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How Apple Pay and Google Pay work: tokens, taps and card security

By SendPay Business · · 2 min read

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Apple Pay and Google Pay let you pay with your phone or watch instead of a plastic card. They work anywhere contactless cards are accepted, and in many apps and websites, using a secure token in place of your real card number.

What happens when you add a card

  • You add your card to the wallet app on your phone.
  • The card issuer checks it is really you, often with a code.
  • The card network creates a device token, a stand-in number for that phone only.
  • The token is stored on the phone; your real card number is not shared with shops.
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What happens when you tap

You unlock the payment with your face, fingerprint or passcode, then hold the phone near the card reader. The phone sends the token and a one-time code. The card network swaps the token back for your real card, and the issuer approves or declines the payment as normal.

Try it

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Type a name, tap a colour and pick what it does. The phone changes as you go.

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What it does

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Why it is safer

Shops never see your real card number, and each payment carries a one-time code, so a copied payment cannot be reused. If you lose your phone, you can remove the cards from it without cancelling the card itself.

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Where SendPay fits

SendPay platforms issue branded Visa cards. A virtual card is created instantly and works online and in Apple Pay and Google Pay, and physical cards are posted for in-person and ATM use.

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How it works

Your own money app
  1. Name it and pick your colours
  2. Choose what it does
  3. Launch when you are ready

Why sign up

Create your free SendPay account

It's all about creating your own financial platform with ease. Start with a free account today.

  • A free business accountOpen it in about a minute with your business name, email, password and mobile. No card and no documents to start.
  • Get paid from day oneTake card payments, and share your own payment link and invoices so customers pay in a click.
  • A free business websiteFree to build, free to publish and free to keep, with unlimited visits.
  • Your own financial platformDesign and preview your whole platform free, then launch when you are ready.
Create a free business account Create a free websiteStart building your platform

SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank. Accounts, cards and payments are powered by licensed partners.

Questions people ask

What does a card payment cost?

Work out card fees on your own sales.

Card fee calculator →
What is card tokenisation?

How a card number is swapped for a safer token.

Card tokenisation →
How do contactless payments work?

What happens when a card or phone is tapped.

Contactless payments →
Can I issue my own branded cards?

Yes, virtual and physical Visa cards on your own platform.

See platforms →

Read next

Spotted a mistake or something out of date? and we'll fix it. How our guides are made

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank, and does not take deposits; regulated services on the platforms are provided by licensed partners. Other companies named in this guide are reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.