Apple Pay makes it easier than ever to securely access your credit and debit cards whenever you need them, wherever you need them. The platform is used by hundreds of millions of users to make purchases. But can Apple Pay also be used to transfer money?
The short answer is yes, but the way in which you would use Apple Pay to make a transfer depends on how and where you are using the digital wallet. Read our guide below to find out more.
What is Apple Pay?
Apple Pay is one of the world’s most widely used digital wallets – an app on your phone that you can use to store all of your payment methods in one easy-to-access place. It serves a similar purpose as Google Wallet or Samsung Wallet.
This means that you are able to carry digital versions of your debit cards and credit cards around and use them to make easy payments, without having to present the physical version of the card to enter your PIN.
Aside from payment methods, Apple Pay can be used to hold all kinds of things, including:
- Gift cards
- Hotel reservations
- Event tickets
- Train/plane tickets
- Loyalty cards
- Forms of ID (e.g. a driver’s licence)
How can you make a money transfer through Apple Pay?
US-based users are able to send domestic USD payments to other Apple users. They can do this by using Apple Cash – a digital card that is included within the Apple Wallet, and which allows users to easily make purchases or send and receive money.
To set up Apple Cash, you’ll need to be 18 or over and live in the US. You’ll also need a compatible device updated with the latest iOS software and have two-factor authentication enabled.
You can set up Apple Cash by heading to the Settings app on your iPhone, scrolling down to Wallet & Apple Pay and turning Apple Cash on. Apple Cash should then appear as a payment option and you can tap on it to add money using your chosen payment method.
To send money to another user via the Wallet app using Apple Cash in your iPhone, do the following:
- Open the Wallet app on your iPhone
- Tap your Apple Cash card to select it
- Tap Send or Request, then select or add the person you want to send money to
- Tap Next, then enter the amount you want to send
- Tap Pay, then tap the white send button (it has an upwards facing arrow inside it) to review or cancel the payment
- Double-click the physical side button (on the right-hand side of the iPhone) to pay
- Confirm your payment with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode
Note that if the person you are sending to hasn’t yet accepted the payment, you are able to cancel it. Note that if you want to send money on a different device (e.g. an iPad), you’ll need to be signed into iCloud with the same Apple ID.
Users are also able to send money through the Message app on iPhone, without needing to log in to any banking apps.
They can do this by opening the Messages app, tapping the + button and selecting Apple Cash. They can then enter an amount on their keypad and send it to their chosen contact.
Where is the money I receive through Apple Pay stored?
Cash that is received from other users will be stored on the Apple Cash card, which is stored in the Wallet app.
Any money you have stored on the card can then be used to make purchases anywhere Apple Pay is accepted, or it can be transferred into a separate bank account.
Where can I use Apple Pay to transfer money?
Apple Pay relies on Apple Cash to enable direct money transfers to other Apple Pay users. However, at the moment, Apple Cash is only available to users who are at least 18 years old and are based in the US.
Apple may want to introduce Apple Cash to other markets in the future. After all, the app already supports debit, credit and prepaid cards from participating banks and card issuers across more than 80 countries.
That’s a big market, and Apple might wish to expand to other markets (such as the UK) soon – but banking regulations are different in the UK compared to the US, and it might be harder for the company to navigate this.
The company has also been introducing new features to the app in countries outside the US. Late last year, it allowed UK-based users to connect their accounts to debit and credit cards in the Wallet app so that they could immediately see their bank balance without having to go into a separate app.
Can I use Apple Pay to send money to another country?
Again, because Apple Cash is only available in the US, it cannot currently be used to transfer money across borders.
However, Apple Pay can be used as a payment method to fund money transfers being sent through a wide range of specialist money transfer providers, including Wise, Western Union, Ria and MoneyGram, to name a few.
If you need to send money overseas, you’re in luck; FXcompared can help you compare providers and save money on your money transfer. Use our comparison tool on our homepage, or take a look at our company reviews section.
Can I use Apple Pay to make payments abroad?
You can’t send money abroad directly through Apple Pay, but you are able to use it to make purchases online and in a growing number of countries across Africa, Europe, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
You can see Apple’s full list of countries that support Apple Pay here.
Looking to transfer money abroad quickly, securely and at a low price? Read our comprehensive guide to international money transfers.
