Unable to add my card to Apple Pay on Apple Watch

Does your banks app have provisions to add card to your Apple Watch? The bank lowers their security requirements if you validate through their app.

Apple is not a bank and does not actively play a role in validating your identity and your device. Your bank and the Payment Network Processor (Visa, Mastercard, American Express etc.) do the account and device validation.

Is your bank receiving the account and device information from the PNO? If they aren’t, the likely cause is the PNO still has a fraud alert on your account and device information. Your bank’s support team will need to contact PNO and clear the fraud alerts.

Hi, if you read my post I explain what a PNO is. PNO’s are non-banks that operate the networks over which payments/funds move between merchants and card issuers. They are Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover in the US.

When you attempt to add a card to your Apple Wallet, the encrypted data is first sent to the PNO. If they approve, they send the data to the issuing bank and if they approve the data is sent to a Token Service Provider. The TAP decrypts the data and turns it into a dynamic payment token and sends it to Apple. When Apple receives the token they send it to your device.

If the bank is not receiving the data from the PNO, then the PNO is blocking your request. Ask the bank if they’re receiving the data from PNO. That will tell you where the issue is.

Your first sentence in your first post says fraud was identified on your account. The PNO probably still has a fraud alert on your Watch, but cleared the iPhone.

Your question in regard to security requirements is both devices have basically the same security requirements. The difference is in the implementation of biometric authentication. Your iPhone uses Face ID, your Watch requires contact with your skin/wrist. Other than the authentication method, security requirements are identical.

The fact that you can’t add the card by using the bank app indicates it’s very unlikely an Apple issue. Your request is sent to bank for approval and then they send to PNO. It sounds to me like VISA is blocking your card.

So, your banks support team needs to contact Visa and find out why they are blocking your card. Visa approves it first then sends to bank for final approval. One of the two is blocking your card(s).

Every credit card or debit card uses a PNO. What network issued the card you want to add to your Wallet? Is the card issued by Interac, Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover? What PNO’s symbol is on your card?