How to Use Apple Pay: Pay at Stores, in Apps, and Online

Find the Wallet app on your home screen and tap it. The icon looks like a small leather wallet with colored cards peeking out the top. If you don't see it, swipe down from the middle of any home screen and search for 'Wallet' - the app comes pre-installed and can't be deleted, only hidden. Inside, you will see every card you have added to Apple Pay stacked one on top of the other. The card sitting at the very front is your default, which is the card that comes up first when you go to pay.

Take a second to look at what you have. Credit cards, debit cards, an Apple Cash balance, a transit pass, even a state ID in places like Arizona - all of these can live in Apple Pay. Most major banks and credit unions in the US work with no extra setup. The cards fan out from the front; the one in front is your default for in-store taps. Tap any card to see its recent transactions, balance, and settings. This is also where you would tap the plus icon at the top right to add a new card later.

Got a personal card and a business card both in the wallet? You can swap which one Apple Pay uses for the next purchase. Tap the card you want to charge, and it pops to the front. For a one-off swap, do this right before you head to the register. To change your everyday default for good, go to Settings, Wallet and Apple Pay, then Default Card, and pick the one you want at the top of the stack every time.

Before you reach for your phone, look at the card reader. You want to see the contactless wave symbol (four curved lines getting bigger) or the Apple Pay logo. Almost every major US retailer - Target, Starbucks, Walgreens, Costco, McDonald's, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Pet Smart, Ross - takes it. Gas pumps and parking meters increasingly do too. If the terminal looks like it can only swipe a magnetic stripe with no NFC reader, your iPhone won't work and you will need the physical card instead.

Here is the gesture that does everything: press the side button on the right edge of your iPhone twice, quickly. Your default card slides up the screen and Face ID kicks in. This works whether your phone is locked, on the home screen, or already in another app - the shortcut is global. On an iPhone with a home button, double-press the home button instead. On Apple Watch, double-press the side button next to the digital crown.

Glance at your phone so Face ID can read you. Once it confirms, you'll see 'Hold Near Reader' under your card. Bring the top of your iPhone within an inch or two of the contactless reader. You will feel a small haptic buzz and see a checkmark with the word 'Done' on screen - that is the payment going through. If the reader is slow to pick up the signal, move the phone in a little closer or shift it slightly. If a PIN pad or signature line shows up on the terminal, finish it the way you would with the physical card.

Apple Pay isn't only for in-person taps. In an app or on a checkout page in Safari, look for an 'Apple Pay' button at checkout - it shows up on sites like Etsy, Airbnb, StubHub, and most major retailers. Tap it, then either double-click the side button again or rest your finger on the Touch ID sensor (older iPhones) to authorize. Shipping address and card details auto-fill from your wallet, so you don't have to type a thing. Same security, no card number ever sent to the merchant.

Open Wallet, tap the card you want to manage, then tap the three-dot circle icon at the top right. You'll see card info, recent transactions, the device account number Apple Pay uses instead of your real card number, and Express Transit settings. Scroll all the way to the bottom and you'll find 'Remove This Card' in red. Use it for expired cards, cards you've lost, or any account you no longer want available for tap-to-pay. Removing here doesn't close the underlying credit card account - it just takes it out of Apple Pay on this device.