Apple released a new Apple Pay ad on YouTube that was directed by Edgar Wright. The one-minute film plays out a fight in a corner store, and Apple uses it to repeat that paying with iPhone is more secure than using a physical credit or debit card.
Apple describes the film as following an unlikely hero who gains the upper hand with his secret weapon, Apple Pay. The payment steps in the film are the ones you use in a store. You double-click the side button, glance at your iPhone for Face ID, hold it near the reader and wait for the ding.
The Apple Pay ad turns a corner store into a fight scene
The fight runs through a small grocery store, with sausages hanging over the aisles and close-ups of the payment terminal between the action. Near the end, the film cuts to an iPhone showing a Visa card while Face ID confirms the payment.
You can use it anywhere you see a contactless payment symbol, from big box retailers to a local corner market. Walmart is one of those retailers now, since it started accepting Apple Pay on August 24 after a 12-year holdout.
You can also use Apple Pay online and in apps by selecting the Apple Pay button at checkout and confirming with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. It works on Apple Watch, Mac, iPad and Apple Vision Pro as well, and Express Mode lets you pay for transit without unlocking your device in select cities.
Apple backs the film with a security claim against physical cards
Apple says the built-in security of iPhone makes Apple Pay more secure than a physical credit or debit card. Your actual card number is never shared with the merchant, and Apple Pay uses a unique code for every purchase instead.
Your card number is not stored on Apple’s servers, and you get the same fraud protections as you would with the physical card. If you lose your iPhone, Find My Lost Mode suspends Apple Pay and you can remove your cards remotely.
The ad shows Face ID, but Apple Pay also accepts Touch ID or your passcode. The iPhone Duo uses Touch ID, so owners of that phone authenticate with a fingerprint instead of a glance.
You add cards in Apple Wallet by holding your iPhone against the card or entering the details manually, and your bank or issuer must verify it. In stores, payments use the NFC chip and work without Wi-Fi or cellular service, so the purchase may not appear in your transaction history until you reconnect. You pay no fee to Apple for Apple Pay purchases and there is no transaction limit, although your card issuer may still charge its own fees.
