Apple Wallet Now Lets You Create Digital Copies of Your Physical Cards — But Some Places Won’t Accept Them

Apple Wallet can now turn your physical cards into digital ones, but the copies don’t always work. The feature launched with iOS 27, and it lets you scan physical cards, QR codes, and barcodes to create a digital version inside Apple Pay. That sounds like a win for anyone who carries multiple cards, but some users have found the digital versions fall short when they try to use them.

The problem is simple: not every business recognises the digital copy the way it recognises the original.

What Apple Wallet’s New Feature Actually Does

The new feature uses Apple’s Visual Intelligence to scan a physical card. You open the Wallet app, choose the ‘create a pass’ option, and let the AI read the card. The system then fits the details into a template, and you can customise the look and the purpose of the pass.

It is a clever shortcut for people who want to keep everything in one place. Instead of carrying a wallet full of plastic, you carry a phone with a digital version of each card. Gym memberships, airline tickets, loyalty cards, and event tickets all live inside the app.

CNET pointed out the feature’s existence, noting that it uses Apple’s Visual Intelligence to handle the scanning. The process is quick once you set it up, and the customisation options mean the digital card can look like the original.

Why Some Cards Work Better Than Others

The feature is not a universal fix. Some places stick to their own apps and ways of doing things, and Apple Wallet’s new passes do not override that. The result is that a digital card works fine at some businesses and fails at others.

One Redditor described a near-miss with Costco. “I tried that with the Costco membership,” they said. “They almost called a supervisor on me before I pulled out the actual membership card.”

Another user reported the same issue with a gym membership. “I used it for LA Fitness,” they said. “Cool feature but unfortunately not useful for certain places.” A third user added that Planet Fitness told them to use the app instead, calling it “So annoying.”

The pattern is consistent across the complaints: show the digital card, get told to pull out the physical one. The digital version exists, but the business does not trust it.

The Problem With Constantly Changing Codes

Some users have pointed out that the issues may stem from certain memberships running constantly changing codes in a bid to prevent hacking. That is a reasonable guess, though it remains unconfirmed. The feature is new, and it is unclear whether Apple will address these problems or leave them as a footnote.

What is clear is that the feature is not a replacement for every physical card. It is a convenience layer, not a standardised one.

How To Use The Feature Today

If you want to try it, the steps are straightforward. Open the Wallet app, find the ‘create a pass’ option, and scan the card you want to digitise. The AI does the rest, fitting the details into a template that you can then customise.

The setup is quick, and the payoff is a phone that holds everything you need. The catch is that you have to check whether a business accepts the digital version before you rely on it.

Here is a rough outline of the process:

1. Open the Wallet app on your iPhone.
2. Find the ‘create a pass’ option.
3. Scan the physical card, QR code, or barcode using the AI tool.
4. Customise the look and purpose of the pass.
5. Save the pass to your Wallet.

That is the whole workflow. Simple enough, but it assumes the business on the other end will accept it.

What Apple Has Not Said

Apple has not addressed the complaints directly. The company has not said which cards are guaranteed to work with the new feature, which is a notable omission. The feature is new, and it is unclear whether Apple will address the issues.

That lack of clarity leaves users in an awkward position. You can scan a card and store it, but you cannot know ahead of time whether the business will accept it.

The Verdict On Apple Wallet’s New Passes

The feature is a genuine improvement for people who want a single digital wallet. It consolidates multiple cards into one app, and the customisation means each pass can look distinct. For everyday use, it is a time-saver.

But the complaints suggest the feature has a real limitation. Some businesses will not accept the digital version, and users are finding that out the hard way. The feature is not a universal solution, and it may take time for Apple to address the issues.

The lesson is simple: test the digital card before you need it. Show it to a staff member at the business first, and see whether they recognise it. If they do, great. If they do not, you know to keep the physical card handy.

Apple’s new feature is a step forward, but it is not a finished product. The complaints show that the digital world has not fully caught up with the physical one yet. Until it does, the best advice is to keep both worlds in mind.

The feature is available with iOS 27. Give it a try, but do not assume it will work everywhere.

That is the whole workflow. Simple enough, but it assumes the business on the other end will accept it.

Source material: “Apple Wallet now lets you create custom digital cards from your physical ones,” Dexerto.

Apple Pay · Apple Wallet · digital cards · iOS 27 · new feature