Apple Pay is a secure and convenient way of paying for things with your iPhone or Apple Watch when you're out and about, but it can also be used for purchasing merchandise online when you're on your Mac.

Mac Apple Pay
You can authorize ‌Apple Pay‌ transactions on your Mac using the Touch ID sensor on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. If you have an older Mac without a Touch Bar, you can still use ‌Apple Pay‌ to buy things on the web, but you'll need to use the cards stored on your ‌iPhone‌ or Apple Watch to pay for them. Keep reading to learn how it all works.

How to Set Up Apple Pay in Safari on Mac

To pay for things online when you're on your Mac, you need to be using Apple's Safari. Before you do anything else, you need to make sure the browser is ready for ‌Apple Pay‌ transactions. Just follow these quick steps.

  1. Open Safari.
  2. Go to Safari -> Preferences in the menu bar.
  3. Click the Privacy tab.
    safari

  4. Select the checkbox next to Apple Pay to Allow websites to check if Apple Pay is set up.

How to Set Up Apple Pay on a MacBook With Touch ID

If you have a ‌MacBook Air‌ or ‌MacBook Pro‌ with a ‌Touch ID‌ sensor, you can authorize ‌Apple Pay‌ transactions from your keyboard.

2017 macbook pro 15in touch id tech spec
Before you do that though, you'll need to have added a credit card to ‌Apple Pay‌ on your Mac. You're asked to do this when first setting up a ‌MacBook Air‌ or ‌MacBook Pro‌ with a ‌Touch ID‌ sensor, but you can also add a card to ‌Apple Pay‌ in System Preferences whenever you like.

  1. Launch System Preferences from your Mac's Dock, from the Applications folder, or from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences...).
  2. Click Wallet & Apple Pay to open the relevant pane.
  3. Click Add Card... to add a credit or debit card.
    macos wallet and apple pay

  4. To add your card information, hold your card in front of your Mac's FaceTime camera and position it in the frame on the screen. Alternately, you can opt to Enter Card Details Manually.
    Apple Pay

  5. Click Next to verify your card number.
  6. Verify your card number, then click Next.
  7. Verify your card's expiration date using the three-digit CVV or CVC security code printed on the back of the card, then click Next.
  8. Click Accept to accept the terms and conditions.
  9. Choose Email, Text Message, or Call to verify your card's setup with ‌Apple Pay‌, then click Next.
  10. Enter the verification code sent to you via your chosen method, then click Next.

Your card should now be added to ‌Apple Pay‌. Occasionally it may take a bit of time for your bank to verify your information, in which case you'll be notified as soon as your card has been approved.

How to Set Up Apple Pay on an Older Mac

If you have an older Mac that doesn't feature a ‌Touch ID‌ sensor, you can still use ‌Apple Pay‌ to buy things online, but you'll have to use the cards stored on your ‌iPhone‌ or Apple Watch. Before that though, you need to turn on a couple of switches on your device(s).

macossierraapplepay

How to Allow Apple Pay Payments on Mac via iPhone

  1. Launch the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌.
  2. Tap Wallet & Apple Pay.
    settings

  3. Tap the switch next to Allow Payments on Mac so that it's in the green ON position.

How to Allow Apple Pay Payments on Mac via Apple Watch

  1. Launch the Watch app on your ‌iPhone‌.
  2. Tap Wallet & Apple Pay.
    settings

  3. Tap the switch next to Allow Payments on Mac so that it's in the green ON position.

How to Manage Apple Pay Cards on Your Mac

If you've added cards to ‌Apple Pay‌ on a Mac that has a ‌Touch ID‌ sensor, you can manage your cards in System Preferences.

  1. Launch System Preferences from your Mac's Dock, from the Applications folder, or from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences...).
  2. Click Wallet & Apple Pay to open the relevant pane.
  3. Click a card in the sidebar to view its information, including account number, billing address, bank contact details, and transaction details.
    system prefs

If you're using ‌Apple Pay‌ on an older Mac and authorizing transactions via your ‌iPhone‌ or Apple Watch, you can only manage your cards on your ‌iPhone‌.

How to Change Your Default Apple Pay Card on Mac

  1. Launch System Preferences from your Mac's Dock, from the Applications folder, or from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences...).
  2. Click Wallet & Apple Pay.system preferences
  3. Select your preferred card from the Default Card pop-up menu at the bottom of the preference pane.

Note that you can also change the default card that ‌Apple Pay‌ uses when you pay for something with your iPhone and with your Apple Watch.

How to Remove a Card From Apple Pay on Mac

  1. Launch System Preferences from your Mac's Dock, from the Applications folder, or from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences...).
  2. Click Wallet & Apple Pay to open the relevant pane.
  3. Click the card in the sidebar that you wish to remove.
  4. Press the minus (-) button at the bottom of the sidebar to remove it.
    system prefs

  5. Click Delete to confirm that you want to remove it.

How to Edit Your Contact and Shipping Information

  1. Launch System Preferences from your Mac's Dock, from the Applications folder, or from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences...).
  2. Click Wallet & Apple Pay to open the relevant pane.
  3. Click Contact and Shipping at the bottom of the sidebar.
    system prefs

  4. To change or add a new shipping address, email, or phone number, click the relevant dropdown menu.

How to Edit Your Billing Address

  1. Launch System Preferences from your Mac's Dock, from the Applications folder, or from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences...).
  2. Click Wallet & Apple Pay to open the relevant pane.
  3. Click the card in the sidebar that you wish to change the billing address for.
  4. Click the Billing Address dropdown and select Add a new Billing Address.
    system prefs

  5. Enter your new billing address in the fields, then press Save.

Using Apple Pay on Your Mac

To know if you can use Apple's digital wallet, all you need to look for is the ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ symbol when checking out. Then complete your purchase using your Mac with ‌Touch ID‌, ‌iPhone‌ or Apple Watch. If you complete your purchase using ‌iPhone‌ or Apple Watch, you must be signed in with the same Apple ID as on your Mac.

Still unsure how ‌Apple Pay‌ works when buying things online? Then check out our walkthrough, which guides you through the process step-by-step.

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iphone 17 pro majin bu sky blue

iPhone 17 Pro Allegedly Coming in Sky Blue Color Used for MacBook Air

Tuesday April 22, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 Pro in a new Sky Blue color, the same color that debuted on the latest M4 MacBook Air models Apple released in March. That's according to the leaker Majin Bu. Concept mockup from Majin Bu Writing on his website, Bu claims that "sources close to the supply chain confirm that several iPhone 17 Pro prototypes have been made in various colors, with Sky Blue...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...