You’re sitting there with a cart full of stuff on the Amazon app, and you’re ready to check out. You double-tap the side button on your iPhone out of habit, expecting that familiar "ding" of Apple Pay. But it doesn't happen. Honestly, it’s one of the most annoying "walled garden" moments in tech today. We use Apple Pay for everything from gas station snacks to high-end laptops, yet the world’s biggest retailer and the world’s most valuable phone maker still haven't quite figured out how to play nice together in the way we want.
Apple Pay with Amazon is a bit of a weird subject. Technically, they aren't direct enemies—Amazon accepts Apple Pay in certain countries like the UK, and they even launched a partnership for "Buy with Prime" on external sites. But inside the actual Amazon.com app in the US? It's a no-go. You can’t just click a black button and be done.
Why? It basically comes down to data and fees. Apple wants a cut, and Amazon wants your shopping data. When two titans clash, the user is the one digging through their wallet for a physical credit card like it's 2012.
The Reality of Apple Pay with Amazon Right Now
If you are looking for a big "Pay with Apple Pay" button on the Amazon checkout screen, you won't find it. Not in the US, anyway. It feels intentional. It is intentional. Amazon pushes its own payment ecosystem—Amazon Pay and the Amazon Prime Visa—because that keeps the transaction lifecycle under their roof.
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However, there is a massive misconception that you can't use your Apple-based funds or your Apple Card on Amazon. You can. It’s just not a "one-tap" experience. If you have an Apple Card, you can manually enter those card details into your Amazon account. You still get your 1% back (though you'd get 2% if you could use the actual Apple Pay interface). It's a compromise. Sorta.
Actually, the "Buy with Prime" expansion is the most interesting development we've seen in years. In late 2024, Amazon started allowing third-party merchants who use the "Buy with Prime" service to accept Apple Pay. This means you might be on a random clothing website, click the Prime logo to get fast shipping, and then use Apple Pay to finish the transaction. It's a bizarre workaround where Amazon is fine with Apple Pay as long as it happens off their main site.
Why the Tech Giants Won't Shake Hands
Money. It always is.
When you use Apple Pay, Apple charges the issuing bank a small fee—usually around 0.15% of the transaction. While that doesn't come directly out of Amazon's pocket, the integration requires giving up a level of control over the checkout flow. Amazon is obsessed with "frictionless" shopping. They invented the 1-Click Buy. To them, redirecting a user to an Apple FaceID prompt is a step away from their own ecosystem.
Then there’s the data.
Apple Pay is designed for privacy. It uses tokenization, meaning the merchant (Amazon) doesn't see your actual card number. Amazon, being a data company disguised as a store, prefers having direct access to your payment methods. It helps them track spending habits across different accounts and verify identities.
How to Effectively Use Your Apple Wallet on Amazon
Since we can't get the button, we have to use the "Backdoor Method."
- The Apple Card Route: Open your Wallet app, tap your Apple Card, and hit the card icon in the top right. Copy that 16-digit number. Go to Amazon > Your Account > Your Payments and add it as a standard credit card.
- The Apple Cash Trick: This is the one most people miss. If a friend sent you $50 on iMessage and it's sitting in your Apple Cash balance, you can actually use it on Amazon. You just need to set up a "Virtual Card Number" for your Apple Cash in the Wallet app. Once you have that number, Amazon treats it like a regular debit card.
- Safari AutoFill: If you use Safari on a Mac or iPhone, your Apple Pay cards are often saved in your Keychain. When you hit the "Add Card" screen on Amazon, Safari will offer to fill in the details for you. It’s not quite Apple Pay, but it’s the closest thing to it in terms of speed.
The International Exception
It is worth noting that the "Apple Pay with Amazon" saga is very US-centric. In the United Kingdom, for instance, Amazon has been much more open to alternative payment methods. Why? Mostly because of different banking regulations and a higher consumer demand for mobile wallet integration in Europe.
If you're shopping on Amazon.co.uk, you might see options that US shoppers can only dream of. This proves that the limitation isn't technical. It’s a business choice. A choice made by executives in Seattle and Cupertino who are staring each other down across a very expensive table.
The Future: Will We Ever See a Native Integration?
Don't hold your breath for a "Pay with Apple" button on the Amazon homepage tomorrow. However, the pressure is mounting. With the Department of Justice looking closely at Apple's "walled garden" and how they handle the NFC chip on the iPhone, Apple has been forced to open up.
In 2024, Apple announced they would allow third-party developers to access the NFC chip for payments. This is huge. It means, theoretically, Amazon could build their own "Tap to Pay" style system within the Amazon app that uses your stored iPhone credentials without specifically using the "Apple Pay" brand.
But for now, we are stuck with manual entry.
Actionable Steps for Apple Users on Amazon
Stop waiting for the update that brings native Apple Pay to the Amazon app. It probably isn't coming this year. Instead, do this to maximize your rewards and speed:
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- Switch to the Virtual Card: If you have an Apple Card, don't just use it for the sake of it. Amazon’s own store card gives 5% back. Apple Card only gives 1% on Amazon. It's bad math to use Apple Card there.
- Enable Apple Cash Virtual Numbers: Go into your iPhone Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > Apple Cash and see if you can "Set Up Virtual Card Number." Use this for small purchases to burn through that iMessage money.
- Check "Buy with Prime" Sites: If you see a product on Amazon, check the manufacturer's direct website. If they have the "Buy with Prime" badge, you can usually use Apple Pay there and still get your Prime shipping. It's the best of both worlds.
- Audit Your Keychain: Make sure your preferred Apple Pay cards are also saved in your Safari AutoFill settings. It turns a 2-minute "find my wallet" hunt into a 5-second "FaceID to paste" action.
The bridge between Apple and Amazon is narrow and rickety. You can cross it, but you have to know where the loose planks are. Until the two companies decide that user convenience is worth more than their respective data silos, these workarounds are the best tools we have.