PayPal for iPhone is adding support for Apple’s Tap to Pay feature

PayPal also says customers will soon be able to add PayPal and Venmo credit and debit cards to Apple Wallet to use anywhere Apple Pay‌ is accepted.

Apple's marketing image showing a young woman touching her iPhone with an NFC-enabled credit card to use the Tap to Pay contactless payments feature in Apple Pay
US merchants that use PayPal or Venmo will soon accept Apple Pay | Image: Apple
  • What’s happening? The PayPal or Venmo apps will soon support Apple’s Tap to Pay feature and you’ll also be able to use PayPal and Venmo cards with Apple Pay.
  • Why care? PayPal is a very popular payment option. It’s encouraging to see the company expand support for Apple’s payment technologies.
  • What to do? Starting in 2023, you’ll add your PayPal or Venmo card to Apple Pay.

When will PayPal support Tap to Pay on iPhone?

The official announcement published on November 4, 2022, as part of the company’s third-quarter 2022 earnings release confirms that Tap to Pay support will arrive “soon” in PayPal for iPhone [App Store link] and Venmo apps [App Store link].

With this feature, merchants in the United States will be able to accept contactless credit/debit cards via Apple Pay’s Tap to Pay feature on iPhone. A seller will use PayPal or Venmo on their iPhone to charge a customer, presenting their iPhone XS or later to the buyer. Read: How to access Apple Pay on the lock screen

Tap to Pay turns an iPhone into a contactless payment terminal, meaning the buyer will be able to pay by tapping their contactless credit or debit card onto the iPhone.

No additional hardware is required for this functionality.

Apple unveiled Tap to Pay in January 2022. The first implementation of Tap to Pay was by Apple for its own retail stores. Since then, other companies have adopted Tap to Pay like Stripe, Adyen, Square and more.

Tap to Pay requires iPhone XS or later.

PayPal and Venmo launching Apple Pay support in 2023

The payment giant will also bring other enhancements to make its platforms work better with Apple Pay. Starting in 2023, customers in the United States will be able to add their PayPal or Venmo-branded credit or debit card to the Wallet app on iPhone and use it for contactless payment with Apple Pay.

On top of that, Apple Pay will become an option in PayPal’s unbranded checkout flows such as the PayPal Commerce Platform.