Apple Pay officially launched in India, contactless payments to the world's most populated country. Service currently limited to Visa and Mastercard credit cards issued by Axis Bank, excluding other major banks like State Bank of India and HDFC Bank, as well as the local RuPay network. Apple will charge 0.2 percent fee per transaction, with terms still under negotiation with additional banks.

The payment method will not work on terminals that haven't been enabled for Apple Pay. At launch, millions of merchants across India will accept the service, including Apple Store locations, Blinkit, Chaayos, Comet, Croma, Interflora, Ixigo, Le15 Patisserie, Reliance brands, Tata 1mg, and Zomato. Users can add Axis Bank cards through the bank's app or via the Wallet app.

Despite India's smartphone market being dominated by Android, Counterpoint Research reports Apple's volume market share is expected to reach 10 percent this year, driven by strong demand for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.