Are Apple Pay And Apple Wallet The Same Thing?

Gone are the days when physical cash was the only mode of payment. Like most things, such as radios and newspapers, which have been replaced by podcasts and online news sites, respectively, cash has been replaced by digital payments. For instance, if you're shopping through an online marketplace like Amazon, you can make the payment for your purchase through your credit or debit card. Similarly, many retailers, such as Walmart, support payment through cards and mobile payment systems like Apple Pay.

Apple Pay is a popular mobile payment system that enables you to make purchases at both offline and online stores. It is compatible with almost all Apple devices. In addition to Apple Pay, you must have also heard about the Apple Wallet app, which comes preinstalled on Apple devices. Although both Apple Pay and Apple Wallet (both of which you can use on your Apple Watch) may appear to serve similar purposes, they are distinct from each other. Here's everything you need to know about these two services and how they differ from each other.

Apple Wallet is one of the apps that comes preinstalled on your Apple device. Similar to a physical wallet, the Apple Wallet can be used to securely store your credit and debit cards. Apple also allows you to store additional documents in the Wallet app, which includes your boarding pass, reward cards, membership cards, tickets, hotel keys, and even your driver's license in selected states (California, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Puerto Rico, Ohio, New Mexico, and Iowa).

Among all the added cards, the Wallet app displays the credit or debit card at the top of the list, while all other cards and passes are situated at the bottom. You can simply tap on any card to view its details. However, it's essential to note that Apple Pay is not supported in many countries and regions. So, you won't be able to add payment cards to the Apple Wallet if you live in any such region. Most likely, you'll see the "To add cards, keys, tickets, and passes to Wallet, look for the Add to Wallet button in apps, emails, and websites" pop-up when trying to add a new card.

Once you've added your credit or debit card to the Apple Wallet app, you're all set to use the Apple Pay feature on your Apple device. Apple Pay is a mobile payment service that eliminates the need to carry credit or debit cards when shopping. It allows you to use your Apple device to pay for items you purchase from both offline and online stores.

For instance, if you want to use your iPhone to pay for an item that you've purchased from an offline store, you simply need to double-tap the power button on your iPhone and authenticate your identity. Then, bring your iPhone close to the contactless symbol that appears in the store's card reader. Your iPhone will automatically make the payment using the card set as the default in the Apple Wallet app.

Similarly, you can purchase stuff online using Apple Pay. At the checkout screen, select the Apple Pay button from the list of available payment options. Then, confirm all the details, and double-tap the power button to authenticate your identity and make the payment.

So, you see, the main difference between Apple Pay and the Apple Wallet app is that the latter stores all your card details, whereas the former offers a secure way to make online and offline purchases. Therefore, it wouldn't be incorrect to say that both services are interconnected, and their primary advantage is that they eliminate the need for you to carry your credit or debit card physically with you wherever you go.