Adding non-U.S. cards to Apple Wallet when Apple Cash is unavailable in my region

Question

Level 1

16 points

Adding non-U.S. cards to Apple Wallet when Apple Cash is unavailable in my region

Hi everyone,

I’m currently living outside the United States and can’t add any debit or credit card to Apple Wallet. Every time I try to add a non-Apple-Cash card, Wallet shows the message “Apple Cash Unavailable in your region” and stops.

About a year ago I tried to set up Apple Cash, but I’m not a U.S. resident so I couldn’t complete it. Now it seems Wallet requires Apple Cash verification, which I can’t pass. Turning Apple Cash off and on (including on Apple Watch) hasn’t helped. Changing the region in Settings (device/Wallet) also doesn’t help.

The only way I can add a card is if I use a U.S. VPN or otherwise get a U.S. IP address. Without that, I can’t add any cards. Is there a proper way to fix this without using a VPN?

Thanks for any help!

[Edited by Moderator]

Original Title: Apple Pay won’t let me add any cards outside the U.S. — shows “Apple Cash Unavailable in your region”

iPhone 16 Pro

Posted on Aug 18, 2025 5:13 AM

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Answer 1

Jeff Donald

Level 8

44,166 points

Aug 18, 2025 5:28 AM in response to Devlar_P

Chattanoogan is 100% correct. Additionally, Apple is not a bank. The Apple Cash account issuing bank(Green Dot Bank) is only licensed only to operate within the US. Therefore a US residency is required. Sorry, it’ll likely remain a US only feature for the near future.

There are other prepaid debit cards that do accept non-US residents and work with Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.

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Answer 2

Jeff Donald

Level 8

44,166 points

Aug 18, 2025 7:10 AM in response to Devlar_P

Is the bank listed in the Apple Support article I linked below?

Apple Pay participating banks in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East - Apple Support

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Answer 3

Jeff Donald

Level 8

44,166 points

Aug 18, 2025 7:36 AM in response to Devlar_P

OK, do you have VPN software and or profile on your device? If so the software and profile must be deleted and the network settings reset. Then restart your device and try adding your card.

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Answer 4

Aug 18, 2025 5:30 AM in response to Devlar_P

Are your payment methods (debit or credit cards) in the same county as your Apple Account?

Is your country supported by ApplePay ?

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Answer 5

Aug 18, 2025 5:25 AM in response to Devlar_P

Re: “… but I’m not a U.S. resident … “

AppleCash is only for U.S. residents.

Being a U.S. resident is the only “fix.”

Set up Apple Cash - Apple Support

However, ApplePay still works in many other parts of the World using debit and/or credit cards.

Countries and regions that support Apple Pay - Apple Support

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Answer 6

Devlar_P Author

Level 1

16 points

Aug 18, 2025 5:26 AM in response to Chattanoogan

Thanks for the reply! I think there’s been a misunderstanding though. I’m not trying to use Apple Cash. The problem is that when I try to add a regular debit/credit card to Apple Pay in Wallet, Wallet still shows “Apple Cash Unavailable in your region” and blocks the process.

So the flow is:

Add card → Wallet checks Apple Cash → error appears → card can’t be added.

This happens even if Apple Cash is disabled, and changing the region in Settings doesn’t fix it either.

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Answer 7

Devlar_P Author

Level 1

16 points

Aug 18, 2025 6:04 AM in response to Chattanoogan

Thanks for the replies. To clarify: I’m in Kazakhstan, my Apple ID region is Kazakhstan, and I’m trying to add a regular debit/credit card issued by a local Kazakh bank — not Apple Cash. Apple Pay is officially supported here. The problem is that when I start the add-card flow, Wallet wrongly invokes an Apple Cash check and shows “Apple Cash Unavailable in your region,” which blocks provisioning even with Apple Cash turned off; changing the region doesn’t help. If I use a U.S. IP (VPN), this same locally issued card adds successfully, which points to a Wallet issue rather than a U.S. residency requirement.

And this behavior is not limited to Kazakh banks — for example, cards issued in the UAE also cannot be added without a U.S. VPN. The issue clearly isn’t about Apple Cash accounts but about Wallet incorrectly forcing that step during card provisioning.

I’m looking for a way to add cards without Wallet trying to verify Apple Cash first. To reiterate, changing the region in Settings or toggling Apple Cash on/off does not help.

upd:

Here’s a short video demonstrating the issue (recorded in the Apple Watch app; the same behavior occurs in the Wallet app): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JBMiIe4DrZQ

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