Learn how to get a refund for purchases made with your credit or debit card using Apple Pay, and what to do if a merchant requires additional information.
The benefits of shopping with Apple Pay
Shopping with Apple Pay is much easier and more secure than tapping a piece of plastic on a contactless NFC reader. Instead of whipping out your payment card, you can add it securely to the built-in Wallet app to use with Apple Pay.
Apple Pay transactions cannot be intercepted—all your iPhone and the payment terminal exchange is a one-time token, resolved by your bank. At no point does your merchant, bank, or Apple receive or store data that could be tied back to you.
You can also request a refund for any Apple Pay purchase although a merchant may ask for additional information. Follow along as we show you how to get refunded for your Apple Pay purchase, and what to do if additional information is required.
Get a refund for an Apple Pay purchase
You’ll obviously need a receipt to get refunded, but be prepared to provide additional information upon request, like your card number. In most cases, presenting the receipt to the merchant should be enough to process a refund. Once approved, the refunded funds will be sent to the card used to make that particular purchase.
But what if you no longer have the original receipt? In that case, you’ll need to provide the last four digits of the Apple Pay number for your payment card, which is different from the number printed on your physical card. The seller will be able to tie this number to your transaction and refund the money back to your account.
To find your Apple Pay card number, open the Wallet app on your iPhone or Apple Watch and select the card you’ve used to make the purchase. Touch the ellipsis button (…) and choose Card Number from the menu (iPhone) or scroll down and touch Card Information (Apple Watch).
The last four digits of the Apple Pay card number appear next to Apple Pay. This number, unique to your device, is exclusively used for Apple Pay and nothing else.
“To process refunds for purchases made using Apple Pay, the merchant uses the Apple Pay card number of your payment card, instead of the debit or credit card number from your physical card,” as per a support document on Apple’s website.
The seller may also need your actual card to process the refund.
What if a merchant requires additional info?
In that case, invoke Apple Pay by double-pressing the side button on your iPhone or Apple Watch and authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode. Doing so will bring up the Apple Pay interface as if you were about to pay for something.
Select the required card at the bottom of the interface, then hold your iPhone or Apple Watch near the contactless reader. Apple says the refunded money will show up on your card statement after a few days.
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