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Find out how Apple pay and Amazon pay compare so you can decide which one to use and when.
There are all kinds of ways to pay for your purchases these days. Sure, you could use cash, credit, or debit, or go truly old school and whip out your checkbook, but there are also a ton of other options out there — some of which don’t even require you to carry around a wallet. That’s great news for shoppers, because you have the power to make your life simpler and unlock all sorts of benefits. That is, if you know which payment option to use.
Take Apple Pay and Amazon Pay, two digital payment services that are a lot alike, but have a few key differences. Read on to learn more about how exactly these two payment options work and, critically, how they compare.
In This Post:
How do Apple Pay and Amazon Pay work?
How does Apple Pay Work?
Apple Pay is essentially a replacement for your cash or credit and debit cards. To set it up, all you have to do is add a credit or debit card to your Apple Wallet. You don’t even have to enter your card’s info manually; you can scan it with your camera then follow any instructions from your bank. That’s it — you’re now ready to start using Apple Pay.
How does Amazon Pay Work?
If you make purchases on Amazon, chances are you already have your credit and debit card details saved onto your account, along with your home address. Amazon Pay lets you access that saved information to pay for products and services that are for sale on a non-Amazon website.
Can I use Apple Pay on Amazon?
No, you cannot use Apple Pay as a checkout method on Amazon. The workaround is to use a your Apple Digital wallet on Amazon. Any card in your Apple Digital Wallet can be used to checkout on Amazon.
Does Amazon Take Apple Cash?
No, Amazon does not accept Apple Cash. The best workaround is listed above by adding Apple Cash to your Apple Digital Wallet. More on how this works here.
What’s the catch?
To use Apple Pay, you have to have an iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or Mac. So if you have an Android or Google device, this isn’t the right payment service for you.
You need an account with Amazon to use Amazon Pay and to accept Amazon’s Customer Agreement. If you’re a frequent Amazon user, this is a great service for you.
What’s the advantage?
With Apple Pay, you never have to worry about leaving your wallet at home or not having enough cash on you. As long as you have your smartphone — or smart watch — you’re good to go. This makes it especially great if you’re doing something where you don’t want to carry a wallet, like going for a run, or if you’re traveling, for example, and don’t want to draw attention to where your wallet is.
For Amazon Pay, the main advantage is that it’s so convenient. If you already have payment information stored on your Amazon account, you can now access it at non-Amazon retailers. You don’t have to enter any of the information again or worry about mistyping a card number during checkout. And because you’re using your Amazon account, you don’t have to create additional logins for different sites. If you have an Alexa, you can even use Amazon Pay to make purchases using voice control.
Does Amazon Take Apple Pay?
Amazon does not accept Apple Pay for orders directly placed on the Amazon.com site, because the two companies do not have a direct agreement. However, there is an easy workaround, simply use your Apple Pay digital wallet and pick Apple Pay as the payment gateway.
Where can you use these payment platforms?
More than 85% of retailers accept Apple Pay, so chances are, you can use it wherever you go. If you’re paying in-person, it requires a contactless reader. If you’re paying online, just use the Safari browser on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. You can then use your fingerprint or face ID to confirm payment.
Amazon maintains a partial list of retailers that accept Amazon Pay. Brands include Ring, Sling TV, Samsung, Vineyard Vines, and others.
What’s the security like for each service?
Apple Pay doesn’t store your credit or debit card numbers on your device or on its servers. Instead, it uses a device-specific number and generates a unique transaction code to keep your information safe and secure.
Merchants only receive the information they need to complete your purchase when you use Amazon Pay. That may include your name, email address, and shipping address — but not your full credit card information, debit card information, or bank account number.
What else do I need to know?
Apple Pay is contactless when you’re using your smartphone or smart watch, so you’re unlikely to spread germs the way you could when handling cash or swiping a debit or credit card. Also, if you use it with Apple Cash — basically, Apple’s version of a debit card — you can send and receive cash right in your Messages app.
Here’s another tip for Amazon shoppers: You can use Abunda to buy now, pay later, with your Amazon purchases. Look up items for sale on Amazon through Abunda’s search bar or you copy and paste the Amazon URL of the item you want to purchase. Then, complete the purchase on Abunda to break up your payment over six or 12 months.
Stores that Accept Apple Pay
