Who accepts Apple Pay now?

Whether you always keep your eye out for new places to use Apple Pay or you’re new to Apple’s fast and secure payment service, one thing is for sure, it’s growing and changing fast. Let’s take a look at what stores and businesses are accepting Apple Pay now and the different ways you can use it.

Just a few years after launching Apple Pay we’re seeing strong adoption and growth both from consumers and merchants. We’re constantly seeing new implementations beyond just retail and grocery stores such as huge fleets of vending machines being upgraded with Apple Pay support, table side order and pay terminals at restaurants, and even in-car support.

Apple has also increased the payment services availability and use with support for the web, in apps, and in the US and the UK a variety of non-profits are now accepting Apple Pay.

For now, there are 14 countries where Apple Pay is available with Taiwan rumored to be next up plus Germany and Italy possibly coming soon as well. You can find a full list of regions and financial institutions on Apple’s website.

Figuring out who accepts Apple Pay while on the go

If you’re not sure what stores and merchants will accept Apple Pay and you haven’t taken a look at the current list ahead of time, here are some ways to quickly find out:

1. Look for one or both of the symbols shown above (in rare cases a merchant may display one or both of the symbols and not accept Apple pay).
2. Hold your iPhone near the payment terminal while the cashier is ringing up your items (your debit or credit card associated with Apple Pay will automatically pop up, with Apple Watch you’ll need to double-press the side button) if it does, it should work. Use Touch ID or your passcode to approve the purchase.
3. Ask small business owners if they accept Apple Pay (sometimes I help them realize they do and weren’t aware of it). Even if they don’t it helps build awareness.
4. Ask an employee (at chains and larger stores). I list this last as often times employees aren’t the most knowledgeable on this topic, but you may get some help (I’ve experience a few employees who were sharp about knowing which terminals were having issues).

Don’t forget when shopping at small businesses, they often accept Apple Pay through Square, Clover, or another payment processor. Even if you don’t see either the contactless payment or Apple Pay symbol, give it a shot!

Keep an eye out for the small white square as shown above or similar devices at checkout.

Figuring out who accepts Apple Pay ahead of time

Over 100 major brands and retailers in the US are now accepting Apple Pay, check out Apple’s website to see who is new on the list. You can also see which apps support the payment service. Lastly Apple shares the list of non-profits that are also on board.

“Use Apple Pay in these stores. And millions more” as seen on Apple’s site sounds like an exaggeration at first, but when you consider all the small businesses, 300,000+ vending machines, and the hundreds (or thousands) of chain locations, the numbers add up.

With these tips and resources you shouldn’t have to wonder “where can I use Apple Pay?” anymore. Share any questions you have in the comments below, and check out our how to on using Apple Pay on the web. You can find more resources on Apple’s website as well.