How to Send Money to Friends (or Request They Pay Up) With Apple Cash (2024)

With Apple Pay on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, you can pay for things in stores, online, and within supported apps using saved credit or debit cards or an Apple Cash account balance. But Apple Cash can also serve as a mobile payment app like PayPal, Zelle, or Venmo.

That means you can send money to people, and the funds are taken out of your Apple Cash balance. You can also request money from other people, and the funds are added to your balance. That balance can then be spent on future transactions or transferred to a bank account, in full or in part. You can send and request money through the Messages app or directly in Apple Wallet app.

If you're running iOS 18 or higher, a new feature called Tap to Cash will make transferring funds even easier. It allows you to exchange money with someone else simply by holding your phones together. Now, here’s how to set up and use Apple Cash to send or receive money.

Set Up Apple Cash

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In order to use Apple Cash to its fullest extent, you must live in the US, have an Apple device compatible with Apple Cash, and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for your Apple account.

You can add multiple cards to the Apple Pay app, but one must be set as the default, which means that card will automatically be used for every transaction. To do this, go to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay and tap Default Card under the Transaction Defaults section, then select the card.

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Unless you have a lot of money in your Apple Cash balance, don’t use it as the default option because it might not have enough funds to pay for a large transaction. Instead, set up another payment card as the default. You can then override that card and use the Apple Cash card to pay for something if and when you choose.

To purchase an item from a retailer using your Apple Cash card, tap any card other than the default to display all the cards stacked on top of each other. Tap the Apple Cash card to select it for this transaction. Double press the side button, and the amount of the purchase is taken from the Apple Cash balance.

Send Money to Another Person

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To send money directly to another individual, open the Wallet app and tap the Cash card, then select the Send or Receive button. Type the name, email address, or phone number of the contact to whom you want to send money. Tap Next and then enter the amount that will be sent.

Tap Send and iMessage opens with the amount shown. Type a message and then tap the arrow to send the text. Double press the side button to activate the withdrawal and then authenticate the transaction with Face ID, Touch ID, or PIN.

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You can also use Siri to send someone money via Apple Cash by saying something along the lines of "Hey Siri, Apple Pay 25 dollars to Stephen for dinner" or "Hey Siri, send 25 dollars to Stephen." The money is taken from your Apple Cash balance or from a debit card linked to the Apple Cash card if you don’t have sufficient funds.

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The other person will receive a text message informing them of the amount sent. They can also open the Wallet app, tap their Apple Cash card, and see the sent amount under Latest Transactions.

Request Money from Another Person

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You can also request money from another individual. To do this, open the Wallet app, select the Apple Cash card, and then tap the Send or Request button. Type the name, email address, or phone number of the person from whom you’re requesting the money.

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Tap Next and enter the amount of money you’re requesting from this person. Tap the Request button to open the Messages app, and a request will appear. Type a message and then tap the arrow to send the text.

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The other person must tap the Pay button on the request to approve the transfer. The amount owed is listed at the bottom of the screen, allowing the person to alter the final amount. Once the request has been paid, you will receive another text back showing the amount of money they sent.

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You can then launch the Wallet app, select the Apple Cash card, and look at the latest transactions to view a record of the transfer.

Send or Request Money Through iMessage

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Instead of using the Apple Wallet app, money can be sent directly through iMessage. Launch Apple Messages and open a conversation with the person who will receive the cash. In iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 or higher, tap the + icon to the left of the message field and select Apple Cash from the list. For older OS versions, tap the app icon on the left, and select Apple Cash. Use the plus (+) and minus (-) buttons to set the amount you wish to send or tap Show Keyboard to enter an amount.

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To send this amount to another person, tap Send in the message. Double press the side button and then authenticate the payment. Otherwise, tap the Request button to ask someone else to send the money. Add a message to the text and send it. On the other end, the recipient will receive the request as a text. All they need to do is tap the Pay button to send the money.

Manually Accept Payments

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By default, payments via Apple Cash are automatically accepted. However, this can be changed to manual, which means you must actively accept the payment within seven days. To set this up, go to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > Apple Cash. Select Manually Accept Payments under the Accepting Payments header.

Send Money From Your Apple Watch

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To send money via Apple Cash on an Apple Watch, set up a debit card for Apple Pay on your watch. Launch Messages and open a conversation with the recipient, then swipe down and tap Apple Pay.

You can choose an amount by tapping the plus (+) and minus (-) buttons, turning the Digital Crown, or tapping the dollar amount and then turning the Digital Crown to select a specific number. Tap the Pay button and then double tap the side button to pay.

Set Up Recurring Payments from Apple Cash

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With iOS/iPadOS 17, you can set up recurring payments to take money from your Apple Cash account. This can be helpful for automating things like paying rent. Just make sure there's enough money in your Apple Cash account to cover the payments.

To set this up, open the Wallet app, select Apple Cash > Send or Request > Send. Add the name, email address, or phone number of the recipient, then enter the amount that should be paid at each interval. Tap Send Recurring Payment at the bottom of the screen.

You can then choose when the payments should start—either today or on a date in the future. Select the payment interval—Every Week, Every Other Week, or Every Month. Add a memo, then tap Send.

Refill Your Apple Cash Balance

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You can add money to your Apple Cash balance from a debit card stored in Apple Pay. Go to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay and tap Apple Cash under the Cards header, then tap Add Money and enter the amount to be deposited ($10 minimum). You can even choose Set Up Auto Reload to add more money automatically. Tap Add, then authenticate the transfer. The amount added will then be included in your Apple Cash balance.

Transfer Money to Your Bank Account

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To transfer money from Apple Cash to a bank account, it must first be connected to the app. Go to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > Apple Cash, then select Bank Account and tap Add Bank Account. Enter the bank's routing number and account number.

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Go back to the Apple Cash screen and tap Transfer to Bank. Enter the amount of money to be transferred and tap Transfer. Choose between an instant transfer with a transaction fee or a regular transfer with no fee. Confirm the transaction via Face ID, Touch ID, or PIN.

Exchange Money With Tap to Cash

If you and a fellow iPhone user are running iOS 18, you can use the new Tap to Cash feature to exchange money. To set this up, go to Settings > General > AirDrop, and make sure Bringing Devices Together is enabled.

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Next, open the Wallet app and tap the Apple Cash card. Tap the Send or Request button and then select Tap to Cash. Enter the amount you want to send, then tap Next.

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Double click the side button to confirm the transaction and hold your iPhone next to the iPhone of the other person. The other person should then accept the transaction, and the money is transferred to their Apple Cash account.

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