What is Apple Pay and Google Wallet?

What is Apple Pay and Google Wallet?

Contactless payments aren't limited to cards. Global tech companies have harnessed the same near-field communications (NFC) technology to enable contactless payments through smartphones and other gadgets.

Apple Pay is a digital wallet that lets you pay for goods by moving your iPhone over a contactless reader, removing the need to use a physical card or enter a Pin. Anyone with a compatible Apple device can use it.

Google Wallet (formerly known as 'Google Pay' and 'Android Pay'), is a similar mobile payments system that works on Android devices and some Android-based smartwatches.

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Are Apple Pay and Google Wallet safe?

Apple Pay and Google Wallet appear to be at least as secure as contactless payments:

With Apple Pay, when you add a card, its details are encrypted and stored only on your iPhone, not on Apple's servers.

Apple replaces your card's details with something called a device account number (also called a token) which means the real information is never shared during purchases. Google Wallet uses a similar equivalent.

Phone passcodes and fingerprint-recognition (Touch ID) or facial-recognition (Face ID) technology adds another layer of security. On Apple Watch, wrist detection must be enabled.

If you lost your phone or it was stolen, you could stop payments by logging in to Apple's iCloud or by putting your device into 'lost mode' via the 'Find My Phone' app. For Google, use the Find My Device service.

• Find out more: why Apple Pay and Google Pay the safest ways to spend

Does Section 75 apply to Apple Pay and Google Wallet?

Yes, provided you use a credit card in your virtual wallet and you paid for goods costing between £100 and £30,000, you are covered by Section 75 if something goes wrong.

For example if the goods are faulty, or you don't receive them, you can claim the cost back from the card company.

The only time Apple Pay and Google Wallet aren't covered is when you break the chain between you, the credit card firm, and the supplier. For example, you will lose Section 75 cover if you use: your Google Wallet balance instead of paying with one of the linked cards; a buy now, pay later (BNPL) scheme such as Klarna; or an intermediary card such as Curve.

If you used a debit card, or Section 75 doesn't apply, ask your bank for a refund using chargeback instead.

This isn't legal protection - Amex, Mastercard and Visa run their own schemes - but chargeback does cover mobile card payments of any value, regardless of whether a credit or a debit card is used.

• Find out more: protection for credit and debit card payments

How to set up Apple Pay and Google Wallet

Open the pre-installed Wallet app and add the payment cards you want to use on your device. You can use your phone's camera to capture the card details quickly.

Cards already linked to your Apple ID can be verified by entering the security code, but new cards will need to be verified by your bank.

Your 'default' card is the one you plan to use most often but switching to a different one is very simple.

• on an iPhone, open your Wallet app and drag your preferred card in front of your other cards. Or, double click the side button and tap to choose a different card at the checkout.
• on Apple Watch, open the 'Wallet & Apple Pay' tab in the app and choose your default card under 'Transaction Defaults'. Or, double-click the side button and swipe left or right to choose another card at the checkout.
• on Android Devices, go into the Google Wallet app and swipe left and right between your saved cards. The default card will always appear first.

Find out more: latest Apple iPhones reviewed by Which?

Using Apple Pay and Google Wallet in stores and online

Your phone doesn't need to be connected to the internet to make a payment in-store.

Since your card details are stored securely on your phone or smartwatch, you only need to hold it close to the contactless reader, just as you would if you were paying with a contactless card. A vibration will confirm that a payment has been made.

Shops will be able to refund any purchase made with Apple Pay under the same terms as paying with a physical card (cashiers may ask for the last few digits of your Device Account Number to process returns).

If you need a receipt, ask for one, just as would when paying via credit or debit card. You'll be able to view your most recent transactions for each card in the Wallet app.

In store

If your iPhone has Face ID, double-click the side button. If prompted, authenticate with Face ID or enter your passcode to open Apple Wallet. If your iPhone has Touch ID, double-click the Home button.

When using an Apple Watch, double-click the side button.

For Android phones and devices, turn on your screen, then unlock your phone using facial recognition, a fingerprint or your passcode. You don't need to open the Google Wallet app.

Online

You can also pay for goods on the web in Safari or Google Chrome.

Apple Pay and Google Wallet will store your billing, shipping, and contact information so you won't need to enter it again.

A growing number of smartphone apps also accept Apple Pay or Google Wallet.

How much can I spend using Apple Pay or Google Wallet?

In the UK, you can 'tap and pay' for goods worth up to £100 using a contactless credit or debit card but Apple Pay and Google Wallet (and other digital wallet) users can exceed this limit, if the retailer allows it.

Some retailers will let you spend any amount using Apple Pay and Google Wallet while others will impose the £100 contactless card limit and ask for Pin authentication above this.

Apple Pay and Google Wallet transactions made in-app and using the Safari or Chrome browser have no limit.

Which shops accept Apple Pay and Google Wallet?

Both services should work on the Transport for London (TfL) network, and at any shop that accepts contactless payments, including major retailers such as Boots, M&S, the Post Office, Starbucks and Waitrose.

They'll also work within selected apps and at participating retailers on the web using Safari or Google Chrome - by tapping the Apple Pay button, or choosing Apple Pay at the checkout.

The app stores your billing, shipping, and contact information so that you only need to enter this information once.

Which banks support Apple Pay and Google Wallet in the UK?

When Apple Pay launched in the UK in July 2015 it already had the backing of most of the major banks, although Barclays only started supporting it in April 2016.

Today, nearly all banks, building societies, credit card companies and prepaid card providers support both Apple Pay and Google Wallet in the UK. 

Some banks don't yet support alternative wallets such as Samsung Pay, such as Lloyds Banking Group (Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Lloyds) and NatWest Group.