I have had this problem; when I want to add a card to Apple Wallet to use with Apple Pay, the card won’t add to Wallet. If you cannot add a debit or credit card to Wallet, you won’t be able to use Apple Pay. You can do this on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. In this article, I will explain what you can do if you are unable to add a card to Apple Wallet to use with Apple Pay.
First things to check
- Before you start troubleshooting, if you have seen an error message saying Could Not Add Card or Invalid Card, it is possible that your card may not be supported and thus, may not be compatible with Apple Pay. Contact your bank or card issuer to see they support Apple Pay.
- Contact your bank or card issuer if you see Card Device Limit error message while adding your card to Apple Wallet.
- Make sure that you have Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode set on your device.
- The next thing you should check is whether this is an Apple problem. It is possible that Apple is having a temporary issue with its Apple Pay & Wallet servers, and thus Apple Wallet isn’t connecting with Apple’s servers. This problem could be due to a temporary outage or scheduled maintenance.
- Go to the Apple System Status page, look for the Apple Pay & Wallet option, and check if there is any notification indicating that the Apple Pay & Wallet servers are experiencing issues. If you see a notification, the problem is on Apple’s end, and you can wait for the issue to be fixed by Apple.
- Apple Pay is not available everywhere. Are you in a country or region that supports Apple Pay? Check out this documentation to see where Apple Pay is available and what regional or local banks support it.
- You may not be able to add your card because your device is not compatible with Apple Pay. Check out this documentation to review devices that are compatible with Apple Pay. Not all iPad, iPhone, Mac or Watch models support Wallet.
- If you are younger than 13 years old, you cannot add a card.
- On your device, sign out of Apple ID and then sign back in. After signing in, open the Wallet app and try again.
Can’t add a card for Apple Pay on iPhone or iPad?
- Restart the Wallet app on your iPhone. This could be a temporary glitch, and restarting the app may fix it. In fact, this is how I fixed the issue on my iPhone. Go to your Home Screen and swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Find the Wallet app and swipe it up, then go to your Home Screen again and reopen the Wallet app.
- Make sure that your iPhone or iPad is up to date. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
- Ensure that your iPhone or iPad is connected to the Internet. If you’re not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data, you won’t be ableto add a card to Apple Wallet. Here are some steps to troubleshoot your connection:
- If you are using a Wi-Fi connection:
- Ensure that you are not too far away from the router.
- Restart your router and try again.
- If you’re using cellular data
- Ensure that mobile data is enabled on your iPhone. Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data.
- Ensure you’re in an area with cellular coverage.
- Ensure that Wallet is allowed to use cellular data. You can check this by going to Settings > Cellular and check if Wallet is enabled.
- Turn on Airplane Mode, wait a few seconds, and turn it off.
- Do you use VPN? Sometimes VPN may cause issues. Turn it off and try again.
- Reset Network Settings. This will erase all of your network-related settings, such as your Wi-Fi passwords. To do this, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset [Device] > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
- If you are using a Wi-Fi connection:
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Date & Time and ensure that Set Automatically is enabled.
- Ensure that your Apple ID region is set correctly. Go to Settings, and tap [your name] > Media & Purchases > View Account. Sign in if asked, and tap Country/Region.
- Ensure that your address details, including your zip code, are set correctly by going to Settings > [your name] > Payment & Shipping.
Can’t add a card for Apple Pay on Mac?
- Restart your Mac. Go to the Apple menu and choose Restart.
- Ensure that your Mac has the latest version of macOS. You can update your Mac by going to System Settings > General > Software Update. Since the Wallet & Apple Pay is a built-in feature, the update also ensures that Wallet & Apple Pay is updated.
- Make sure that your Mac is connected to the Internet. If you are having issues, try these tips:
- Turn off and on Wi-Fi.
- Restart your modem and router: Unplug your modem, and if you have a separate router, unplug it as well. Wait 10 seconds, then plug your modem back in. If you have a separate router, wait 2 minutes before plugging in your router.
- If you are using VPN, turn it off and try again.
- If you are using antivirus software, disable it and try again.
- On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then click Date & Time on the right. Turn on “Set time and date automatically.”