Amazon does not accept Apple Pay directly, but you can use Apple Pay to fund a gift card or add a payment method to your account

Amazon's checkout page does not show Apple Pay as a payment option. However, you have two practical routes: you can buy an Amazon gift card through Apple Pay on the App Store or iTunes, or you can add a credit or debit card to your Amazon account that you've linked to Apple Pay on your device. When you use Apple Pay to set up that card in your Amazon wallet, the payment itself still goes through as a regular card transaction at checkout — Apple Pay does not process the final purchase.

The distinction matters because it changes where your payment information flows. Apple Pay encrypts your card details on your phone, but Amazon's checkout system does not read that encrypted data. Instead, Amazon reads the card number you've stored in your account, the same way it would for any Visa, Mastercard, or American Express.

Key Takeaways

  • Amazon checkout does not accept Apple Pay as a payment method, so you cannot tap or scan at the final step.
  • You can add any credit or debit card to your Amazon account that you use with Apple Pay on your phone, and that card will work for purchases.
  • Buying an Amazon gift card through Apple Pay on the App Store is another option if you want to use Apple Pay directly.
  • Amazon accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and Diners Club, plus Amazon store cards and gift cards.

How to use a card linked to Apple Pay on Amazon

Start by adding your card to your Amazon account if it is not there already. Go to Your Account, select Manage Your Payments, and choose Add a Payment Method. Enter your card details — the same card you use with Apple Pay — and save it. You do not need to do anything special to link it to Apple Pay; the card itself is what matters to Amazon.

At checkout, select that card from your saved payment methods. Amazon will process the payment using the card number in your account, not through Apple Pay. Your phone's Apple Pay wallet does not come into play during the purchase itself, though you may have used Apple Pay to add the card to your wallet in the first place.

Buying Amazon gift cards with Apple Pay

If you prefer to use Apple Pay directly, you can purchase Amazon gift cards through the App Store or iTunes using Apple Pay. Open the App Store app on your iPhone or iPad, go to the gift cards section, and select Amazon. Choose your amount and complete the purchase with Apple Pay. The gift card code arrives in your email or appears in the Wallet app, depending on your settings.

Once you have the code, add it to your Amazon account by going to Your Account, selecting Gift Cards, and choosing Redeem a Gift Card. Enter the code and the balance loads into your account. You can then use that balance for any Amazon purchase. This method lets you use Apple Pay at the moment of payment, though you are technically buying a gift card rather than paying Amazon directly.

Other payment methods Amazon accepts

Amazon takes all major credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. Diners Club also works. You can store multiple cards in your account and choose which one to use at checkout. Amazon also accepts its own store card, which offers promotional financing on certain purchases if you open an account.

Gift cards are another option — you can buy them from retailers like Target, Walmart, or Best Buy with cash or any payment method, then redeem the code on Amazon. Amazon also accepts bank transfers in some regions through Amazon Pay, though this is less common for consumer purchases.

Why Amazon does not accept Apple Pay at checkout

Amazon has its own payment infrastructure and does not use the payment networks that Apple Pay connects to at the point of sale. Apple Pay works by tokenizing your card — replacing your actual card number with an encrypted token that merchants can read if their systems support it. Amazon's checkout system was built to read traditional card numbers instead, and the company has not integrated Apple Pay's tokenization system.

This is a business decision rather than a technical limitation. Some retailers accept Apple Pay and some do not, depending on whether they have invested in the infrastructure to read Apple's encrypted tokens. Amazon processes enough volume that it could add Apple Pay support if it chose to, but it has not done so.

Using Amazon on your iPhone or iPad

The Amazon app on iOS does not offer Apple Pay at checkout either. The app uses the same payment system as the website, so you will select a saved card or add a new one the same way. You cannot use Face ID or Touch ID to authorize the payment through Apple Pay; you enter your card details or select a stored card instead.

If you want to use biometric authentication on Amazon purchases, you can set up a saved card and use your phone's autofill feature, which will fill in your card details using Face ID or Touch ID. This is not the same as Apple Pay, but it does let you authorize the payment with your fingerprint or face.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Apple Pay on Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods?

Whole Foods, which Amazon owns, does accept Apple Pay in stores and through its app. Amazon Fresh, the grocery delivery service, does not accept Apple Pay for online orders — you use the same payment methods as regular Amazon purchases. In-store at Whole Foods, Apple Pay works at the register like any other retailer.

What if I have an Apple Card — can I use that on Amazon?

Yes. The Apple Card is a Mastercard, so you can add it to your Amazon account like any other credit card. At checkout, select it from your saved payment methods. Apple Pay does not process the transaction, but your Apple Card will work for the purchase.

Does Amazon accept Google Pay or Samsung Pay?

No. Amazon does not accept Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or other digital wallet services at checkout. You can add the card linked to those wallets to your Amazon account and use the card itself, but the wallet does not process the payment.

Will Amazon add Apple Pay support in the future?

Amazon has not announced plans to add Apple Pay. The company has its own payment system and has not integrated Apple's tokenization technology. There is no public timeline for this to change.