Yes. The single most important reason is to ensure you can check into your hotel. Many hotels still do not accept Apple Pay for the deposit payment despite accepting payment for the final bill via Apple Pay. For dining and shopping, it is increasingly rare in Asia to not accept Apple Pay or some QR-code based method.

Why isn't Apple Pay accepted?

While it feels like Apple Pay is accepted everywhere, the hotel industry is a unique beast. These are the most common responses I have heard during my hotel check-ins.

We do not accept Apple Pay

While this is plausible, the rise of digital payments combined with relatively low-cost credit card readers or POS systems makes this increasingly rare. These days it is also possible to have a software POS system run on your smartphone or tablet instead of on a dedicated hardware POS system.

We do not accept Apple Pay for deposits

You can usually use Apple Pay to pay for your room at checkout, but using it for the security deposit (the "incidental hold") at check-in is often a no-go. Here are the reasons why:

1. The "Guarantee" vs. "Payment" Problem

Apple Pay is designed for instant, one-time payments. Hotels, however, don't want to "take" your money immediately; they want a guarantee that they can charge you later if you raid the minibar or smoke in the room.

  • The Physical Advantage: When you swipe or dip a physical card, the hotel’s system captures a "token" that allows them to adjust the final bill upward or downward after you leave.
  • The Apple Pay Limitation: Because Apple Pay uses a Device Account Number (a unique, rotating token for security), some older hotel systems struggle to "re-authorize" or increase the amount on that specific token once the initial check-in session is over.

2. ID Verification and Fraud Prevention

Hotels are high-risk targets for fraud. Standard industry policy usually requires the name on the card to match the name on your ID.

  • Apple Pay hides your name and your actual 16-digit card number from the merchant.
  • Front desk agents are trained to visually verify that the person standing there owns the card being used. Since they can't "see" the name on a digital wallet, it creates a security hurdle they aren't authorized to jump over. However, some hotels will accept the risk that the person with the ID is the same owner as the phone and digital wallet, so they will accept the digital wallet (Apple Pay).

3. Legacy Technology

The hospitality industry is notorious for using "dinosaur" software. Many hotels use Property Management Systems (PMS) that were built long before mobile wallets existed.

  • Integrating Apple Pay for a simple "buy now" transaction is easy.
  • Integrating it so that it syncs with a room's "running tab" (for room service, spa treatments, etc.) requires expensive software and hardware upgrades that many franchises haven't invested in yet. You know this is true because you have surely seen hotels pull out folders of your paper bills during check-out, or don't have the latest charges from 5 minutes ago when you just paid the bill at the restaurant.

4. Difficulty with "Off-Stays"

If a guest trashes a room and leaves, the hotel needs a way to charge for damages.

  • With a physical card number on file, they have a reliable way to process a "no-show" or damage fee.
  • With Apple Pay, the "permission" to charge is often tied to your biometric (FaceID/TouchID). If the hotel needs to charge you $500 for a broken TV two hours after you’ve driven away, the digital token may no longer be valid for a new, unauthenticated transaction.

We require physical cards for deposits

This is mostly for some of the same reasons as "We do not accept Apple Pay for deposits".

If you are like me and have a physical credit card with your name on it but not the credit card number (for increased security), what will happen? I have seen 2 outcomes:

  1. They take the card and insert it into the reader (not tap to pay).
  2. They look at the physical card and ask you for the last 4 digits to confirm it's the same card you made the reservation on. I just show them the number on my phone using the credit card issuer's app. i.e. this is so the hotel can adjust the pre-authorized amount you made during the reservation. As the first outcome is possible, I think this second outcome is due to legacy technology and/or process.

We need the last 4 digits of your credit card

The is for the same reasons covered earlier. Primarily to verify they can adjust charges as needed. Does the card have to be physical? Probably not, but the staff have not been trained to accept the credit card on your phone even if you can display the digital version of the credit card with the number.

What about (Apple Pay) debit cards?

I would say the answer is NO. There are a few hurdles that need to be overcome.

1. Does the hotel accept a debit card instead of a credit card for deposits?

2. Does the hotel accept Apple Pay for deposits? i.e. do they require a physical card?

This has been my experience for hotel check-ins:

Physical or Apple Pay Credit or Debit Outcome
1 Physical credit success
1 Physical debit success
1 Apple Pay credit success
1 Apple Pay debit fail

Hotels are more than happy to take a debit card instead of credit for the deposit. If they do end up charging you, the hotel pays less fees for debit vs credit transactions. Assuming you don't rack up additional charges, it's more favorable for you to use a credit card instead of debit because the authorized amount is returned quicker on a credit card vs debit. Most hotels I have stayed at will inform you of this also.

Do I need to carry cash when traveling to these places in Asia?