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How many Credit Cards in Apple Wallet, Google Pay etc

We use use Apple Wallet for many of our CC transactions when traveling both domestically and internationally. Currently we have one card tied to the wallet. I am considering adding an additional card as backup in case something happens. Just wondering how many cards other travelers keep on their phones.

Posted by
1556 posts

I have 3-4 cards at any time including my corporate card which is the first one up since I travel domestically for work a lot. It is very easy to select a personal card when I need to.

Posted by
304 posts

I have six in my Google Wallet, including work plus personal cards.

Posted by
7555 posts

I have my two general use cards (IHG MC, Delta AMEX), and my card I use when traveling (UNFCU Visa) in my Google wallet.

I don't bother adding special use cards (Costco, store cards, etc.)

It would be good to have at least one back up loaded, that way if an issue arises, you can try the other. If you both have phones, you can load a single card onto multiple phones as well.

Posted by
6318 posts

I have 8 credit cards (including my debit card) plus Apple Pay and Apple Pay Later cards. I also keep all my train tickets, museum tickets, passes, loyalty cards and anything else that allows me to save it in Apple Wallet.

Posted by
933 posts

I have my Debit Card, and 2 No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards in my ApplePay

Posted by
7287 posts

I have one credit card on Apple Pay, and I carry two credit cards and two ATM cards in my money belt.

And when traveling solo, I have my husband not use the one credit card we have in common. He had an ATM machine eat his card once while I was on a work trip. Fortunately, it was the last day of that trip.

Posted by
2735 posts

I have one credit card on Apple Pay, and I carry two credit cards and two ATM cards in my money belt.

Jean, me too, except only one ATM card from my travel account instead of our joint account. Guess I'm old fashioned, but I don't want to accidently use one of the back-up credit cards instead of my main travel card by mistake. The back-up cards stay in my money belt. I can add either to Apple Pay if needed.

Posted by
13942 posts

I have 2 CCs (Amex and Chase) and just recently added one debit card (Credit Union). I carry the physical cards with me as well as a 2nd debit card which is from my brokerage account. During covid I traveled with a 3rd CC just in case I had an emergency and either had to stay longer due to illness or had to buy an expensive return ticket to get home. I wanted as much credit as possible available for emergencies. Last 2 trips I did not carry that 3rd card.

One thing I found out recently when my AMEX card was compromised over one night is that after I called AMEX in the AM and they reissued the card, the new number IMMEDIATELY showed up in my Apple Wallet (without me having to do anything!). The rep I talked with told me I could go ahead and use the Apple Wallet before I even got the physical card and went thru the auth process for it.

Posted by
3207 posts

I have 3 credit cards on my Apple wallet.

I didn't think to add an ATM card, but I guess I could have used my ATM card on the tap ATM machine in Spain, rather than pulling out my card. I'd prefer never to have to put my card into an ATM slot again. Love tapping! I'll have to look into this...

Posted by
1803 posts

I inadvertently found a nice benefit to having my CC loaded in my Apple wallet. I have a card that I use sporadically throughout the year. When I went to look for it I found I had misplaced it at home. The details are a little fuzzy to me at this point. I went to replace my missing card. Online or via app. I was either prompted or noticed an option to have my bank push the new card to my phone. Worked great. I’m not sure they would have done this if I was traveling overseas. It’s definitely a YMMV situation.

Posted by
32757 posts

I'll look. I have 4 credit cards, 2 debit cards, 6 loyalty cards, 1 covid travel card, 12 expired passes in my iOS Wallet.

Posted by
6318 posts

Having multiple credit cards has saved me in the past, like the time when I went out of town for 2 weeks and left my wallet at home. I arrived with no money and no cards. Luckily I was able to use Apple Pay for everything. I would never travel without that feature.

Posted by
4618 posts

I like to have at least one credit card in Google Pay that isn't also in my physical wallet. If my physical wallet wanders off and I need to cancel/suspend the cards in it, I still have something in Google Pay that I can use.

Posted by
4618 posts

I was either prompted or noticed an option to have my bank push the new card to my phone.

Now that is cool! I need to inquire whether I have that option with any of my cards.

ETA: Bank of America promotes replacing a debit card throug the digital app, and "you can do it from almost anywhere."
https://promo.bankofamerica.com/digital_banking_demo/mobiledebitcardreplace
After following the steps, "Your Digital Card for Debit will be created and ready to use immediately. "

The same BofA mobile banking demo indicates that a credit card will be mailed; it does not offer the digital card replacement option.

Posted by
910 posts

We had a Chase MasterCard compromised in Quito, Ecuador last year. Chase shut it down immediately. When I contacted them to get things moving for a new card, they not only issued a new card, but indicated that if we had the card on listed Apple Pay etc, the number would update for immediate use. You would still need to get the new card to get the full number and CSC code.

Posted by
7555 posts

Another feature of Digital Wallets you can use is a Virtual Credit Card set up in addition to your regular card. Rather than using your account number, it creates a unique one time account number and a CVV for that transaction.

My AMEX pushed that out to me, so in my wallet I have the AMEX, then a Virtual AMEX, and can choose one or the other.

Posted by
162 posts

Paul - I do not have a physical titanium Apple card that gets 1% rewards - I only have the digital version that creats a unique # whenever I use it with a 2% reward.

I had loaded my Chase Visa into my Apple Pay wallet. My Apple master card is "on top" as the first/preferred choice. At a local merchant where I had opened the Apple master card app then double clicked the button on the side of my iPhone, then held the phone to the merchant's reader, it would not accept/complete the transaction with the typical green check mark "done" and little ping sound. I made a 2nd attempt and it still did not work but rather charged the amount to my Citi Visa. I went down the street and purchased some groceries with no issues using Apple Pay/Apple MC. I then removed the Citi Visa from my Apple wallet and now must use the plastic card if choosing it for 4% gas and 3% dining and travel hotels & airfare.

I had not considered adding a debit card to my Apple wallet - but the earlier poster pointed out the convenience of using it at an ATM in Spain. I rarely use ATM's. Do they all (US and foreign) allow for using a phone's wallet rather than a plastic debit card?

I learn so much from this forum! Thank you all.

Posted by
32757 posts

Do they all (US and foreign) allow for using a phone's wallet rather than a plastic debit card?

no

Posted by
6318 posts

Another feature of Digital Wallets you can use is a Virtual Credit Card set up in addition to your regular card.

Paul, I have that, too. My AMEX card is virtual as well as my Goldman Sachs Apple card. It's a nice feature and more secure.

Posted by
2735 posts

OK, you convinced me. I changed my mind and added one of my back up credit cards to Apple Wallet. It’s from a different bank than my primary card.

Posted by
2330 posts

Do they all (US and foreign) allow for using a phone's wallet rather than a plastic debit card?

Contactless ATM machines are becoming more and more common - I just look for one so I can take a pass on getting my card caught up in an illegal skimmer. The reality is, I'm using less and less physical money with each trip taken.

Posted by
13 posts

That's a smart idea to have a backup card! Personally, I also use Apple Wallet for most of my transactions while traveling. I usually keep two cards on my phone—one as my primary card and the other as a backup, just like you're considering. It's reassuring to know there's a backup option in case of any unexpected issues or emergencies. Plus, having multiple cards gives me flexibility and peace of mind during my travels. How about you? Are you leaning towards adding a second card as backup?

Posted by
162 posts

This forum is so helpful! In the US, Europe & Mexico I've used my Apple Goldman Sachs Master Card in my iPhone Apple Wallet to make contactless purchases. But now, thanks to the advice of earlier posts, I have loaded my Capital One debit card and my Citi Visa credit card to my wallet. I'm going to test the debit card, now loaded in my wallet, to access US dollars at an ATM (Walgreens and Target are listed on the Capital One site as "no-fee"). I'll also attempt a gas purchase using my Citi Visa that is now in my wallet. I've used both physical cards in the past by contactless "tap" but having them in my wallet will serve as a reassuring backup to the physical cards. Now I just have to get into the habit of selecting the correct card to be charged and avoid the mistake of using my credit card to access cash at an ATM. Heading to Italy next month. I hope I find that the ATM's allow the Apple Wallet contactless method to access Euros.
Thank you all!

Posted by
2075 posts

I have three and will add my ATM to my Apple Pay. I always use my iwatch, and rarely have to use a physical card or haul my phone out. Works like a charm!

Posted by
1190 posts

I currently only have one credit card in my Google Wallet app. Meanwhile, I carry multiple credit cards on my person.

I'm going to have to rethink this strategy.

Assume that I have five credit cards both on my phone app and on my prrson. If I were to lose my phone, I have a high degree of confidence that those credit cards in the app are secure unless the person also has my thumb (that is a scary thought). I can take some time to retrace my steps and to look for the phone knowing that it is almost impossible for anybody to use those credit cards on the phone. Eventually, if I cannot find the phone, I can remotely wipe the phone and still be able to use the credit cards on my person for the rest of my trip. And it would be very easy to buy a replacement phone and reload those valid credit cards onto the new phone app.

On the other hand, if my wallet with the five credit cards is lost or stolen, I would have to cancel all of those credit cards or risk having some person tap away with those cards racking up huge charges. And once those credit cards are canceled, I would no longer be able to use my phone app. I would have to go through a lot of hassles to get replacement cards.

It may make more sense to store multiple credit cards on the phone app and only carry one credit card on my person.

Posted by
162 posts

Because of this informative thread... I recently added my Citi Visa credit card and 2 debit cards to my Apple wallet that previously had only my Goldman Sachs (Apple) digital Master Card. I do not have the physical titanium Apple Master Card because the reward for using it is only 1%. My plan for travel is to keep the physical Citi visa and one of the debit cards in the hotel safe. In addition to my phone in my cross body purse, I'll have my Capital One debit and credit cards in a zipped pouch that I wear around my neck and under my blouse. I made the zipped holder many years ago out of fabric. It is small, flat, easy to wash, and weighs next to nothing.
I was unsuccessful yesterday when attempting to make my first cash withdrawal from an "approved" "Allpoint" ATM at a Walgreens, using my Capital One debit card. Now I need to search how to do this. The "tap" symbol was on the machine, indicating users could tap a physical card, but maybe it does not allow users to hold the phone close to make the transaction as with a merchant's POS terminal. The terminal apparently must be a "proximity card reader".

Posted by
162 posts

Looking for advice from any travelers with recent experience attempting contactless use of an ATM machine in Italy?
My 2 debit cards are from Chase and Capital One.
What I've learned: An ATM that is "contactless" or has "near field communication" - NFC - - - the symbol that looks like a sideways wifi symbol, might not accept your contactless physical debit card nor your card stored in your phone's digital wallet. Example: a Chase ATM only accepts Chase customers' Chase debit cards stored in a digital (phone) wallet. All others must use a physical card placed in the Chase ATM machine's slot.

Posted by
910 posts

We just completed a trip to South America. We added a second card to our Apple Wallets and had no problems. Other then the hotels that wanted to swipe a CC, we used the wallet for all other payments with no issues. I tried to use our Schwab ATM Card to withdraw cash by tapping it. However that was a no go. The bank wanted it inserted. With exception of a tiny bit of cash that I carried in my pants pocket, all cards were either locked in the hotel safe with one card in my neck wallet in case it was needed.