With your Apple Cash, Apple Card, and other credit and debit cards stored in the Wallet app on iPhone, you can use Apple Pay for secure, contactless payments in stores, restaurants, and more. (Available in certain countries and regions; see Countries and regions that support Apple Pay.)

While they are related, they are not the same. Contactless is a broad term for the technology (Near Field Communication, or NFC) that allows you to pay by tapping a device or card near a reader. Apple Pay is a specific digital wallet "platform" that uses contactless technology. The key difference in 2026 is security and limits: a physical contactless card often has a transaction limit (like £100 or €50) and can be used by anyone who finds it. Apple Pay, however, typically has no transaction limit (on supported terminals) and is much more secure because it requires biometric authentication (Face ID or Touch ID) for every single purchase. Furthermore, Apple Pay doesn't share your actual card number with the merchant; it uses a "token" system to keep your financial data private, whereas a physical card tap transmits more vulnerable data.