How to add and remove cards from Apple Wallet

Apple Wallet is great for keeping your payment cards always available, but it can hold a lot more than just that. Depending on where you live and what the issuers support, it can store transit cards, tickets, loyalty cards, keys, and even some IDs. These include eligible driver’s licenses, state IDs, and digital IDs created from a U.S. passport.

However, adding something to your portfolio doesn’t work the same for every item. Debit and credit cards go through Wallet itself, while gift cards and other passes typically rely on support from the company that issued them.

To add a debit or credit card to an iPhone, open Walletpress the More (+) button and choose Debit or credit card. You can hold an eligible physical card near your iPhone or enter its details manually. Wallet can also display cards you’ve used previously so you can add them again. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the card setup.

The payment card must be from a participating issuer, and your bank or card provider may require another verification step before approving it for Apple Pay. If Wallet doesn’t add the card, Apple recommends contacting the company behind the card for help.

This More The menu is also where you can add other supported cards such as transit passes, driver’s licenses, and ID cards. You may be able to easily add items into the From apps on your iPhone menu too.

If you also want to use Apple Pay on an Apple Watch, iPad, or Mac, adding a card to your iPhone doesn’t automatically set it up everywhere. These devices have their own Apple Pay setup steps.

Aside from credit and debit cards, most of the items in Apple Wallet are called “passes.” These include loyalty and rewards cards, coupons, gift cards, boarding passes, movie tickets, event tickets and others.

Unfortunately, this is where Apple Wallet becomes a little less straightforward. There is no general option that allows you to enter a retailer’s gift or loyalty card number and add it to Wallet. Instead, the retailer or issuer must support Apple Wallet passes.

A supported pass may come from an app, website, email, QR code, AirDrop, or similar source. When you see a Add to Apple Wallet button, press it and follow the instructions. For example, the Ticketmaster app will have an option to add your show tickets, or you might see this button in an email confirming your theater tickets. If this option is not visible, Apple suggests contacting the company that issued the pass.

Apple gift cards are a separate case. If your Apple account card is available in Wallet, open it, tap the icon More button and choose Redeem. You can scan the gift card or manually enter its 16-digit code. The money is added to your Apple account balance, rather than appearing as a separate gift card in Wallet.

To remove a debit or credit card, open Walletselect the card, press the three points (…) button, choose Card details and press Delete card. This removes the payment card from the iPhone you’re using, but it doesn’t remove the same card from Wallet on your other devices.

Passes behave differently. Select the pass, press the three points (…) menu and choose Remove pass. Permanently deleting a pass on your iPhone also removes it from Apple Wallet on your other devices.

Some expired passes are automatically hidden instead of deleted. Faucet three points (…) > Expired in Wallet to view them, restore one, or permanently delete it.

If your iPhone is lost or stolen, you can remove its Apple Pay cards without having the phone on you. On another iPhone or iPad connected to your Apple account, open Settingstap your name, select missing iPhone and choose Delete items below Wallet and Apple Pay. You can also sign in to your Apple account in a browser, select the device, and delete its wallet items there. Calling your card issuers is another option.

Assuming Find My was enabled before the phone disappeared, marking the iPhone as lost suspends its payment cards and passes used with Apple Pay. This ease of preventing misuse of a lost card is one of the main advantages of digital wallets.