10 Life Hacks Every Apple Wallet User Should Know
For Apple ecosystem users, Apple Wallet is a powerful tool for making digital payments, storing tickets and passes, and transferring cash. It also offers a number of hidden features that provide quick and convenient access to cards and allow you to customize their use on your iPhone and Apple Watch. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of Wallet.
Add cards to Express Mode to use them even when your phone’s battery is low.
Express Mode in Apple Wallet lets you use transit cards (and special transit payment cards), keys, student ID cards, and other compatible transit cards without turning on your device or authenticating with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. These passes are also available in Power Reserve mode, so you can use them even if your iPhone is low on battery. This means you can take transit home or open the door without charging your device first. Select a card, transit card, or key in Apple Wallet, tap the three dots > Card Details > Express Transit Settings or Express Mode .
It’s worth noting that in Express Mode, anyone with physical access to your device can use your travel cards, as authentication is not required. You may want to consider storing your keys in a secure biometric vault and using Express Mode only for travel cards that require frequent use at the terminal.
Generate a virtual card number to use Apple Cash where Apple Pay isn’t available.
Apple Pay is increasingly accepted as a payment method online, in apps, and in stores, but there are still many places where direct Apple Pay transactions are not accepted. If you make purchases online or pay by phone, you can generate a virtual card number for Apple Cash, allowing you to spend funds directly while also hiding your actual card details. After selecting your Apple Cash card in Wallet, tap the card icon at the top of the screen and authenticate to receive the number. The three-digit security code will change every time you use AutoFill or access your card in Wallet.
Use shortcuts to automatically select a card based on location.
If you use different payment cards for different types of transactions—for example, one card offers better rewards on groceries and another on gas—Apple Wallet can automatically suggest the correct card based on your location, so you don’t have to remember which card is which or manually select it each time you pay. (This is also handy for quickly accessing digital loyalty cards or membership passes as soon as you enter a store.) This works through custom automations via Shortcuts. In the Library tab, tap the “+” button, type “Card” in the search bar, and select “Open Card.” Then, go to “Automations ,” tap “+,” select “Arrival, ” and add a location . You can choose when to run the automation, then tap “Next.” In the “Action” field, select “Open Card in Wallet,” select a pass or card, and confirm.
Use Tap to Cash to instantly split bills without having to provide contact information.
Many peer-to-peer payment methods require contact information—such as a username, email address, or phone number—from the person you’re sending or receiving money to. If it’s a friend or you frequently pay them through services like Venmo or Cash App, this probably won’t be a problem. But you can use Apple Wallet’s built-in “Tap to Cash” feature, which instantly transfers money between two iPhones or Apple Watches without exchanging personal contact information. You just need to set up Apple Cash in advance. When you’re ready to send or receive funds, open Wallet, tap your Apple Cash card, and select Send or Request > Tap to Cash . Enter the amount, tap Next , double-click your iPhone’s side button to confirm, and hold your device close to the other person’s device.
Use Wallet to exchange digital keys with customizable access rights.
Apple Wallet can securely store several types of digital keys: for your home, apartment/condo, hotel room, car, and scooter. Your device will automatically display the correct key when you’re within range of the lock, and you can also enable Express Mode to bypass Face ID or passcode authentication. Car and scooter keys can be shared with other drivers, allowing them to lock, unlock, and start your vehicle without a physical key. You can also set custom permissions, such as restricting the recipient’s ability to share keys with others and, depending on the car manufacturer, setting limits on settings such as speed and radio volume.
After selecting your car key in the Wallet app and tapping “Share,” select the available permissions, add an optional activation code, and select a recipient. You can share the key via Messages, Mail, WhatsApp, and AirDrop, to name a few.
Turn on Apple Pay and package tracking to see all your packages in the Wallet app.
In addition to displaying recent transactions for each of your cards, Wallet serves as a hub for tracking orders made with Apple Pay. Simply enable this feature in Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > Order Tracking . (Also in beta is an Apple Intelligence and Siri feature that can update Wallet orders with information received from email—it’s a separate toggle in Settings .) Back in Wallet, tap the three dots > Orders .
Add your driver’s license to Wallet to verify your identity using your iPhone.
Apple continues to expand the digital ID capabilities in the Wallet app, allowing you to add a driver’s license and/or state ID card , as well as a passport , and use your iPhone instead of paper documents to verify your identity. This is especially useful when flying, as digital ID cards are accepted at TSA checkpoints. (It’s worth noting that Apple Wallet is only compatible with a small number of states .) You can also use your Wallet ID at select entertainment venues and to verify your identity within the app. Tap the “+” sign in Wallet, select “Driver’s Licenses & ID Cards,” select the desired ID, and follow the instructions.
Turn on payments on your Mac to authenticate Apple Pay from your iPhone.
While Apple Pay works relatively easily for online purchases on a Mac and in Safari, there are other situations where payment authentication with Touch ID isn’t possible—for example, if your laptop is docked and closed, or you’re using an older device without built-in biometrics. In a browser other than Safari, completing a purchase with Apple Pay also requires scanning the generated code with your iPhone. While there’s no way around the latter, you can enable “Allow Payments on Mac” for the former, which will allow authentication with your iPhone or Apple Watch if it’s not possible on your computer. Go to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > “Allow Payments on Mac.”
Convert physical cards into Apple Wallet passes.
While many types of passes—library cards, event tickets, membership passes, etc.—are already seamlessly integrated with Apple Wallet, some companies may still issue physical cards. If you’d like to digitize your cards, you can use a third-party app like MakePass or Pass2U Wallet to scan and add unsupported cards to Apple Wallet. iOS 27 will introduce a “Create Pass” feature that will do this directly through Apple Intelligence.
Conduct an audit of your connected merchants to remove unused subscriptions.
If you use Apple Pay for recurring payments, such as subscriptions and monthly bills, you can view your merchant list directly in Wallet. Tap the three dots in the upper right corner and select “Preauthorized Payments.” You can also revoke payment tokens, although Apple notes that this won’t cancel your subscription or the associated payment—it simply notifies the merchant to stop charging you using Apple Pay. To actually cancel or change your payment method, you’ll need to contact the merchant directly.