How Secure Is Apple Pay: What You Need To Know

By Jake McEvoy

Updated: 08/17/22 • 5 min read

How Secure Is Apple Pay: What You Need To Know

Apple Pay is a very convenient way to pay for products and services whether you’re out and about or shopping online – but how safe is it? Let’s investigate.

For a short while, contactless payments were revolutionary, but today they’re taken for granted. Very fast, our excitement to see a company accept it gave way to disappointment if they didn’t.

When contactless debit cards entered the market, the whole payment procedure almost seemed non-existent – minus the guilt of purchasing another latte. Chip and pin debit cards were already considerably handier than using cash and carrying a bulky wallet around.

Then came contactless mobile payments through the use of Apple Pay, Android Pay and Google Pay, and now we simply don’t need a wallet with us at all half the time.

Many people, however, are concerned with the security issues that have evolved alongside this evolution of payment methods.

What threats exist, and how does Apple Pay shield us from them?

What Is Apple Pay?

The digital wallet service known as Apple Pay uses near-field communication (NFC) technology to enable users to make secure, contactless credit or debit card payments at merchant locations all around the globe.

Apple devotees may accomplish this using an iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad that supports NFC, although the latter may not be the most practical.

Customers who use Apple Pay may make purchases online as well as in-store. Apple uses the customer’s fingerprint or face to validate the payment, which is quicker and safer than any credit card security measure.

Is Apple Pay Safe?

Each payment method has its own weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and none of them is completely secure. When everything is said and done, Apple Pay is still rather secure.

However, a possible weakness in Apple Pay’s VISA Express Transit mechanism was found by certain academics from the Universities of Surrey and Birmingham.

Users of the Express Transit system may pay for transportation services without having to authenticate the transaction using Face ID or Touch ID as they would for any other purchase.

This is intended to shorten the time needed to tap in or out of transit gates. You just need to touch your smartphone on the contactless reader to do this, and the payment will be instantly authenticated.

The iPhone was deceived by the researchers into believing it was talking with a transit gate when in fact it was a payment scanner for stores.

In order to do this, a special code emitted by turnstiles or transit gates was identified and exploited to disrupt the communications between an iPhone and a store card reader.

Does Apple Pay Save Your Bank Details?

When you first set up a card in Apple Pay, you will be asked for the card number, expiration date, and CVV code. This information is necessary so that the card may be confirmed with your bank.

Apple’s method of authentication only has to be completed once, and the company does not store any of the information it collects. Therefore, when you make a purchase with Apple Pay, these details are not shared with the merchant.

Instead, it uses a process known as “tokenization,” which creates a one-time password that is unique to each transaction that is carried out.

Does Apple Pay Have A Contactless Limit?

Apple Pay has no spending cap, in contrast to contactless card payments, which cap your total at £100. There is no guarantee that this will never change, however it would not make sense to do so.

This enables you to pay for more expensive items or more items at once with nothing more than your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or whatever else Apple decides to bring out in the future.

How To Set Up Apple Pay

Setting up Apple Pay on your Apple device is a straightforward process, as you’d expect. Although the following guide is specific to setting it up on your iPhone, you’ll find the procedure very similar on your Apple Watch or iPad.

Launch the Wallet app on the iPhone you’re using.
To add anything, click the plus sign in the top right corner of the screen.
On the screen for setting up Apple Pay, tap the Continue button.
Select the kind of card you wish to add to your Apple Pay account, either a credit, debit card or the Apple Card itself.
To add a new card, just follow the instructions given. In this section, you will have the option to either manually input the card info or use the camera on your iPhone to scan the face of your card. After that, press the Next button.
Now, input the expiry date of the card as well as the security code, and then touch the Next button.
Please take the time to read and accept the terms and conditions.
Choose between receiving a verification e-mail, text message, or phone call, and then input the verification code when required to do so. Then you should click the Next button.
After having your information validated by your financial institution or card issuer, you will be able to begin using Apple Pay by selecting “Next”.

What Is Apple Wallet?

You may save your credit and debit cards, transit passes, and other types of identification, including your driver’s licence or student ID, in the Apple Wallet app.

If your automobile or house key is compatible with Apple CarKey, you can also save digital versions of those keys. Additionally, you may use it to keep track of your railcards, boarding permits for flights, COVID-19 immunisation card, and more.

Apple Wallet’s simplicity is what gives it beauty. The majority of the items listed above that fit in your wallet may be uploaded, and your iPhone can access them right away.