There are Apple Wallet hidden features sitting right under your nose that most people never bother to switch on, and a few of them will genuinely save you the next time your battery dies at the worst possible moment. Here is a proper rundown of the most useful ones, including a couple that are easy to miss in the settings menu.
Express Mode and the battery reserve trick worth knowing
Express Mode lets you use transit cards, passes, student IDs and compatible keys without waking your iPhone or authenticating with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode. The bit that catches people out is that these passes also work on a battery reserve, so you can still tap through a turnstile or unlock a door even if your iPhone is effectively dead.
According to iDownloadBlog, the Power Reserve feature on iPhone and Apple Watch extends further than just transit: it also keeps Apple Pay and Find My running after the battery runs low or the device is switched off. Worth knowing before you assume a flat phone means you are stranded.
To set it up, select the card or pass in Wallet, tap the three dots, then Card Details and Express Transit Settings or Express Mode. One thing to weigh up: because authentication is not required, anyone with physical access to your device could use those passes. A reasonable split is Express Mode for transit cards, biometrics kept on for anything more sensitive like door or car keys.
Generate a virtual card number for Apple Cash
Apple Pay is accepted in a lot of places now, but plenty of online checkouts and phone payments still do not support a direct Apple Pay transaction. The fix is to generate a virtual card number for your Apple Cash card, which lets you spend those funds while keeping your real card details hidden. Select your Apple Cash card in Wallet, tap the card icon at the top and authenticate. The three-digit security code changes each time you use AutoFill or access the card, so it is not sitting static waiting to be lifted.
Use Shortcuts to pull up the right card automatically
If you spread spending across multiple cards, one for groceries, another for petrol, a loyalty card for the coffee place near the office, Wallet can automatically suggest the right one based on your location. It runs through a custom automation in Shortcuts rather than anything built natively into Wallet itself.
In the Library tab, tap the + button, search for “Card” and select Open Card. Then go to Automation, tap +, select Arrive and add the location. Set when to run it, hit Next, then choose Open Card in Wallet, pick the card, and confirm. The same logic works for loyalty cards and membership passes, so the right one appears as soon as you walk through the door.
Tap to Cash: splitting money without sharing your details
Most peer-to-peer payment apps need a username, phone number or email before you can send anything. Tap to Cash skips all of that. You hold two iPhones or Apple Watches together and the money transfers instantly, with no private contact information exchanged between either party. You need Apple Cash set up beforehand, then open Wallet, tap your Apple Cash card, and select Send or Request followed by Tap to Cash. Enter the amount, tap Next, double-click the side button to confirm, and hold your device up to the other person’s.
Apple Wallet hidden features for keys and digital IDs
Wallet can store home keys, hotel room keys, car keys and scooter keys. Car and scooter keys can be shared with other people, and you can set custom permissions when you do: restrict the recipient from resharing the key, and depending on the manufacturer, apply limits on things like speed or radio volume. Tap the key in Wallet, select Share, set the permissions and choose how to send it, Messages, Mail, WhatsApp and AirDrop all work.
On the ID side, you can now add a driver’s licence, state ID or passport to Wallet and use your iPhone in place of the physical document to verify your identity. In practice it is most useful at TSA checkpoints, though only a small number of US states currently have compatibility. Some entertainment venues and in-app verifications also accept it. Tap the + sign in Wallet, select Driver’s Licence and ID Cards, and follow the prompts.
Order tracking, Mac payments and auditing your subscriptions
Wallet doubles as an order tracker for purchases made with Apple Pay. Enable it under Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay > Order Tracking, then find your shipments by tapping the three dots in any card and selecting Orders. There is also a separate beta toggle for an Apple Intelligence and Siri feature that pulls order updates from Mail directly into Wallet.
If you use a Mac with a docked or closed laptop, or an older device without built-in biometrics, you can authenticate Apple Pay from your iPhone or Apple Watch by enabling Allow Payments on Mac under Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay. And if subscriptions are getting away from you, tap the three dots in Wallet and select Preauthorized Payments to see every merchant charging you through Apple Pay. You can revoke payment tokens from there, though Apple is clear that doing so does not cancel the underlying subscription, you still need to go directly to the merchant for that.
Convert physical cards and what is coming next
For loyalty cards and membership passes that have not integrated natively with Wallet, third-party apps like MakePass and Pass2U Wallet can scan and import them. iOS 27 is set to add a native Create a Pass feature powered by Apple Intelligence, which will handle this without needing a third-party app at all. When that lands, the case for carrying a physical loyalty card gets even weaker.
