Apple Pay India launch tipped for October, here’s what to expect
Indian users may finally have access to Apple Pay from October 2026, according to the latest report by Mark Gurman. Other wallet-based options like Samsung Pay and Google Play have been widely available in the country for some time now. With the growing iPhone and user base across India, it seems Apple finally deems the market mature enough to expand its services platform. Let’s talk about it in more detail below.
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Apple Pay launch rumoured in October
The story has been building for a while now, with Apple Pay’s India launch reportedly in the works for several months. Mark Gurman, a reputed source for Apple-related developments, recently claimed that Apple is planning to bring its payment service to India in October. A Business Standard report had pointed to a similar timeline earlier in August, suggesting the service could arrive towards the end of September or in October.
Apple is also reportedly in talks with Indian banks, including Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, as well as Visa and Mastercard, to enable card payments through the service. Reuters now reports that Axis Bank could become Apple’s first banking partner, with discussions with HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank still ongoing.
The market also seems ripe for Apple since it continues to grow at a breakneck speed among the Indian user base. The brand dominates the premium smartphone segment, while the country remains one of the few major markets where Apple Pay is still unavailable. Apple had first expressed interest in launching the service in India back in 2017, but regulatory and technical hurdles delayed those plans.
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Apple Pay may launch without UPI
The biggest limitation could be what Apple Pay doesn’t offer at launch. Current reports suggest Apple will initially focus on Visa and Mastercard credit cards, allowing users to add supported cards to Apple Wallet and make contactless payments through an iPhone or Apple Watch. UPI support is not expected initially, as Apple would need the relevant NPCI approvals and a sponsor bank arrangement to enable it.
Apple has reportedly been negotiating how much it will receive from each card transaction, with the company seeking around 15-20 basis points, while some banks have pushed for about 10 basis points. One basis point is 0.01 percent, and the fee would reportedly come from banks’ interchange earnings rather than being charged directly to users.
That is a tricky model to justify in India, where UPI has traditionally operated without a merchant discount fee for most everyday transactions. From October 15, however, a 0.4 percent fee will apply to eligible merchant UPI transactions above Rs 2,000, while smaller merchant and person-to-person payments remain exempt.
Apple will also have to enter a market where Samsung already has a fairly complete payment offering through Samsung Wallet. Samsung’s wallet supports NFC-based card payments as well as UPI, including QR code payments, money transfers, and payment requests.
That gives Samsung a much better appeal for Indian users because the same wallet can handle both card-based and UPI payments. Apple’s initial service, by comparison, could mainly appeal to iPhone and Apple Watch users who regularly use credit cards for contactless payments. Those who rely on UPI for everyday QR-code transactions would still need another app.
Apple is finally bringing a service that has been part of its ecosystem for years to India, but it may initially arrive with fewer capabilities than an established rival already offers. Whether Apple can close that gap will likely depend on how quickly it expands bank support and whether it eventually adds UPI.
