Apple Pay not working? 8 fixes for iPhone

When a payment fails at the register, it is rarely the iPhone alone. The card, your bank, the terminal and the phone all have to agree. Work through the fixes below in order. They start with the quickest checks and end with removing the card and adding it again, which solves most stubborn cases.

Is Apple Pay down, or is it just you?

Open Apple’s System Status page and look for Apple Pay & Wallet. A green dot means Apple’s side is fine. If it shows an outage, nothing you do on the iPhone will fix it, so pay another way and try again later. Your bank can also have its own outage, which looks identical at the register.

Fix 2: Take off the case and anything on the back

Thick cases, metal plates, magnetic wallets and cards stuck to the back can weaken the signal. Remove them and try again. This is a surprisingly common cause when payments fail only at some terminals.

Fix 3: Make sure Face ID or your passcode can approve payments

Apple Pay needs Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to approve each payment. Open Settings › Face ID & Passcode and check that Wallet & Apple Pay is turned on under the list of things Face ID is used for. If Face ID itself keeps failing, see Face ID that will not work. Wet fingers, a mask or sunglasses can also stop it from recognizing you at the register.

Fix 4: Check that double-click and the default card are set

Open Settings › Wallet & Apple Pay. Make sure Double-Click Side Button is on. Under Default Card, choose the card you want to use. If you have several cards, Apple Pay may be offering one that your bank has blocked or that has expired. Tap the card in Wallet to check that it shows as active and that the expiry date is current.

Fix 6: Check the card and call your bank

If Apple Pay says the card was declined, the problem may be with the card, not the iPhone. Banks sometimes block a digital card after a travel purchase, a large payment, or a number of failed tries. Try the same physical card at the same terminal. If that works but Apple Pay does not, call the number on the back of the card and ask whether the Apple Pay version of the card has been blocked.

Fix 8: Reset network settings, then contact Apple

If payments fail only online or in apps, a bad connection can be the cause. Open Settings › General › Transfer or Reset iPhone › Reset › Reset Network Settings. This forgets saved Wi-Fi networks and passwords, so you will need to join them again. It does not erase your data.If nothing has worked, the problem may be with your Apple Account, your region, or the iPhone itself. Contact Apple Support or visit an Apple Store, and ask your bank to check that the card is still allowed in Apple Pay.

Apple Pay online and in apps

When you pay in Safari or an app, the Apple Pay button must appear and your card must be listed in Wallet. If the button never shows, the website may not support Apple Pay, or Apple Pay may be unavailable in your country. Check that the shipping and billing details on the screen match your card, since a mismatched address can cause a decline. Pay with the Wallet card instead of typing the card number to see if the problem is the site or your iPhone.

Apple Watch and other devices

Each device has its own copy of a card. A card can work on your iPhone and fail on your Apple Watch, because the watch needs to be unlocked and on your wrist. Double-click the side button on the watch and hold it near the reader. If it still fails, remove the card from the Watch app and add it again.

When Apple Pay is turned off on purpose

If your iPhone is in Lost Mode, or Find My has locked it, Apple Pay is turned off until you recover it. If you signed out of your Apple Account or restored the phone from a backup, you may need to add the cards again, because cards are not restored from a regular backup for security reasons. If you lost the phone, see our guide on what to do when your phone is stolen.

A quick checklist before you give up

• The reader shows the contactless symbol and the screen is on.
• The case is off and the top of the iPhone is within an inch of the reader.
• Face ID, Touch ID or the passcode is working.
• Apple’s System Status shows Apple Pay as available.
• The card is active in Wallet and not expired.
• iOS is up to date and Set Automatically is on for the date and time.
• The card works as a physical card, and the bank has not blocked the Apple Pay version.
• You have tried removing and re-adding the card.

If you work through that list and the payment still fails at one particular store, the terminal is most likely the problem. Try another store, then another card, and you will know whether to ask the shop or your bank for help.