Think back to the last time you used Apple Pay; maybe it was tapping your phone for a morning coffee, or breezing through the checkout at the movies. With hundreds of millions of people relying on it worldwide, Apple Pay isn’t just a convenience anymore — it has become a daily habit. And in 2025, that habit is changing in big ways.
Apple is constantly rolling out improvements to encourage users to keep paying with their iPhones, iPads and Macs. With an estimated 624 million users around the globe and over 90% of U.S. retailers accepting it, Apple Pay is now one of the world’s most popular digital wallets.
To make this payment feature even more enticing, Apple has added two new major features for 2025, including:
- The ability to operate in any browser on any major operating system on any device
- The ability to pay in-store with credit card rewards and “pay later” installment plans
These features increase the utility Apple Pay offers to its users, but they also offer some key benefits to your merchants, ranging from improved shopping experiences and higher ticket prices to reduced cart abandonment.
In this article, we’ll explore these major enhancements, how they work, and why they make Apple Pay an even more important tool for your ecommerce and brick and mortar merchants.
Apple Pay Now Powers eCommerce Anywhere
Apple’s limited usability used to be a major source of frustration for its users. Apple Pay was once only compatible with checkouts in Safari, but as of February 2025, Apple Pay can now be used in any browser, on any computer, including PCs and Chromebooks. That’s a huge improvement to the Apple Pay user experience, and the way the company has rolled it out is as slick as you’d expect.
How Apple Pay Works With Non-Apple Devices and Browsers
You still need an Apple device to have an Apple Wallet, but a new QR code–based system now allows your iPhone or iPad to power checkouts pretty much anywhere else you shop online.
Clicking the Apple Pay button in third-party browsers like Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Firefox will now open an on-screen QR code prompting the user to scan it with their iPhone or iPad. The user authorizes the payment using Apple Pay on their mobile device, and then the browser-based checkout automatically completes and takes the user to the order confirmation screen.
The entire checkout experience can be completed in a few seconds, extending the convenience and security of Apple Pay to shoppers who use mixed operating systems at home or at work.
What It Means for Your Merchants
In the U.S., Microsoft Windows commands 63% of the desktop OS market, dwarfing all other competitors. But iOS owns 59% of the mobile OS market and 53% of the tablet market. That means a huge number of consumers have Apple in their pockets and Windows on their desks.
Apple Pay’s new browser-agnostic QR codes make it easier for your merchants to offer faster, more frictionless checkout experiences to customers in that big crossover demographic.
The benefits include:
- An improved shopping experience that boosts customer stickiness
- Lower cart abandonment rates
- More secure payments thanks to Apple Pay’s built-in issuer-side tokenization
Apple Pay Gives In-Store Customers More Choice
Earlier in the summer, Apple announced that the fall updates to its operating systems will see Apple Pay expand its in-store payment capabilities.
First, as of version 26 of Apple’s operating systems, Apple Pay users will be able to make in-store tap payments using rewards. But the bigger news is that Apple Pay users will also be able to select installment loans when paying in-store. The ability to select credit and debit-based installment plans and buy now, pay later (BNPL) payments is a big upgrade. It will increase choice at checkout and give consumers more control over how they manage their finances.
How In-Store Installment Plans Work With Apple Pay
For rewards payments, a “use rewards” option will appear with any participating cards, and the rewards balance will be displayed in Apple Wallet. The user can simply select the rewards account as the payment source, like any other option in their wallet. This feature will be rolled out over time, starting in the U.S. with Synchrony and U.S. Bank cardholders.
For in-store “pay later” purchases, Apple Pay users will go through the same process they’ve used online since iOS 18. If the user has pre-approval through a BNPL provider or holds a debit or credit card that offers pre-approved installment options, a pay later button will appear below the card. Selecting it will bring up the payment plan details, including the quantity and amount of the installments.
What It Means for Your Merchants
Apple Pay works with any contactless payments terminal that’s compatible with Europay, Mastercard and Visa (EMV) payments. That means your merchants can already accept it as long as they have contactless hardware or a SoftPOS system. Apple Pay’s new built-in installment options mean your brick and mortar merchants get instant access to all the benefits of buy now, pay later, even if they don’t otherwise offer it.
Those benefits include:
- Boosted revenue
- Higher average ticket prices
- Access to younger consumers
- Improved customer loyalty
Digital Wallet Integrations Are Table Stakes in 2025 and Beyond
The improvements to Apple Pay make it clear that Apple understands how important digital wallet payments are to its users. And that importance is only going to grow as more consumers adopt the technology.
Over four billion people now use digital wallets, including 57% of American adults. Digital wallets account for over half of global ecommerce payments and a third of in-store purchases. Wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay are no longer cutting-edge; they’re table stakes. That makes digital wallets a key part of offering consumers the fast, frictionless payments experience they expect both on and off the web.
Get Your Merchants Set Up With Apple Pay
Whether your merchants are selling in-store, on an ecommerce platform or directly through your software, we make it fast and easy to get them set up with Apple Pay and other top digital wallets. To find out more about how we can help you integrate Apple Pay into your payment offerings, reach out to a member of our team.