mr.mark
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Apple Pay doesn't work on my Apple Watch

I added my credit card to my Apple Watch through the app on my iPhone 6 - no problem.  I ordered my sandwich at Subway.  When prompted to pay, I double clicked the button on my watch.  An image of the credit card appeared on the watch.  I held it close to the machine - nothing.  Now everyone at the store is watching me use my cool new watch working with Apple Pay.  Lots of comments, like, "can you do that?  does it really work?  That's cool!", etc.  I turned my arm upside down, moved it all around - nothing!  Embarrassed, I pulled out my iPhone 6 and held it near the machine and Apple Pay appeared.  I used my thumb to confirm and that worked. 

So why doesn't Apple Pay on my watch work?  I'm a little intimidated about trying it again.  I'm considering taking it back to Apple but I don't think they're going to have any ideas.

Apple Watch

Posted on May 10, 2015 11:58 AM

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mr.mark

Q: Apple Pay doesn't work on my Apple Watch

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  • Helpful answers

  • by deggie,

    deggie deggie May 10, 2015 12:19 PM in response to mr.mark
    Level 9 (54,424 points)
    May 10, 2015 12:19 PM in response to mr.mark

    I've used mine at the Apple Store with no issue, it may be a problem with the Subway terminal.

  • by swandy,

    swandy swandy May 10, 2015 2:44 PM in response to mr.mark
    Level 4 (1,536 points)
    Apple Music
    May 10, 2015 2:44 PM in response to mr.mark

    I did use Apple Pay (Chase Visa) at Walgreens and it worked perfectly. First and only time I used Apple Pay other than online iPhone purchases. So perhaps it was the scanner at the Subway.

  • by mr.mark,

    mr.mark mr.mark May 10, 2015 9:24 PM in response to swandy
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 10, 2015 9:24 PM in response to swandy

    I don't think it was the scanner at Subway because that scanner worked properly with my iPhone.  I will try it again - at a different location.  I have noticed with when using Apple Pay on my iPhone, that sometimes the link is poor.  Maybe it doesn't work if the phone is too close?  I have had to wave my phone around to get it to accept.  I recall one time where it wouldn't work no matter what I did.

     

    So far, Apple Pay works about 90% of the time with my iPhone, and 0% with my watch.

  • by Adam Burrell,

    Adam Burrell Adam Burrell May 11, 2015 5:08 AM in response to mr.mark
    Level 2 (174 points)
    Apple Watch
    May 11, 2015 5:08 AM in response to mr.mark

    I had the same experience in McDonalds. I loathe McDonalds but was itching to try it out on my new watch and it's all that was nearby at the time. Same exact experience - watch failed and phone worked.

  • by fahad0551053611,

    fahad0551053611 fahad0551053611 Sep 7, 2016 9:10 AM in response to mr.mark
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 7, 2016 9:10 AM in response to mr.mark

    FH****99D

     

     

    <Personal Information Edited by Host>

  • by theresava,

    theresava theresava May 20, 2015 4:06 AM in response to mr.mark
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 20, 2015 4:06 AM in response to mr.mark

    I have also not been able to get Apple pay to work on my Apple Watch.  I've tried to use it at Wegmans and Panera...nothing.  I ended up paying both times with my iPhone 6 that worked just fine.

  • by wnkent,

    wnkent wnkent May 25, 2015 4:07 PM in response to theresava
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 25, 2015 4:07 PM in response to theresava

    I just went to Panera and it didn't work initially, but then the clerk said that I needed to hold my watch just over the wifi icon, on the POS screen and it worked.

  • by mr.mark,

    mr.mark mr.mark May 25, 2015 9:11 PM in response to mr.mark
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 25, 2015 9:11 PM in response to mr.mark

    Follow-up - I have been able to successfully use Apple Pay on my watch at a Subway - a different Subway than the first one I tried.  So, I know Apple Pay on my watch is functional.  I guess there could have been a sensitivity problem on the original Subway machine, or maybe I didn't hold my watch quite right.  Anyway, I had no trouble today by putting the watch into Apple Pay mode and then holding the watch face next to the reader.  It's slightly awkward, but maybe I'm working too hard to position the watch in the ideal position. 

  • by papjo,

    papjo papjo May 26, 2015 5:54 AM in response to mr.mark
    Level 2 (172 points)
    iPad
    May 26, 2015 5:54 AM in response to mr.mark

    I think it's a great convenience to be able to use the watch instead of digging the phone out. But looking at where many of the scanners are located and how they are positioned it could be very awkward trying to twist your wrist around to the perfect position. The phone is probably the easiest way to accomplish this at many locations. As we gain experience with different scanners at different locations eventually we should be able to tell, oops that's not going to work with my watch, and then just get the phone. Retailers are not going to be positioning their scanners at just the right level for a watch wearer, but maybe one day.

  • by mr.mark,

    mr.mark mr.mark May 30, 2015 11:38 PM in response to mr.mark
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 30, 2015 11:38 PM in response to mr.mark

    One more observation... Today I tried to use Apple Pay on my watch.  I clicked the button twice and got the message, "Apple Pay can't retrieve your credit card info", or something similar.  I click the button a few more times, and then it came up working.  Not a real problem but I've never seen that message before.

  • by muadibe2010,

    muadibe2010 muadibe2010 May 31, 2015 7:39 AM in response to mr.mark
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 31, 2015 7:39 AM in response to mr.mark

    The first time I used the watch for ApplePay it worked just fine.  However, a few days ago, double tapping the 'Friends' button to activate ApplePay did nothing at all.  This was after applying the 1.01 update.  I had to unpair the watch, then pair again in order to get ApplePay working. 

  • by DOXLONDON,

    DOXLONDON DOXLONDON Sep 7, 2016 8:37 AM in response to mr.mark
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 7, 2016 8:37 AM in response to mr.mark

    I have been using Apple Pay on both my Watch and my IPhone 6s since the day it was launched in the UK; It has worked well most of the time, however I have noticed on two or three occasions that the watch has not worked when My IPhone has on Contactless (NFC) terminals that had previously worked, one time I managed to get the watch to work by re-initiated the credit card by holding the home key (on the watch) for a couple of seconds, then when the power mode option appears pressing once more (to shut down any app running on the watch) then re-initiate the credit card again using 2 clicks of the home button.  This then worked ... Could be a coincidence... But as others in this post have highlighted, its very embarrassing  when it doesn't work ... You get comments from people in the queue behind you like " That must be expensive just to tell the time" and "have you heard of cash?" .. I post in this forum as I hope that Apple are reading and this will be looked into.

  • by Jonathan UK,

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Sep 7, 2016 9:18 AM in response to DOXLONDON
    Level 7 (30,460 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 7, 2016 9:18 AM in response to DOXLONDON

    Hi

     

    If you experience failed payment attempts, you can report them to Apple here:

     

    https://www.apple.com/feedback/apple-pay.html

     

    Under Feedback Type, options include"Apple Pay not working at the payment terminal as expected". The form enables you to report issues with specific merchants, transactions, card types and issuing banks.

     

    When paying using Apple Watch, be sure to present your watch to the terminal correctly.

     

    The watch face should be facing and parallel with the terminal's own screen (you should not be able to see the watch face whilst paying), aligned centrally with the contactless logo on the terminal screen and held closer than 1 inch. It should be held in that position for up to a few seconds, until you hear the confirmation beep and haptic pulse.