How to Use Apple Pay at a Vending Machine: iPhone and Apple Watch
To use an Apple Pay vending machine, follow the machine’s displayed purchase instructions and present your iPhone or Apple Watch to its supported contactless reader. The action on your device is only part of the purchase: you also need to follow the machine’s selection and collection prompts.
This guide uses Apple’s published Apple Pay purchase instructions. It applies to a machine whose operator accepts your supported Apple Pay payment method. It does not establish that every contactless terminal or every WEIMI installation accepts it.
Before tapping: read the machine’s instruction
Locate the contactless payment area and check the displayed price and purchase instruction. Some machines ask you to choose a product first; others begin with payment or an authorisation step. Follow the actual machine rather than assuming that every reader uses the same order.
For the difference between those sequences, see our tap-first and product-first vending payment review. The device steps below explain how to present Apple Pay when the machine is ready for it.
Pay with an iPhone
Apple’s current instructions say to double-click the side button to use your default card. If prompted, authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to open Apple Wallet. To use another card, tap the default card, choose the intended card and authenticate.
Hold the top of the iPhone near the contactless reader until Done and a checkmark appear on the phone. For an iPhone vending payment, use the reader’s marked contactless area rather than holding the phone against an unrelated part of the machine’s touchscreen.
Continue following the machine’s prompts for the selected item and collection. A confirmation on the phone does not physically verify that an item has reached the pickup compartment.
Pay with an Apple Watch
Double-click the Watch’s side button. Apple says the default card opens automatically; scroll down if you want another card. Hold the Watch display near the contactless reader until you feel a gentle tap and hear a beep.
The Apple Watch vending payment step uses the display near the reader, while Apple’s iPhone instructions specify the top of the phone. Follow the device instructions and the machine’s own message instead of repeatedly tapping different surfaces.
If the payment does not complete
Read the message on the device and terminal before starting another attempt. Apple states that you need a supported card from a participating issuer and that Apple Pay is not available in every market. If card compatibility is unclear, contact the card issuer; if the machine’s accepted methods are unclear, contact its operator.
If you see a payment indication but receive no product, use the support details displayed on the machine. Keep the machine reference, time, selected item and any transaction reference available for the operator. Ask it to check the payment and delivery records before deciding whether another purchase is appropriate. This guide does not promise a universal reversal or refund deadline.
For operators preparing customer instructions
Place the supported payment methods and the correct purchase order where the customer can see them before paying. Check that the cabinet and reader instructions agree. The device guidance above should accompany the actual selection, authorisation and collection process, rather than replace it.
Our mobile-wallet support checklist covers the separate procurement questions: terminal, provider, operating country and merchant activation. Apple’s device instructions do not certify those installation details.
For a new WEIMI machine enquiry, specify the country, currency and required wallet methods. Ask which payment configuration is offered and request confirmation for that proposal. Get My Custom Quote.
Source: Apple Support, “Make purchases using Apple Pay,” reviewed on 8 November 2026. This is a documented user workflow, not a report of a WEIMI payment test or a guarantee that a particular card, terminal or installation is supported.
