE_CARD

No Active Card in Wallet

The user's device supports Apple Pay but has no active payment card provisioned. ApplePaySession.canMakePaymentsWithActiveCard() returns false. Show the Apple Pay button with a 'set up' CTA or offer alternative methods.

InfoOccasionalT3
INVALID_PAYMENT_TOKEN

Invalid Payment Token

The payment token received from Apple Pay is malformed or could not be decrypted by the merchant's Payment Processing Certificate. Verify the certificate configuration and token handling.

ErrorOccasionalT1
PAYMENT_TOKEN_AMOUNT_MISMATCH

Payment Token Amount Mismatch

The amount in the Apple Pay token does not match the amount submitted to the payment processor. Ensure the amount set in the ApplePayPaymentRequest matches the amount sent to the gateway.

ErrorOccasionalT1
DOMAIN_NOT_VERIFIED

Domain Not Verified

The merchant's domain has not been verified with Apple. The apple-developer-merchantid-domain-association file must be hosted at /.well-known/ on the merchant's domain and registered in the Apple Developer portal.

ErrorOccasionalT1
UNAUTHORIZED_MERCHANT

Unauthorized to Process for Merchant

The API call is not authorized to process transactions on behalf of the merchant ID. Ensure the correct merchant ID and API credentials are used, and that the domain is linked to the merchant identity certificate.

ErrorOccasionalT1
DECLINED_FRAUD

Declined – Fraud Suspected

The issuing bank or payment processor declined the Apple Pay authorization due to suspected fraud. The customer should contact their bank.

Decline, ErrorOccasionalT2
Decline Codes
STATUS_FAILURE

Payment Authorization Failed

The payment authorization failed for an unspecified reason (e.g., gateway rejection, processor error). The Apple Pay sheet is dismissed and the customer is prompted to try another method.

Error, DeclineCommonT2
STATUS_PIN_INCORRECT

PIN Incorrect

The PIN entered by the cardholder is incorrect. The customer must re-enter the correct PIN to proceed.

Error, DeclineOccasionalT0
STATUS_PIN_LOCKOUT

PIN Lockout

The cardholder has exceeded the allowed PIN attempts and the card is locked. The customer must contact their bank to unlock the card.

Decline, ErrorRareT2
PKPaymentAuthorizationStatus.failure

Authorization Failure

The payment authorization failed. Returned to PKPaymentAuthorizationResult when the merchant server rejects the transaction. May include specific PKPaymentError objects for detailed field-level feedback.

Error, DeclineCommonT2
DECLINED_INSUFFICIENT_FUNDS

Declined – Insufficient Funds

The issuing bank declined the Apple Pay token because the card account lacks sufficient funds. The customer should use a different card or fund the account.

DeclineCommonT3
DECLINED_CARD_EXPIRED

Declined – Card Expired

The card associated with the Apple Pay token has expired. The customer must add a new or updated card to their Wallet.

DeclineCommonT3
DECLINED_FRAUD

Declined – Fraud Suspected

The issuing bank or payment processor declined the Apple Pay authorization due to suspected fraud. The customer should contact their bank.

Decline, ErrorOccasionalT2
DECLINED_DO_NOT_HONOR

Declined – Do Not Honor

Generic issuer decline. The issuing bank declined the Apple Pay transaction without a specific reason. The customer should contact their bank.

DeclineCommonT2
Error Codes
STATUS_FAILURE

Payment Authorization Failed

The payment authorization failed for an unspecified reason (e.g., gateway rejection, processor error). The Apple Pay sheet is dismissed and the customer is prompted to try another method.

Error, DeclineCommonT2
STATUS_INVALID_BILLING_POSTAL_ADDRESS

Invalid Billing Postal Address

The billing postal address provided by the customer is invalid for this merchant. The payment sheet remains open so the customer can correct their billing address. Deprecated in Apple Pay JS v3 (use ApplePayError instead).

ErrorOccasionalT0
STATUS_INVALID_SHIPPING_POSTAL_ADDRESS

Invalid Shipping Postal Address

The shipping postal address is invalid or unserviceable (e.g., PO boxes not allowed, unsupported country). The payment sheet remains open so the customer can update their address. Deprecated in Apple Pay JS v3.

ErrorOccasionalT0
STATUS_INVALID_SHIPPING_CONTACT

Invalid Shipping Contact

The shipping contact information (e.g., phone number, email) provided is invalid. The payment sheet stays open for correction. Deprecated in Apple Pay JS v3.

ErrorOccasionalT0
STATUS_PIN_INCORRECT

PIN Incorrect

The PIN entered by the cardholder is incorrect. The customer must re-enter the correct PIN to proceed.

Error, DeclineOccasionalT0
STATUS_PIN_LOCKOUT

PIN Lockout

The cardholder has exceeded the allowed PIN attempts and the card is locked. The customer must contact their bank to unlock the card.

Decline, ErrorRareT2
shippingContactInvalid

Shipping Contact Invalid

A field in the shipping contact is invalid (e.g., phone number, email, or name). Used in Apple Pay JS v3+ completeShippingContactSelection and completePayment to indicate which contact field is invalid.

ErrorOccasionalT0
billingContactInvalid

Billing Contact Invalid

A field in the billing contact is invalid (e.g., incorrect billing name, postal address field). Used in completePayment with ApplePayError to surface specific billing field errors on the payment sheet.

ErrorOccasionalT0
addressUnserviceable

Address Unserviceable

The shipping address is valid but cannot be serviced by the merchant (e.g., merchant does not ship to this country or region). The payment sheet prompts the customer to choose a different address.

ErrorOccasionalT0
couponCodeInvalid

Coupon Code Invalid

The coupon code entered on the Apple Pay sheet is not valid. Used in completeCouponCodeChange to indicate the coupon code is unrecognized or incorrectly formatted.

ErrorOccasionalT0
couponCodeExpired

Coupon Code Expired

The coupon code entered on the Apple Pay sheet has expired and can no longer be applied.

ErrorOccasionalT0
unknown

Unknown Error

An unknown or unclassified error occurred. Used as a catch-all when the error does not fit a specific category. Log for debugging and prompt the customer to retry.

ErrorOccasionalT0
PKPaymentAuthorizationStatus.failure

Authorization Failure

The payment authorization failed. Returned to PKPaymentAuthorizationResult when the merchant server rejects the transaction. May include specific PKPaymentError objects for detailed field-level feedback.

Error, DeclineCommonT2
PKPaymentError.unknownError

Unknown Payment Error

An unspecified error occurred during the payment flow. Use as a fallback when no specific error code applies. Code = -1.

ErrorOccasionalT0
PKPaymentError.shippingContactInvalidError

Shipping Contact Invalid Error

The shipping contact information (phone, email, name, or address) submitted is invalid. Specify which field is invalid using PKPaymentErrorKey.contactFieldUserInfoKey. Code = 1.

ErrorOccasionalT0
PKPaymentError.billingContactInvalidError

Billing Contact Invalid Error

The billing contact information submitted is invalid. Use PKPaymentErrorKey.contactFieldUserInfoKey to specify the invalid field (e.g., name, street, postal code). Code = 2.

ErrorOccasionalT0
PKPaymentError.shippingAddressUnserviceableError

Shipping Address Unserviceable

The shipping address is valid but the merchant cannot service it (e.g., out-of-range delivery zone, unsupported country). Prompts the customer to select an alternative address. Code = 3.

ErrorOccasionalT0
SESSION_NOT_STARTED

Session Not Started

An ApplePaySession could not be created. Common reasons: the page is not served over HTTPS, the domain is not registered with Apple, or the user's device does not support Apple Pay.

ErrorOccasionalT1
MERCHANT_VALIDATION_FAILED

Merchant Validation Failed

The merchant validation step (completeMerchantValidation) failed. The validationURL request to Apple's servers returned an error, or the merchant identity certificate is invalid or expired. The session is terminated.

ErrorOccasionalT1
PAYMENT_NOT_PROCESSED

Payment Not Processed

Apple Pay cannot process the payment. Common causes: the merchant domain is not verified with Apple, the merchant identity certificate has expired, or the merchant session request contains an incorrect initiativeContext.

ErrorOccasionalT1
INVALID_PAYMENT_TOKEN

Invalid Payment Token

The payment token received from Apple Pay is malformed or could not be decrypted by the merchant's Payment Processing Certificate. Verify the certificate configuration and token handling.

ErrorOccasionalT1
PAYMENT_TOKEN_AMOUNT_MISMATCH

Payment Token Amount Mismatch

The amount in the Apple Pay token does not match the amount submitted to the payment processor. Ensure the amount set in the ApplePayPaymentRequest matches the amount sent to the gateway.

ErrorOccasionalT1
DOMAIN_NOT_VERIFIED

Domain Not Verified

The merchant's domain has not been verified with Apple. The apple-developer-merchantid-domain-association file must be hosted at /.well-known/ on the merchant's domain and registered in the Apple Developer portal.

ErrorOccasionalT1
CERTIFICATE_ERROR

Payment Processing Certificate Error

The Payment Processing Certificate is missing, expired, or not associated with the API credential being used. Re-upload and activate the certificate in the Apple Developer Portal.

ErrorOccasionalT1
UNAUTHORIZED_MERCHANT

Unauthorized to Process for Merchant

The API call is not authorized to process transactions on behalf of the merchant ID. Ensure the correct merchant ID and API credentials are used, and that the domain is linked to the merchant identity certificate.

ErrorOccasionalT1
DECLINED_FRAUD

Declined – Fraud Suspected

The issuing bank or payment processor declined the Apple Pay authorization due to suspected fraud. The customer should contact their bank.

Decline, ErrorOccasionalT2

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