# Onboard Digital Wallets (Playbook)
Source: https://paymentsandrisk.com/docs/playbooks/onboard-digital-wallets

Last updated 23 October 2026.

TL;DR

-   Apple Pay and Google Pay should be your first payment optimization project. They remove card entry. Compare approvals, fraud losses and completed purchases with your baseline, and confirm your processing cost
-   Most processors (Stripe, Braintree, Adyen) have wallet support built in - enabling it takes hours, not weeks, if you're already on their platform
-   Apple Pay requires domain verification and an Apple Pay merchant identifier. Google Pay is a lighter setup, but don't launch it without testing on a real Android device
-   Watch the wallet payment mix after launch. Track eligible devices, button visibility and completed purchases; low adoption alone doesn't tell you the cause

Apple Pay and Google Pay let customers pay without typing card details. Test them on the devices your customers use, then compare approvals, completed purchases and fraud losses with your baseline. This playbook gets you live in 2-4 weeks.

_Timeline: 2-4 weeks, or faster if there's a dashboard toggle at your processor._

## Workflow Overview

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    A[<b>WEEK 1</b><br/>Processor Setup] --> B[<b>WEEK 2</b><br/>Integration] --> C[<b>WEEK 3</b><br/>Testing] --> D[<b>WEEK 4</b><br/>Launch]

    style A fill:#3d5a80,color:#fff
    style B fill:#5e4b8b,color:#fff
    style C fill:#9a5b00,color:#fff
    style D fill:#1f6f4a,color:#fff
```

| Phase | Key Tasks |
| --- | --- |
| **Processor Setup** | Confirm wallet support, Apple Pay Merchant ID, Google Pay console access |
| **Integration** | Hosted or custom checkout, Apple Pay + Google Pay code |
| **Testing** | Test matrix (iOS, Android, desktop), all devices, refund flows |
| **Launch** | Enable production, track metrics (auth, fraud, conversion), optimize placement |

You'll need a processor account that supports digital wallets, access to your gateway dashboard, an Apple Developer account for Apple Pay, Google Pay Business Console access for Google Pay, and either developer time or a gateway that handles the integration for you.

## Trigger Criteria

Use this playbook when:

-   You don't accept Apple Pay or Google Pay
-   Mobile conversion is below desktop
-   Auth rates on mobile are lagging
-   You want to reduce CNP fraud without adding friction

* * *

## Week 1: Processor Setup

### Step 1: Confirm Processor Support

| Processor | Apple Pay | Google Pay | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Stripe | Native | Native | Just enable in dashboard |
| Braintree | Native | Native | Minimal config needed |
| Adyen | Native | Native | Enable per merchant account |
| Worldpay | Supported | Supported | May need separate enrollment |
| First Data | Supported | Supported | Check terminal compatibility |

**Checkpoint:** Processor confirms wallet support is enabled on your account.

### Step 2: Apple Pay Merchant ID

1.  Log into Apple Developer account
2.  Create Merchant ID (Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles)
3.  Generate Payment Processing Certificate
4.  Upload certificate to processor/gateway
5.  Domain verification (add file to /.well-known/)

**Checkpoint:** Apple Pay Merchant ID active, domain verified.

### Step 3: Google Pay Setup

1.  Register in Google Pay Business Console
2.  Request production access
3.  Configure merchant info (name, country)
4.  No certificate required (easier than Apple Pay)

**Checkpoint:** Google Pay production access approved.

* * *

## Week 2: Integration

### For Hosted Checkouts (Stripe Checkout, PayPal, etc.)

Most hosted checkouts auto-enable wallets. Verify:

1.  Check your checkout config
2.  Enable Apple Pay / Google Pay toggles
3.  Test on iOS (Apple Pay) and Android (Google Pay)

**Checkpoint:** Wallet buttons appear on mobile checkout.

### For Custom Checkout

If you're building a custom checkout (not using hosted checkout), your developer will need to:

#### Apple Pay Integration

1.  Check if Apple Pay is available on the customer's device
2.  Show the Apple Pay button only when supported
3.  Configure supported networks (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)
4.  Handle the payment response and send to your processor

**What to tell your developer:** "Use the Apple Pay JS API. Our processor has documentation and test cards."

#### Google Pay Integration

1.  Initialize the Google Pay client for production
2.  Check if Google Pay is ready to pay
3.  Configure allowed card networks and auth methods
4.  Connect to your payment gateway for tokenization

**What to tell your developer:** "Use the Google Pay API. Configure it with our processor's gateway ID."

**Checkpoint:** Wallet buttons appear; test transactions succeed in sandbox.

* * *

## Week 3: Testing

### Test Matrix

| Scenario | Apple Pay | Google Pay |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Safari iOS | Test | N/A |
| Chrome iOS | N/A | Test |
| Safari macOS (Touch ID) | Test | N/A |
| Chrome Android | N/A | Test |
| Chrome Desktop (with phone) | N/A | Test |

### Test Cases

-   [ ]  Successful payment on iOS device
-   [ ]  Successful payment on Android device
-   [ ]  Payment with saved card in wallet
-   [ ]  Refund processes correctly
-   [ ]  Wallet shows in transaction details
-   [ ]  Auth rate tracking captures wallet type

**Checkpoint:** All test cases pass in production with real cards.

* * *

## Week 4: Launch and Monitor

### Step 1: Enable in Production

1.  Remove feature flags / enable for all users
2.  Ensure buttons appear on mobile and desktop (where supported)
3.  Monitor error logs for first 24 hours

### Step 2: Track Metrics

Set up reporting on matched country, device and new/returning customer segments. Compare with the pre-launch baseline or a control:

| Metric | Card Entry | Apple Pay | Google Pay |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Auth rate | Record baseline | Measure change | Measure change |
| Fraud rate | Record baseline | Measure change after losses mature | Measure change after losses mature |
| Checkout conversion | Record baseline | Measure change | Measure change |

### Step 3: Optimize Placement

Best practices for wallet buttons:

-   Above the fold on checkout
-   Before card entry form (not hidden below)
-   Equal visual weight to card option
-   On product pages for express checkout (optional)

**Checkpoint:** Wallets live in production; metrics tracking enabled.

* * *

## Success Criteria

You're done when:

-   [ ]  Apple Pay and Google Pay both accepting live transactions
-   [ ]  Auth results compared with a matched baseline or control
-   [ ]  Mobile conversion stable or improved on the same device and customer segments
-   [ ]  Fraud losses, fees and support tickets checked before keeping the change

* * *

## Scale Callout

| Volume | Considerations |
| --- | --- |
| **Under $100k/mo** | Hosted checkout with wallet support is fastest path; prioritize this over custom integration |
| **$100k-$1M/mo** | Track wallet adoption rate; A/B test button placement; ensure both iOS and Android covered |
| **Over $1M/mo** | Wallet-specific auth analysis; push wallets in marketing; consider express checkout on PDPs |

* * *

## Where This Breaks

-   **Processor doesn't support wallets.** Switch processors or use third-party tokenization.
-   **Apple domain verification fails.** Check .well-known file is accessible; no redirects.
-   **Low adoption after launch.** Check device eligibility, button visibility and errors. A/B test position and size.
-   **Auth rate same as cards.** Compare fraud losses, conversion and fees before deciding whether the wallets pay for themselves.
-   **Desktop Safari users confused.** Requires Touch ID Mac or iPhone nearby; consider tooltip.

* * *

## Next Steps

After wallets are live:

1.  **Track adoption rate**: What % of customers use wallets? Set targets for growth
2.  **A/B test placement**: Experiment with button position and size to drive adoption
3.  **Add express checkout**: Consider wallet buttons on product pages for one-click purchase
4.  **Measure fraud impact**: Compare fraud rates between wallet and card-entry transactions
5.  **Enable PayPal/Venmo**: If not already, consider additional wallet options

* * *

## Related

-   [Auth Optimization](https://paymentsandrisk.com/docs/payments/auth-optimization/) - Improving approval rates
-   [EMV & Contactless](https://paymentsandrisk.com/docs/fraud/prevention/emv-contactless/) - Tokenized payments security
-   [Benchmarks](https://paymentsandrisk.com/docs/reference/benchmarks/) - Industry wallet adoption
-   [Digital Wallets](https://paymentsandrisk.com/docs/payments/payment-methods/digital-wallets/) - Wallet fundamentals
-   [Checkout Conversion](https://paymentsandrisk.com/docs/payments/checkout-conversion/) - Conversion optimization
-   [Fraud Prevention](https://paymentsandrisk.com/docs/fraud/prevention/) - Wallet fraud reduction
-   [Increase Auth Rates](https://paymentsandrisk.com/docs/playbooks/increase-auth-rates/) - Auth optimization playbook
-   [Processor Management](https://paymentsandrisk.com/docs/operations/processor-management/) - Processor wallet support
-   [3D Secure](https://paymentsandrisk.com/docs/fraud/prevention/3ds/) - Authentication interaction
-   [Cards](https://paymentsandrisk.com/docs/payments/payment-methods/cards/) - Card network fundamentals
-   [Payments Metrics](https://paymentsandrisk.com/docs/payments/metrics/) - Tracking wallet performance
-   [Payment Change Checklist](https://paymentsandrisk.com/docs/operations/change-checklist/) - Testing wallet integration