Apple Pay Turns 11 and Its Rivals Are Catching Up

Digital wallets have reached a turning point.

Weekly in-store usage has more than doubled year over year, and Apple Pay now moves an estimated $450 billion in annual sales. Yet cards still dominate checkout counters, and a new wave of challengers, from Google Pay to Cash App, is rewriting what “contactless” really means. “Apple Pay @11: Usage is Up, but Competitors are Gaining Ground” reveals how consumer habits, competitive dynamics, and form-factor innovation are reshaping everyday payments.

In this report, you’ll learn:

How digital wallet usage is outpacing expectations. More than 30% of consumers now use a wallet in-store weekly, up from 14% last year—but the gap between adoption and transaction share remains wide.

Why consumers first reach for a mobile wallet. Forgetting a physical card or wallet tops the list of triggers, followed closely by convenience, speed and perceived security—insights that reveal what really motivates behavior change.

Where Apple Pay leads—and where rivals are catching up. Google Pay’s user base more than doubled, while PayPal and Cash App nearly did the same, signaling a more competitive, multi-wallet future.

Which payment methods still dominate funding. Debit and credit cards remain the backbone of wallet transactions, even as digital balance payments climb from 1% to 3.7% since 2023.

Why “winning the tap” isn’t the same as replacing the wallet. The shift is about how consumers pay—not yet what they pay with—creating both opportunity and urgency for issuers and merchants alike.

Don’t Miss the Next Stage of the Wallet Wars

As digital wallet usage surges and Apple Pay’s competitors accelerate, the stakes for banks, networks and retailers have never been higher. Who captures the next 10% of in-store payments will define the future of checkout.

Download the full report now to see where the wallet revolution goes next.

Inside “Apple Pay @11: Usage is Up, but Competitors are Gaining Ground”

“Apple Pay @11: Usage is Up, but Competitors are Gaining Ground” is based on a survey of 3,339 U.S. consumers conducted from Aug. 14, 2025, to Sept. 22, 2025. The report examines the state of Apple Pay usage in 2025. The sample was balanced to match the U.S. adult population in key demographic variables. Respondents were 51% female, with an average age of 48. Four in 10 respondents had an annual household income of more than $100,000.