Apple Pay is the go-to payment method if you have an iPhone or Apple Watch. However, as good as Apple’s software experience is, it still isn’t immune to random bugs and glitches from time to time.

In this article, we’re looking at the “Apple Pay services are currently unavailable” error, its causes and what you can do to fix the problem.

---

What causes this Apple Pay service error?

Several different reasons can cause the ‘Apple Pay services are currently unavailable’ error; some of the most common ones are as follows:

• Network or regional restrictions.
• Outdated iOS version.
• VPN interference.
• Incorrect Apple ID information. 
• Internet issues. 
• Apple Pay outages.

Also read: iPhone calls going straight to voicemail: 9 Fixes

---

How to fix Apple Pay issue?

Here are 11 ways you can try to fix the ‘Apple Pay services are currently unavailable’ issue.

Restart your iPhone 

One of the first things you should do is try and restart your iPhone to see if that resolves the issue. Restarting your device can solve many seemingly random issues that would be tricky to debug.

---

Change the region

Apple Pay is still restricted to specific regions around the world. If you’re getting a service unavailable error when using Apple Pay, changing the region can help resolve the problem.

• Open your iPhone settings and tap General.
• Tap Language & Region.
• Select Region.
• Set the region to somewhere where Apple Pay is available, for example, the US or UK and tap Done.

Now restart your iPhone and Apple Pay should start working. 

---

Enable cellular data for Apple Wallet

Apple Wallet needs cellular data connectivity in order to work properly and it can impact Apple Pay as well. Here’s how you can fix this.

• Head over to iPhone settings and tap Cellular.
• Scroll down to Apple Wallet and enable the cellular slider.

Now relaunch the Apple Pay app and it should work without problems. 

Also read: Cannot access system storage in PS4: 5 Fixes

---

Disable VPN

VPN connections can mess up Apple Pay because of the service’s geo-restrictions. Try disabling your VPN to see if that gets Apple Pay working. 

• Open iPhone settings and tap General.
• Scroll down and tap VPN.
• Disable the Status slider.

Now try using Apple Pay again. 

---

Disable Adblocker

Just like VPN, adblockers can also interfere with Apple Pay connectivity. 

• Head over to the settings and tap Safari. 
• Go to Extensions.
• Disable all adblockers.

Now restart your phone and check if Apple Pay is working. 

---

Refresh PRL

If your phone’s PRL (Preferred Roaming List) is corrupt, it can mess up with Apple Pay’s connectivity and NFC features. Thankfully, refreshing PRL is rather easy. All you have to do is open your phone’s dialler and dial the following code. 

##873283#

Check if the ‘Apple Pay services are currently unavailable’ issue is resolved.

Also read: How to fix OpenGL error 1282?

---

Toggle Apply Pay Cash

Sometimes individual Apple Pay modules can interfere with the app’s functionality. Try disabling and reenabling Apple Pay Cash to see if that solves your problem. 

• Open your iPhone settings and head over to Wallet & Apple Pay. 
• Disable the Apple Pay Cash slider.
• Restart your phone.
• Follow steps one and two to reenable Apple Pay Cash. 

This should fix your Apple Pay problems. Do remember that you need to repeat this process on all Apple devices you want to use with Apple Pay. 

---

Re-add cards to Apple Pay

Sometimes just re-adding the problematic card to Apple Pay can help fix the problem. 

• Open your iPhone settings and head over to Wallet & Apple Pay. 
• Tap the problematic card followed by Remove this card.

Confirm the warning prompt and restart your iPhone. Once done, try adding the card again; it should start working fine. 

---

Check your Apple ID information

If your Apple ID information on the Apple website and your iPhone don’t match, it can cause conflicts with Apple Pay. Check to ensure that the information is consistent across both ends. 

Step 1: Head over to the Apple ID section of Apple’s website on a web browser and log in with your existing credentials. 

Step 2: Head over to the Personal Information tab and click Name.

Step 3: Remove any entry from the Middle Name field. 

Step 4: Move to the Payment Methods tab and click Manage Payment Method. Make sure all the information matches that on your phone. 

---

Log out and log in again to the Apple Cloud

This is a far-fetched shot, but sometimes logging out and logging back in again to your Apple Cloud can fix problems with Apple Pay. 

• Open iPhone settings and head over to iCloud.
• Tap Sign out. 
• iCloud will ask you if you want to keep your notes, Safari data and other information on your phone. Tap Delete from My iPhone.

Now, wait for some time before restarting your iPhone. Once done, log in to iCloud again and test Apple Pay. 

---

Factory reset your iPhone

Lastly, if nothing else works, you can try resetting your iPhone to check if that resolves the Apple Pay issue.  

• Head over to the settings and tap on General.
• On the next page, scroll down to the bottom and tap on Reset.
• On the next page, tap on the second option from the top Erase All Content and Settings.

Also read: Is 64GB enough for iPhone?