How to remove a card or stop payments from Apple Pay
To stop Apple Pay payments, you remove the card from your device. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you use an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, but the process takes less than a minute on any of them. Once you remove the card, it no longer works for contactless payments, online purchases, or in-app transactions — but the card itself still exists with your bank, so you can use it the old way if you need to.
Removing a card from Apple Pay does not cancel any recurring charges you set up through apps or websites. If you have a subscription or automatic payment that uses that card, you need to cancel it separately through the app or service that charges you. Apple Pay is just the method of payment — it is not the same as canceling what you are paying for.
Key Takeaways
- Removing a card from Apple Pay takes one to two minutes and stops it from working for contactless and online payments, but does not cancel subscriptions or recurring charges.
- On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings, then Wallet & Apple Pay, select the card, and tap Remove Card.
- On an Apple Watch, open the Watch app on your paired iPhone, go to Wallet & Apple Pay, select the card, and tap Remove.
- If a company keeps charging you after you remove the card, contact your bank to dispute the charge or block the merchant.
Removing a card from an iPhone or iPad
Open the Settings app on your device. Scroll down and tap Wallet & Apple Pay. You will see a list of cards you have added. Tap the card you want to remove. At the bottom of the screen, tap Remove Card, then confirm by tapping Remove again.
If you have multiple cards and one is set as your default, removing it will not change your default — Apple Pay will straightforward use the next card in your list for the next transaction. If you want to change which card is default before removing one, go back to Wallet & Apple Pay, tap Default Card, and select a different one.
Removing a card from an Apple Watch
You cannot remove a card directly from the watch itself. Instead, open the Watch app on your paired iPhone. Tap Wallet & Apple Pay. You will see the cards on your watch. Tap the card you want to remove, then tap Remove Card and confirm.
If you remove a card from your watch but want to keep it on your iPhone, the card stays in your iPhone's Wallet. Removing it from the watch only stops it from working on that device.
What happens to recurring charges when you remove a card
Removing a card from Apple Pay does not stop any subscriptions or automatic payments you set up. If you have a gym membership, streaming service, or app subscription that charges your card every month, it will keep charging even after you remove the card from Apple Pay — the company will straightforward try a different payment method on file, or your bank will decline the charge and the company may contact you.
To actually stop a recurring charge, you need to cancel the subscription through the app or service itself. For example, if you have a Netflix subscription, you cancel it in Netflix's account settings, not in Apple Pay. If you have an app subscription through the App Store, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Subscriptions, find the subscription, and tap Cancel Subscription.
If a company keeps charging you after you remove the card
If you remove a card from Apple Pay but a company continues to charge it, the company either has your card number saved separately (not through Apple Pay) or has another payment method on file. Removing the card from Apple Pay does not erase it from that company's system.
Contact the company's customer service and ask them to remove your card and stop the charges. If they do not respond or refuse, contact your bank. You can ask your bank to block the merchant entirely, or you can dispute the charges as unauthorized. Your bank can reverse charges that happened after you asked the company to stop.
Removing all cards from Apple Pay
If you want to remove every card from Apple Pay at once, go to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay and remove them one by one — there is no bulk remove option. After you remove the last card, Apple Pay will still be on your device, but it will not work for payments until you add a new card.
You can also turn off Apple Pay entirely on your device. Go to Settings > Face ID (or Touch ID) > Apps and Websites, find Apple Pay, and toggle it off. This prevents anyone with access to your device from using Apple Pay, even if cards are still in your Wallet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does removing a card from Apple Pay close my bank account?
No. Removing a card from Apple Pay only removes it from that app on your device. Your bank account and the physical card stay open and active. You can still use the card at stores, online, or anywhere else.
Can I add the card back to Apple Pay later?
Yes. Go to Wallet & Apple Pay, tap the plus sign, and add the card again. Your bank may ask you to verify it the same way you did the first time.
What if I lost my phone and want to remove my cards from Apple Pay?
Use Find My iPhone on another device or at iCloud.com to remotely erase your phone. This removes all cards from Apple Pay on that device. You can also contact your bank and ask them to cancel or reissue the card itself.
Will removing a card stop Apple Pay from working on my other devices?
No. If you have the same card on your iPhone and Apple Watch, removing it from your iPhone does not remove it from your watch. You have to remove it from each device separately.