Follow up question, is there anything like they pay apps but backed by a crypto wallet? I.e. something accepted like X Pay, but pulled from Monero? Answer from spanklecakes on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/applewallet › apple pay vs google pay: which is more secure? 🔐
r/AppleWallet on Reddit: Apple Pay vs Google Pay: Which is More Secure? 🔐
July 11, 2025 -

Came across this great visual breakdown comparing how Apple Pay and Google Pay handle credit card info. Apple uses on-device chip storage and creates a Device Account Number (DAN), while Google stores payment tokens via its servers. Curious—what do you all think is more secure, and why?

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/privacyguides › is apple pay better than google pay for privacy and security?
r/PrivacyGuides on Reddit: Is Apple Pay better than Google Pay for privacy and security?
May 22, 2022 -

I’ve heard both are more secure than using the card by itself because they don’t share your real card number to the merchant, but I want to know which one I should use in the first place from the perspective of someone who cares about privacy and security. Apple Pay seems to be in more apps, and Apple is generally better in terms of privacy. I do have an old iPhone SE 2016 that I can carry around if Apple Pay is really the better alternative or if I decide to move away from the stock ROM on my Pixel 5 (Google Pay won’t work on GrapheneOS or other custom ROMs). My main question is, is there a benefit to using one platform over another in terms of privacy and security, and is it worth carrying an iPhone around if Apple Pay is really the better option? Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a good one!

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/privacy › privacy benefits and tradeoffs while using apple pay, google pay, etc.
r/privacy on Reddit: Privacy Benefits and Tradeoffs while using Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.
June 17, 2025 -

My understanding is that when you load your credit card into a digital wallet like Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc., it will create a virtual credit card number, and it is this virtual credit card number that is given to merchants, not your real credit card number. Somehow that virtual credit card number will eventually map down to your real credit card at your bank, but the merchant itself will not see your real credit card number.

In addition, my understanding is that if you remove the card from your digital wallet, and re-add the card back to the same digital wallet, you will get a brand new virtual credit card number.

It seems to me that there may be a privacy use case here.

If you have to buy something in person, and do not want your credit card data to be correlated with other purchases made, you could use a digital wallet.

Of course, now the digital wallet is able to correlate all the purchases you made.

I've never tried one of these digital wallets. Does it have any CYK rules? Can you sign up with any fake name and address?

If so, you could simply load virtual credit cards into your digit wallet which you signed up for with a fake name. It seems like this would be stronger than not using a digital wallet.

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The short version is that it's a 100% gain in security and (modestly) privacy with absolutely no downside at all. It's pure upside with no trade-offs. Somehow that virtual credit card number will eventually map down to your real credit card at your bank When you set up your card in Apple Pay (sticking with Apple for my example for simiplicity but the other systems that came out after largely work the same way), your bank provisions an additional card number for the same account. It's similar to asking the bank for an authorized user card: multiple cards all associated with the same underlying account. The Apple Pay card number is, in EMV terminology, a payment token. The card network (such as Visa) maintains a token vault that maps all of the tokens back to their respective Primary Account Number (PAN, the number printed on your card). If you have to buy something in person, and do not want your credit card data to be correlated with other purchases made, you could use a digital wallet. In many cases, yes, it works exactly like this. However, if the merchant really wants to tie transactions together, they can go a step further. The card networks have an API for something called the Payment Account Reference (PAR), which is a really long alphanumeric identifier that has a one-to-one relationship with the PAN, but unlike the PAN, it's not actually a card number so you can't use it for transactions. If you give a merchant a PAN, they can send it to the card network and request the corresponding PAR. If you give the merchant a token, they can request its PAR. Every token issued for a PAN will all map back to the same PAR. You can't use a PAR to look up the PAN or other tokens issued from the network, but if a customer has used two different card numbers that are both actually the same account, they'll both have the same PAR and if the merchant has specifically looked up the PAR for each, they'll be able to recognize these as actually the same account. There are entirely legitimate, customer-friendly reasons for the PAR to exist. Implemented properly, they allow for receipt lookup across devices/tokens and physical cards. For example, if you upgraded your iPhone last week and want to try to do a receipt lookup for a return you're making for something you bought last week with Apple Pay, the token will be different and won't find the transaction, but if the merchant finds the PAR for your new iPhone and already saved the PAR for the token for the same card on your old iPhone, they'll be able to find your prior transaction. It's also used for transit agencies that accept tapping your card. There's no way to see your full Apple Pay number on your device, but if you enter your physical card number, the agency can also show you your transaction history for Apple Pay transactions, or even a combination of Apple Pay and Google Pay transactions over the years if you changed OSes. Of course, now the digital wallet is able to correlate all the purchases you made. It cannot, actually. Apple itself has no record of your individual purchases. Your phone has a local history, but when you tap, Apple isn't even involved in the transaction at all. Your payment goes through the exact same parties as using the physical card. Does it have any CYK rules? The wallet just holds your cards issued by actual banks, which are subject to KYC regulations.
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99.9% of merchants never see your credit card number regardless of Google or Apple play. So there's really no benefit at all. Now, let's see about privacy problems (not tradeoffs, since there are no benefits). Without Google/Apple pay, your bank tracks your purchases. When you invovle Apple/Google, both track your purchases (in addition to banks). Case closed.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/androidquestions › google pay vs apple pay
r/AndroidQuestions on Reddit: Google pay vs Apple Pay
November 12, 2023 -

I really want to switch to an android from Apple however one key thing that I’m worried about is switching from Apple Pay to google pay. I NEVER carry cards and only ever use Apple Pay and it works flawlessly I also use the travel feature for the tube (on my Apple watch but I will probably get an android smart watch as well).

Is google pay also fool proof as Apple Pay seems to be? I almost bought the phone I wanted but remembered this key detail. I’m sure it does but just in case does it support large purchases?

I use both a debit card and credit card on Apple Pay. I’m in the UK so I don’t care about the “sending money” side of it as we just use bank transfers.

Thank you for any help!

Find elsewhere
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/privacy › is it worse to use google pay, or to use a bank card?
r/privacy on Reddit: Is it worse to use Google Pay, or to use a bank card?
September 11, 2024 -

Which of the two reveals more data about your purchases, or makes it likelier that third parties will acquire your data?

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Ik what sub I'm in. But people need to differentiate between Privacy, anonymity & security. Google & Apple are insanely good at security. I'd simply blindly trust them, as I'd only have to deal with OpSec. As for privacy, your bank would obviously know what you are doing. If you use Google pay, so will they so they can enhance security. Your govt cards like drivers license & tax returns also know your income and so forth. Yes, lesser privacy & lower anonymity. Also, google takes cuts, which I dislike. But in terms of security, which is what a lot of people should be caring about. Google and Apple are definitely safe ways to go for it. Use Google Pay. You DO NOT have to be someone who is OFF THE GRID. But rather someone who isn't PURELY reliant on Big Tech. Google is mostly ad based, if they were to sell your bank purchases and details. The bank would be sueing them immediately. Third party audits would screw them. And so would the people (if they were tech literate enough to know) However, Google Pay does help for an EcoSystem. Which is why it is exists. Same with Android & VSC & chromium, both open source but exist purely to dominate in the EcoSystem. Google Pay's purpose isn't for ad revenue, but for completeness for a mobile experience EcoSystem and to increase user dependency & ease of use. Use Google pay for its security. Especially with Bank Details. You others for anything else.
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i feel like inserting another party into your payment chain is probably worse for privacy, especially considering that it's google
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WaFd Bank
wafdbank.com › articles › security-privacy › google-pay-apple-pay-safety-debit-cards
How Safe Is It to Add Your Debit Card to Apple Pay & Google Pay | WaFd Bank
Also, Apple Pay doesn't share any ... More on all of this below! Yes, it is. Google Pay is considered safer to use than a physical card because it requires a PIN to make purchases....
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/privacy › what’s actually safer when paying by credit card: using the physical card (either by swiping or chip with touch) apple, or google pay?
What’s actually safer when paying by credit card: using the physical card (either by swiping or chip with touch) Apple, or Google pay? : r/privacy
February 8, 2024 - I would personally compare the data collected by Google vs. Apple, as well as what they do/do not store and make an informed decision. ... Safer privacy wise? Cash, prepaid debit, crypto, virtual (shielded) card in rough order. ... im getting away from CC. I buy then im always shocked when I see the charges how much I spent. people have tons and tons of debt of cc. youre paying a loan for life.
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Bitdefender
bitdefender.com › en-us › blog › hotforsecurity › apple-pay-or-google-wallet-whats-the-safest-way-to-pay
Apple Pay or Google Wallet - What`s the Safest Way to Pay?
But while Google allows app sharing, file sharing and other phone-to-phone interactions with NFC, Apple has locked the use of NFC on its devices to only work with mobile payments. ... Apple has introduced an arsenal of weapons to fight off hackers, combining technologies such as NFC, EMV, Touch ID and Secure Element. But the result hasn’t been actually proven safer, because the service has not been released yet.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/android › apple pay vs google pay: how do they handle sensitive card info?
r/Android on Reddit: Apple Pay vs Google Pay: How Do They Handle Sensitive Card Info?
October 9, 2021 - You're literally doing more with than me lol so yeah it's making your life harder than mine. ... this seems a bit paranoid, but afaik, adding a card to Apple Pay doesn’t send any information to apple’s servers and all the processing when doing a transaction is done by mastercard/visa/whoever and your bank.
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How-To Geek
howtogeek.com › home › android › are apple pay and google pay more secure than credit cards?
Are Apple Pay and Google Pay More Secure Than Credit Cards?
March 14, 2024 - Apple Pay does not store your full ... data (which is unlikely), your card number can’t be stolen. Google Pay encrypts all the card data stored on their servers....
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/creditcards › apple pay vs google pay vs paypal
r/CreditCards on Reddit: Apple Pay vs Google Pay vs Paypal
September 29, 2020 -

Hi all,

I'm new to internet shopping and I've become aware that entering your physical cc details can be risky, which is why I am opting for electronic payment. However I am unsure which service to choose out of Apple Pay, Google Pay and Paypal.

I will only be using the service for online shopping. I prioritise security, a supportive service that won't freeze/ become unresponsive etc. and won't charge fees for buying.

Out of the many reviews and articles I have read, I am looking to go with Apple Pay. As a second opinion, I was wondering if you guys can confirm if Apple Pay is the way to go.

Thanks.

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/banking › is google pay safe to use?
is google pay safe to use? : r/Banking
April 26, 2023 - No but I use Apple Pay almost exclusively. Continue this thread Continue this thread ... Google pay is safe to use. In fact, it's better than contactless cards or swiping