Apple Pay is an application that comes with any Apple device registered under a user; it is accessed from the user’s phone. Once the user has registered, the account can be managed from any device synchronized to it.
The purpose of Apple Pay is to replace debit and credit cards for the user’s convenience; however, to activate the system, it is necessary to enter a card number into the Wallet app. For that reason, you cannot add money without a debit card.
How to add money to Apple Pay Wallet?
The Wallet is the digital Wallet of the Apple Pay system and must be recharged in order to be used. The first thing to do is to go to the device’s “Settings”; there, you will see a wallet icon that says Apple Pay Wallet; enter it, and all the information corresponding to the linked cards will be displayed.
In the Apple Pay Cash option, you can see the amount of money available in the system; tap on this option. Automatically, two options will appear in blue, transfer to the bank and add money. When you tap the option to add money, you will see a screen with the card and the numbers to select the amount of money.
It is important to know that the minimum amount required to recharge your card is $10. Once you’ve selected the amount of money to recharge, the available amount will be displayed. It is only possible to use Touch ID to approve the transaction; the system will not allow you to use the PIN code for either recharging or transferring.
Once the recharge has been approved, the application will automatically return to the Apple Pay Wallet information window.
Another recharge option that doesn’t require credit or debit cards is to buy a prepaid card and link it to Apple Pay so that you can recharge from this card without any problem.
Apple Pay and Apple Pay Cash
Users often confuse these two terms. However, these have different functions. Apple Pay is a transaction method that has been around for a long time on all Apple devices, including Macs.
Apple Pay is the payment system for IOS users; for example, when purchasing any paid app from the app store, the payment method will be Apple Pay which is linked to the Apple user.
Apple Pay Cash is a feature created by Apple to facilitate transactions through iMessage from person to person or seller.
Benefits of Apple Pay Cash
There are many payment methods, but the newly released Apple Pay Cash is still in constant development since its operation goes hand in hand with IOS; to use this feature, you need an Apple device with at least iOS 11.2 to enjoy the features and benefits it provides.
Fee
In some platforms and payment methods, the bank or app charges a percentage per transaction, so when making a transfer, you spend a little more money than the other party will receive. Apple Pay Cash does not issue this fee requested by the bank. Therefore, the money you send will be the amount the person receives and will not be deducted from the Wallet.
Bank affiliation
A virtual card is not directly associated with a bank, unlike Apple Pay which links the account to a bank. With Apple Pay Cash, you can affiliate different cards from different banks, and when receiving the money, you can keep it in the Wallet or transfer it to any linked accounts.
Fast transactions
This payment method is simple, as there is no need to log in to any bank or app. The money is sent by iMessage as a text, and the system registers the money that was transferred.
Another more efficient option to save time is to ask Siri to send a certain amount of money to a contact. By saying, for example, “Hey Siri, send $10 to Daniel,” the system will record the payment and deduct it from the Wallet.
When using iMessage, it is possible to make overseas transfers, as long as the other person has an account linked to a bank that supports Apple Pay Cash.
Linking Apple devices
Because it is an iOS 11.2 feature, Apple Pay Cash can be managed from Apple Watch and Mac as long as they are linked to the same Apple ID account.
Apple Cash Family
For those families with Apple devices, Apple Pay offers the option to use the Apple Cash Family system so that parents can include children and teens in a family account.
The way Apple Cash Family works is it creates a Wallet for a family group where parents can send money to their children, in addition to being able to check the balance of each account, see who their children are transferring to, and receive notifications of the movements.
It is a way to give financial independence to children, but with certain reasonable age restrictions.