How to Cancel an Apple Pay Payment on Your iPhone or iPad

Can you cancel an Apple Pay payment? Yes, you can, if the recipient hasn't accepted the payment yet; here are two ways to get your money back.

By Leanne Hays Updated 01/14/2021

Apple Pay makes it easy for iPhone users to send money, and receive it! But, what if you make a payment to the wrong person, or what if your transaction isn't accepted? How do you cancel a cash app payment you've made with Apple Pay? Let's cover how to cancel an Apple Pay payment so that you don't have pending payments hanging out in your transaction history.

* This post is part of iPhone Life's Tip of the Day newsletter. Sign Up. *

Master your iPhone in one minute a day:

Sign up to iPhone Life's Tip of the Day Newsletter and we'll send you a tip each day to save time and get the most out of your iPhone or iPad.

How to Cancel an Apple Pay Transaction & Get a Refund on Your iPhone or iPad

Requesting and receiving money on your iPhone has been a possibility for a long time; apps like Facebook, Venmo, Paypal, and even Snapchat have all helped iPhone owners with these transactions, but the easiest method of all is to use Apple Pay. You can quickly and securely request and receive payments right from the Messages app on your iPhone, as long as the person you're exchanging money with also has Apple Pay. No need to exit a text thread and open an app anymore! We've gone over how to send money with Apple Pay and how to transfer Apple Cash to your bank. Now, let's learn what to do if you've made a payment that hasn't been accepted or sent money to the wrong person. For more great Apple device tutorials, check out our free Tip of the Day.

Open the Messages app.
Open the thread in the Messages app and tap on the Apple Pay payment.
Tap on Cancel Payment near the menu bottom.
When you go back into the Messages thread, you'll notice that the payment now says Canceled.
If you've deleted the message or can't find it, tap the Settings app.
Tap Wallet & Apple Pay.
Tap on the card you used to make the Apple Pay payment.
Tap the Transactions tab above Notifications, then tap the payment you want to cancel in the Latest Transactions list.
Tap on Cancel Payment near the menu bottom and, once again, when you go back into the Messages thread, you'll notice that the payment says Canceled.

Once you cancel a payment, your card will be refunded within one to three days. If the person has already accepted the payment, you won't be able to cancel it. You can ask them to use Apple Cash via iMessage to send you a refund. If you need to dispute the charge, contact Apple.

Master your iPhone in one minute a day: Sign up here to get our FREE Tip of the Day delivered right to your inbox.

Topics:

Author Details

Leanne Hays

Leanne Hays is an SEO Content Strategist and Feature Writer at iPhone Life, and has written hundreds of in-depth how-to and troubleshooting articles. She's a former Associate Editor for iPhone Life magazine, and has written for the Iowa Source, as well as web content for education marketing. Leanne has an associate's degree in education, with a focus on curriculum development, as well as a bachelor's degree in science. She has over nine years of experience with SEO, social media management, and web development and writing. Despite years of web work, Leanne is by no means an early adapter; she's only owned a smartphone for five years, which makes her highly sympathetic to the learning curve of new iPhone owners. She enjoys making reader's lives easier and putting her education experience to work by walking them through the most practical ways to use Apple devices, step-by-step.

In off-work hours, Leanne is a mother of two, homesteader, audiobook fanatic, musician, and learning enthusiast.