How To Cancel Apple Pay Payment in 3 Steps, With Photos

Apple Pay transactions are completed instantly. While that’s amazing, it can be troublesome if you mistakenly initiate the payment to the wrong person. Suppose you sent $10 to David for lunch, but it was Joe who offered you the food. What can you do in this case? Can you get your money back? You can if you cancel the Apple Pay payment while it’s pending. 

However, if the recipient completes or accepts the transaction, you can’t do anything about it. But it’s not a dead end. You can contact Apple Pay Support and find out your options. If luck is on your side, you may be able to cancel the payment and get a refund. But the chances are pretty low. 

In this guide, we will look at your options for canceling Apple Pay payments. We will also evaluate whether you can file a dispute or get a refund upon the payment cancellation. So, let’s dive in.

Where Are Your Apple Pay Payments Available?

You can only cancel your Apple Pay payments if you know where to access them. Apple Pay keeps a transaction recorded for 12 months after it’s initiated. So, you can access your payments during this period only. Since Apple Pay doesn’t have a dedicated app, you must open the Wallet app on your iOS device to check the history. 

Here is how you can view and cancel Apple Pay payments:

1. First, launch Wallet on your iPhone.
2. Then, select your Apple Cash Card.
3. Tap Card Balance.
4. Now, scroll down to see all your transactions and select the payment you want to access.
5. You can now view the number of Payments and Credits for your selected month. 

The “Payments and Credits” will display all your previous payments, dispute credits, and purchase refunds. You can also download your statement’s PDF on this screen by tapping “Download PDF Statement.” If you want to access individual transactions, you can do that from the Wallet app. Here is how:

1. In the Wallet app, tap on your Apple Cash Card.
2. Scroll through your latest transactions until you locate a specific, individual payment.
3. Once you find the transaction, tap on it to view the details on the next screen.

You can now access different information on this page.

How to Cancel Apple Pay Payment From the Messages App

Apple Pay has made sending and receiving money on iPhones a breeze. However, unfortunately, this smooth process has opened doors for many errors, meaning you can accidentally send money to someone you’re not supposed to. Now, there are two things, one good and the other bad. 

The good thing is that you can cancel Apple Pay payment, but only when the recipient hasn’t accepted it. If they have received the money, you will have no option but to contact them and work things out. Follow the below steps to cancel Apple Pay payments from the Message app:

Step 1: Open Messages

If you have sent money via the Messages app, you will have to launch it first and then open that conversation.

Step 2: Tap the Apple Pay Payment

Now, select the payment you sent via Apple Pay in the conversation. 

Step 3: Cancel the Payment

Immediately tap on “Cancel Payment” if the transaction still shows the “pending” status. Now, close the conversation and then open it again. It will now show “canceled.” This is it; that’s all you need to do to cancel your Apple Pay payment!

How to Cancel Apple Pay Payment From the Wallet App

Many people delete the Apple Pay payment message from the Message app, thinking they have canceled it. That’s not the case. We have told you how to cancel an Apple Pay payment, but how can you do that if you accidentally deleted the payment message? 

Follow the below steps to cancel Apple Pay payments from the Wallet app:

Step 1: Launch Wallet

Open the Wallet app on your iPhone and tap the card from which you initiated the payment.

Step 2: View Your Latest Transactions

The next screen will show you all the latest payments from your card.

Step 3: Cancel the Payment

Select the payment you wish to cancel from the Latest Transactions list. It will give you a “Cancel Payment” option. Tap on it to complete the process. 

Once a transaction is canceled, you will receive the refund to your card within 1-3 business days. The money will be refunded instantly if it is an Apple Cash Card. The process may take longer than expected for a debit card.

Can’t find the “Cancel Payment” button after tapping on your Apple Pay payment? The payment has been accepted. Apple Pay will send you a notification in this case. If the recipient has accepted the funds, you can’t cancel or get a refund. Contact Apple Support to see your options.

What to Do If the Recipient Has Already Accepted the Apple Pay Payment?

If it’s your unlucky day, the wrong person will accept the payment, lowering your chances of a refund even more. In that case, you can try contacting the recipient and politely explain that you made a mistake and want your money back. Take full responsibility for the convenience you caused them to convince them to return the amount. 

Once they agree, ask them to send the exact amount to your Apple Pay account. For ease, you can request them the amount from the Messages app. That’s how things should go. But what if the recipient refuses to return your money?

In that case, you don’t have any option left but to contact Apple Pay Support. Your refund chances are close to zero in this situation, but it may open a dispute if the recipient turns out to be a scammer. Explain the entire case to the Apple Support representative and let them reach a conclusion. 

How to Stay Clear of Scams on Apple Pay 

Scams are common on online payment apps, and Apple Pay is no exception. Since the chances of a refund or winning a dispute on the app are pretty low, it’s better to be proactive when using the platform. Below are some tips to help you stay aware of Apple Pay scams and avoid the need to cancel Apple Pay payments or open a dispute.

• Only use Apple Pay or Apple Cash to send money to people you trust.
• Always double-check your entered information before sending the money. In the case of a scam, Apple Pay may show you “Fraud Suspected” warnings when you haven’t hit the send button. Don’t ignore such prompts!
• It’s better not to use Apple Pay for business transactions as they are primarily of larger amounts. 
• Stay wary of scam messages. If any person asks you to send them a certain amount promising they will double it in XYZ days, don’t believe them. No one will send you money for free!

Apple Pay Is Showing Payment Errors: What To Do

Despite being one of the leading peer-to-peer payment apps, Apple Pay can sometimes show payment glitches or stop working entirely. In that case, you won’t be able to cancel Apple Pay payment instantly. You will have to wait until the issue is resolved. But what if the recipient accepts the payment meanwhile?

If your Apple Pay stops working suddenly, try the below fixes to make it run again:

Log Into Your Apple ID 

The first thing you can do is log in with your Apple ID and then sign back in. This fix is relatively easy and can resolve many issues in the app’s back end. You can try canceling the payment again after logging in to your Apple ID again, and hopefully, you’ll be successful this time.

Restart Your iPhone 

Another quick fix is to restart your iPhone to give Apple Pay a little reboot. It will allow the app updates to complete instantly and make it run again. Restarting your phone just takes a few minutes, so you will be able to cancel Apple Pay payment again in no time.

Contact Apple Pay Support

If the above methods don’t work, contact the Apple Customer Service department for detailed assistance. The representatives there are very responsive and experts in what they do. Sometimes, it’s neither your device’s fault nor the server’s issue but a hardware problem primarily related to the NFC chip. 

You can also check if Apple Pay’s system is working by checking its status from the official website. If it displays a green light, it means that Apple Pay is online and something is wrong with your account or device. However, if it doesn’t brighten up as green, the issue is from Apple’s side, and your account is fine. Just wait for some time until the system is restored. 

Wrap Up

Apple Pay payments are quick. While that’s handy in most cases, it can be problematic if you send the money to the wrong person. You can’t cancel the payment instantly! Unfortunately, you can’t get a refund if the recipient accepts the payment. However, you can cancel Apple Pay payment when it’s still pending or the recipient hasn’t accepted it. 

Just open the conversation in the Messages app and tap on the payment. Then, select “Cancel Payment” and get a refund to your card in 1 to 3 business days. Alternatively, you can also cancel the payment from the Wallet app. Just tap on the card you initiated the transfer from, scroll to the latest transactions, select the payment, and cancel it immediately. That’s it!

The image featured at the top of this post is ©LightField Studios/Shutterstock.com.