Apple Pay: This is how paying with the iPhone and Apple Watch works in everyday life

After a long wait, Apple Pay went live this week finally also available in Germany. Now you can finally pay with your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or Mac on the go or online. But how does the service fare in everyday life?

We have already summarized all the important key data on Apple Pay in one own contribution together. However, it has not yet been mentioned where exactly you can set up Apple Pay. For this, a new item appeared in the settings on the day of the release, which is called "Wallet & Apple Pay"

Picture: TechnikNews

Since I already have an account with N26 (a bank that supports Apple Pay; you can find all supported banks here), I simply add my MasterCard to the wallet app and verify it with a confirmation code that is sent by SMS. Now Apple has sent the request to the bank and the bank has confirmed the validation with the SMS code. Now I can make contactless payments via iPhone.

Apple Pay in the Wild - My Experience

I stand at the cash register of a McDonald’s and place my order. The lady at the cash register tells me the amount to be paid and I consciously tell her that I want to pay with the card. I can warmly recommend this to everyone, because the phrase "paying with your smartphone" often still makes people wonder, which is also what editor-in-chief David Wurm does could experience before.

From a short distance, I hold the iPhone in the direction of the terminal and the wallet app asks me to confirm the payment by double-clicking the power button. Face ID is used here so that only you can process the purchases. With older devices, the sensor for Touch ID is still used at this point. You can now see in real time on your iPhone what you bought where and how much it cost.

This process is even possible with the Apple Watch. Simply open the wallet app on the watch and activate or approve the payment with a double click on the button displayed. Then you just have to hold the watch in the direction of the terminal and you've paid.

With the Apple Watch, payment via Apple Pay is just as possible as with the iPhone. (Image: TechnikNews)

The best thing about the whole thing: the purchase process feels faster than with a conventional plastic card. A big plus point: If you ever find yourself in a shop where there is no cellular network, you can still pay with Apple Pay, as Apple Pay does not require a network connection. Pretty handy.

Safety First

Now there will definitely be some who are now afraid for their own money. However, these concerns are completely unjustified. But Apple Pay is not that easy to outsmart. Apple does not save your credit card number, but creates a virtual card with a so-called token.

This means that your card number will be converted into a very complex and different number that would not do any thief any good. Protry it out and leave your experiences in a comment.

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