The quickest way to remove a bank account from Apple Pay
Open the Wallet app on your iPhone or iPad, tap the card you want to remove, scroll to the bottom, and tap Remove Card. Confirm by tapping Remove again. The bank account is no longer connected to Apple Pay, though your bank still has your account — you are only disconnecting the link between Apple and your bank.
If you are using an Apple Watch, you will need to remove the card from your phone first. The watch syncs with your iPhone, so removing it there removes it from the watch automatically. On a Mac, open System Preferences (or System Settings on newer versions), go to Wallet & Apple Pay, select the card, and click the minus sign.
The removal is when ready. You will not be able to use that card to pay in stores, online, or through apps that accept Apple Pay. If you removed the card by mistake, you can add it back the same way you added it the first time.
Key Takeaways
- Removing a card from Apple Pay takes less than a minute and happens when ready through the Wallet app on your iPhone.
- Removing the card from Apple Pay does not close your bank account or affect your ability to use the card elsewhere.
- If you have the same card on an Apple Watch, remove it from your iPhone first and the watch will update automatically.
- You can add the card back to Apple Pay at any time using the same bank account details.
Why you might want to remove a card
People remove cards from Apple Pay for different reasons. You might be switching banks and want to remove the old account before the bank closes it. You might have lost your phone and removed the card remotely to prevent someone else from using it. You might straightforward prefer not to use Apple Pay anymore and want to clean up your Wallet app.
Removing a card from Apple Pay is not the same as closing the account at your bank. Your bank account stays open and active. Your debit card or credit card still works everywhere else — at ATMs, in stores, and online. You are only stopping Apple Pay from being able to access that account.
Removing a card on iPhone or iPad
On your iPhone or iPad, open the Wallet app (the icon looks like a wallet). You will see all the cards you have added to Apple Pay. Find the one you want to remove and tap it to open it.
Scroll down to the bottom of the card details. You will see a button that says Remove Card. Tap it. A popup will ask you to confirm — tap Remove again. That is all. The card is now gone from Apple Pay.
If you have multiple cards in your Wallet, you can also swipe left on the card (without opening it first) and tap the trash icon that appears. This does the same thing and is slightly faster if you know which card you want to remove.
Removing a card from an Apple Watch
If you have added a card to an Apple Watch, you cannot remove it directly from the watch. You have to remove it from your iPhone first, and the watch will sync automatically within a few minutes.
Open the Wallet app on your iPhone, tap the card you want to remove from the watch, scroll down, and tap Remove Card. Once you confirm, check your Apple Watch — the card should disappear from the watch's Wallet app shortly after. If it does not appear when ready, wait a few minutes and check again.
If you want to keep the card on your iPhone but remove it only from the watch, that is not possible through the standard removal process. You would need to remove it from your iPhone entirely, then add it back to your iPhone only (without adding it to the watch again).
Removing a card from a Mac
On a Mac running macOS, open System Preferences (on older versions) or System Settings (on newer versions). Look for Wallet & Apple Pay in the sidebar and click it.
You will see a list of all cards added to Apple Pay on that Mac. Click the card you want to remove, then click the minus sign button below the list. The card is removed from that Mac. If you use Apple Pay on multiple Macs, you will need to remove the card from each one separately.
Removing a card from your Mac does not remove it from your iPhone or Apple Watch. Each device maintains its own list of cards, so you can have different cards on different devices if you want.
What happens after you remove a card
Once you remove a card from Apple Pay, you cannot use it to pay through Apple Pay on that device anymore. If someone tries to use your phone to pay with Apple Pay, they will not see that card as an option. This is one reason people remove cards from lost or stolen phones — it stops the card from being used through Apple Pay even if the phone is not recovered.
Your bank will not know that you removed the card from Apple Pay. The bank still has your account open and active. You can still use the physical card or the card number to pay in stores, online, or over the phone. You can also add the card back to Apple Pay whenever you want.
If you removed the card because you are closing the bank account, contact your bank directly to close the account. Removing it from Apple Pay is a separate step and does not close anything at the bank.
Adding the card back if you change your mind
If you removed a card by mistake or change your mind about using Apple Pay, you can add it back. Open the Wallet app, tap the plus sign in the top right corner, and follow the steps to add a card. You can use the same bank account you removed — you will just need to enter the card number, expiration date, and CVV again.
Adding a card back takes about the same amount of time as adding it the first time. Your bank may ask you to verify the card through a text message or app notification, depending on their security process. Once verified, the card works in Apple Pay when ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does removing a card from Apple Pay close my bank account?
No. Removing a card from Apple Pay only disconnects the link between Apple and your bank. Your bank account stays open and active. The physical card or card number still works everywhere. To close a bank account, you must contact your bank directly.
Can I remove a card from my iPhone but keep it on my Apple Watch?
No. Removing a card from your iPhone removes it from all devices linked to that iPhone, including your Apple Watch. The watch syncs with your phone, so they share the same card list. If you want the card on the watch, it must be on your iPhone too.
What if I removed a card and now I cannot remember which one it was?
Open your Wallet app and look at the cards still there. The one you removed will not appear. If you are not sure which card you need to add back, contact your bank or check your wallet for the physical card. You can then add it back to Apple Pay using the card number on the physical card.
Does my bank know when I remove a card from Apple Pay?
No. Your bank does not receive a notification when you remove a card from Apple Pay. The bank only knows about transactions you make. Removing the card from Apple Pay is a change you make on your device, not something that affects your bank account.
Can I remove a card from Apple Pay if I have a pending payment?
Yes, you can remove a card even if you have a pending payment. The payment will still go through using that card because the transaction was already authorized before you removed it. Removing the card from Apple Pay only stops new payments from being made with it.