Apple Wallet will store all credit cards in the future – including physical ones
Apple's card collection point is currently only intended for Apple Pay, board cards or loyalty cards. Soon it will also store existing plastic.
Apple Wallet with cards: collection point for physical items too.
(Image: Apple)
Apple is expanding its Wallet app, the central application for credit cards with Apple Pay, tickets and loyalty cards on the iPhone. With iOS 26, which should be released in September, it will also be possible to store credit and debit cards in the app that are not compatible with Apple's payment service. The idea is to reduce the need to carry physical cards around with you, at least if you only want to use them online. Cards already stored in the Safari browser can be moved to the Wallet on request, and completely new cards can also be stored there.
Safari already recognizes credit cards
Previously, it was already possible to store credit card data in Safari in order to use it when shopping online. However, this type of information fits much better in the Wallet app, as Apple Pay-compatible cards are already stored there and can be accessed. Apple Wallet thus becomes a tool that covers the entire management of such cards.
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However, storing the card information does not mean that the iPhone can then be used as a credit card – at least in most cases. For this, a credit or debit card must still support Apple Pay or be integrated via a third-party wallet app (only possible within the European Union), as is already possible with PayPal, for example.
Input with camera
Depositing a physical credit card in iOS 26 is very simple. First, press the "..." button from the main screen of the Wallet app. Then select "Fill in automatically". The cards already stored in Safari will then appear and can be stored in Apple Wallet. There is also the "Add card" option, which can be used to add new cards.
The camera then opens here. You can hold a physical credit card in front of it and have the data read in via OCR. Alternatively, you can also enter the data manually. The card can also be checked for Apple Pay compatibility: If the bank offers this, it can be deposited there straight away. Otherwise, the physical cards can still be found later via the "Auto-fill" menu, but not in the standard wallet display. When using the wallet app for physical credit cards, you should bear in mind that you are storing even more data in a central location. If an attacker manages to gain access to this data, it will all be gone. It is wiser to distribute information across several applications, for example in a separate password manager that does not originate from Apple and has its own protection.
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