Apple Wallet
Ranked 3 of 17 mobile payment apps by recommenders
People recommend it for storing tickets, boarding passes, cards and IDs with live updates and quick scanning. Critics most often cite Apple ads appearing in Wallet.
People recommend it for storing tickets, boarding passes, cards and IDs with live updates and quick scanning. Critics most often cite Apple ads appearing in Wallet.
121 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 58
- criticize it
- 63
- approval share
- 48%
Recommended in 10 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 58 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 0.9 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 10 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Tickets and boarding passes update automatically
“it automatically updates metadata (e.g., flight times, gates), and it's nicer than just a picture”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet” “having gate, seat, time updating automatically is such a huge improvement for travel”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet” “Having boarding passes in Wallet which also update real time is so nice.”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet” - Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet”
- Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Texas is suing all of the big TV makers for spying on what you watch”
- Comment from 10 Nov 2025 in “Reminder to passengers ahead of move to 100% digital boarding passes”
- Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet”
- Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet”
Stores cards, IDs and library cards
“why carry a physical wallet anymore when your phone (and Apple Watch) can store all of your cards?”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet” “I have my library card in Apple Wallet so I don't need to bother with the actual card.”
Comment from 22 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: WalletWallet – create Apple passes from anything” “This is wonderful, I've been waiting for this to add a library card to Apple Wallet.”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet” - Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Digital ID, a new way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet”
- Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet”
- Comment from 23 Mar 2026 in “Walmart: ChatGPT checkout converted 3x worse than website”
Easy to create passes from files
“it beats digging through email to find some pdf and zooming in on some QR code when you have to present it”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet” “Creating a new pass on my phone for the library took less time than logging into their app did.”
Comment from 3 Oct 2026 in “Apple Pass Designer” “My biggest use case is not actually creating passes for services which don’t provide them”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet” - Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet”
- Comment from 13 Oct 2026 in “Apple HomeView”
- Comment from 21 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: WalletWallet – create Apple passes from anything”
Quick barcode scanning at checkout
“apple wallet is convenient, u just double tap and the Wallet loads on screen with full brightness to make it easy to scan”
Comment from 21 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: WalletWallet – create Apple passes from anything” “it's a perfectly clear QR code rather than a picture so it'll be easier to scan”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet” “the screen will brighten automatically for maximum contrast”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet” - Comment from 9 Jan 2026 in “The Vietnam government has banned rooted phones from using any banking app”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Apple ads inside Wallet
“iOS has gotten reasonably good about tracking packages in wallet outside of any other app, but then again, wallet has sent advertisements about other Apple things.”
Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “Somebody please stop the spam texts” “Apple needs guidelines to prevent Apple's own apps (Wallet, TV, Fitness, Books, Music..) from pushing intrusive ads”
Comment from 3 Jan 2026 in “Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design GUI” “the infamous ad for some movie on Apple TV injected into Apple Wallet earlier this year”
Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Are Apple gift cards safe to redeem?” Confusing card selection and defaults
“It's an annoying few extra seconds at each merchant to find and select the right card from the sub-menu”
Comment from 3 Oct 2026 in “Apple Pass Designer” “there's no visual indicators that I can. I accidentally changed my default card on the first attempt.”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet” “My bank provides USD, EUR and other currencies on different cards with exact same cover. Maddening.”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet” - Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet”
Limited state ID support
“I'm still waiting for the day where 100% of state drivers licenses are supported in wallet”
Comment from 12 Nov 2025 in “Digital ID, a new way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet” “if you want a reasonable level of flexibility that you would expect elsewhere, you are SOL”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “iOS 27 is adding a 'Create a Pass' button to Apple Wallet” Concern over trusting Apple with IDs
“cause the screenshot works fine without all these moving parts, and I even do that when traveling solo cause I don't trust the wallet”
Comment from 2 Oct 2026 in “Apple Pass Designer” “putting our entire digital identification infrastructure in the hands of Google and Apple”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “Europe's company websites are mostly served by US vendors”
Other mobile payment apps people recommend
The four most recommended other mobile payment apps, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wero | 84 | 96 | 47% | 11 | — | — |
| Apple Pay | 73 | 48 | 60% | 12 | — | — |
| Apple WalletThis page | 58 | 63 | 48% | 10 | — | — |
| Google Pay | 26 | 33 | 44% | 11 | — | — |
| Google Wallet | 22 | 34 | 39% | 8 | — | — |
What people said
40 of the 131 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“iOS has gotten reasonably good about tracking packages in wallet outside of any other app, but then again, wallet has sent advertisements about other Apple things.”
“The new ability to add one's own passes to Apple Wallet is nice though.”
“It's an annoying few extra seconds at each merchant to find and select the right card from the sub-menu”
“Creating a new pass on my phone for the library took less time than logging into their app did.”
“cause the screenshot works fine without all these moving parts, and I even do that when traveling solo cause I don't trust the wallet”
“Wallet is now better at picking up and adding tracking for purchases being shipped.”
“putting our entire digital identification infrastructure in the hands of Google and Apple”
“My bank provides USD, EUR and other currencies on different cards with exact same cover. Maddening.”
“opens the Wallet app in a functionally limited but visually identical mode is terrible UI design”
“Apple wallet proactively shows your event pass when it's time.”
“This is wonderful, I've been waiting for this to add a library card to Apple Wallet.”
“there's no visual indicators that I can. I accidentally changed my default card on the first attempt.”
“why carry a physical wallet anymore when your phone (and Apple Watch) can store all of your cards?”
“The biggest UX issue Apple has for that persona isn't the wallet, it's the lack of physical home button.”
“if you want a reasonable level of flexibility that you would expect elsewhere, you are SOL”
“it's a perfectly clear QR code rather than a picture so it'll be easier to scan”
“the screen will brighten automatically for maximum contrast”
“My biggest use case is not actually creating passes for services which don’t provide them”
“seems a useful backup for specific vendor/site-specific apps when traveling”
“Being able to have train/bus passes on my phone whenever I go to another country is nice.”
“it automatically updates metadata (e.g., flight times, gates), and it's nicer than just a picture”
“having gate, seat, time updating automatically is such a huge improvement for travel”
“It's kind of nice that I can put my Safeway and Soopercard in there now, but that still means having to scan the barcode”
“it's frankly safer than a credit card and the NFC(?) works much better”
“the notification that appears on the homescreen when you're in proximity of the venue or time of the event”
“it beats digging through email to find some pdf and zooming in on some QR code when you have to present it”
“Having boarding passes in Wallet which also update real time is so nice.”
“Ticketing is a great use-case for it, I have flight tickets, concerts/events tickets, airport bus tickets”
“Illinois id/drivers license import into Apple Wallet, so I did it, and that works.”
“now it really is my go to place for everything I have a card for”
“I like that Wallet only activates the rfid for a second”
“Apple needs guidelines to prevent Apple's own apps (Wallet, TV, Fitness, Books, Music..) from pushing intrusive ads”
“I have my library card in Apple Wallet so I don't need to bother with the actual card.”
“apple wallet is convenient, u just double tap and the Wallet loads on screen with full brightness to make it easy to scan”
“it's actually easier for me to download the Apple Wallet .pkpass files”
“it actually sends you flight change notifications too”
“the infamous ad for some movie on Apple TV injected into Apple Wallet earlier this year”
“Having my ID on my phone gives me convenience and doesn't take anything away.”
“I'm still waiting for the day where 100% of state drivers licenses are supported in wallet”
“the nicety of putting your ticket in Apple Wallet is nice enough that i willingly do it for the airlines i fly”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.