Why does Apple Pay asking for my Social Security Number?

What do you mean by “using Apple Pay for years”? Apple Pay is not and has never been a payment method and you simply cannot send money to someone with it. Apple Pay is not a credit card or bank account, it is the contactless NFC technology. You can add credit and debit cards to your Wallet and use tap-to-pay to purchase or pay a bill.

So what app have you been using to send money to someone? The Apple Cash Card is what you use to send money to friends or acquaintances , similar to Venmo and others.

Apple Cash is managed by Green Dot Bank and is subject to their terms and conditions. It is Green Dot Bank that is asking for your SS#, not Apple.

Contact an Apple Cash specialist at Green Dot Bank for help.

https://www.greendot.com

Once you reach a certain threshold in Apple Cash transactions, you will need to verify your identity and this can include your SS#. Banks must abide by the Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations mandated by Congress and in this case the request is for GreenDot Bank that manages the Apple Cash card. The documentation must be for the owner of the Apple Account used on the device. Attempts to use documentation that is different from the Apple Account owner will likely lead to a disabled/locked Apple Cash card.

Verify your identity for Apple Card or Apple Cash - Apple Support

Apple is not asking for you Social Security Number. Green Dot Bank is asking for it. Apple is not a bank. Green Dot Bank will ask for your SSN when Federal banking regulations or anti-fraud measures mandate positive identification of account owners. Green Dot uses industry standard security to safeguard both personal and financial information.

Apple Cash is serviced and issued by Green Dot Bank. Please contact an Apple Cash Specialist at Green Dot Bank. 

Contact Green Dot Bank:

• by calling (877) 233-8552,
• by mail for disputes at P.O. Box 9, West Chester, Ohio,
• by mail for general customer service at P.O. Box 1070, West Chester, Ohio 45071,
• visit www.greendot.com

https://applecash.greendot.com/termsconditions/

Apple states clearly that you can expect the verification prompt. Hopefully you and your husband are not sharing the same Apple Account, but in any case positive identification of the Account Owner is required by Government Regulations through the US Patriot Act.

• When you use Apple Cash, you might be prompted to verify your identity again, even if you have previously done so.

Verify your identity for Apple Card or Apple Cash - Apple Support

More information about the limits is available in the Terms for Apple Cash and the information that may be needed once it has been registered to increase these limits and aggregate totals:

•  If we have not verified your identity to register the Apple Cash Account, your Apple Cash Balance may not, in one or more transactions, (i) send more than $500 or (ii) receive more than $500 from P2P Transfers or by adding funds with a Supported Payment Card. Commencing on October 4, 2024 and on a rolling basis, we will also start requiring that users verify their identity to send, in one or more transactions, more than $500 in P2P Transfers (whether sending from the Apple Cash Balance, a Supported Payment Card, or a combination thereof), and all prior P2P send transfers will count toward this limit.
• If we verify your identity, your Apple Cash Account and, as a result, your Apple Cash Balance, will be registered to you. We will ask for at least the last four digits of your Social Security number, and we may ask for the full nine digits of your Social Security number, to identify you when you register your Apple Cash Account.
• Your Apple Cash Account may not be subject to certain protections unless you register it. For example, unless you register your Apple Cash Account, we may not research or resolve errors regarding your Apple Cash Account, and the money in your Apple Cash Balance will not be eligible for FDIC insurance.

https://applecash.greendot.com/termsconditions/#tandc

Goldngophr wrote:

This is happening to me as well. The threshold explanation doesn't make any sense as my husband sends far more Apple Cash to our kids than I do and he would have hit that threshold a while ago. I am the only one in our family that cannot leverage Apple Cash to send or fulfill requests. This is a recent development, after using it for years.

For those questioning the validity of this, and declaring Apple would never, this is what is being asked.

You reside in the United States.

Per US law, non-trivial* financial transfers are monitored and tracked.

This mandated monitoring requires participants in transactions to provide one of the national taxpayer identity numbers; your Social Security Number (SSN), Employer Identification Number (EIN), Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number (ATIN), and probably some other ID numbers.

If you choose to not provide the information, you will be “de-risked” or “de-banked”; will not have access to electronic transfers with that financial provider. Without having provided identification, you’re too much risk for the financial provider to deal with.

See the section 2. REQUIRED PERSONAL INFORMATION here:

• https://applecash.greendot.com/termsconditions/#tandc

*Details and thresholds will undoubtedly vary, but the US IRS often uses $600 as the threshold for filing and tracking financial transfers.

All federal banks (if you want FDIC Insurance, it’s a federal bank) must comply with current federal banking regulation enacted in the 1970’s and strengthen after 9/11 by the Patriot Act. These laws and regulations are known collectively as Know Your Customers and Know Your Customer’s Customer (KYC ands KYCC laws). Apple is not a bank and has no say in this matter. Any federally regulation bank (including Credit Unions and S&L) must follow these regulations. Here is what Green Dot Bank (Apple Cash prepaid card issuer and servicer) says about this.

Why is positive ID required?

The Patriot Act requires that lenders, banks etc obtain a confirmed ID.

“To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. What this means for you: When you open an account, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask to see your driver's license or other identifying documents.”

Identity verification for Apple Card or Apple Cash

https://applecash.greendot.com/termsconditions/

Why is positive ID required?

The Patriot Act requires that lenders, banks etc obtain a confirmed ID.

Verify your identity for Apple Card or Apple Cash - Apple Support

“To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. What this means for you: When you open an account, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask to see your driver's license or other identifying documents.”

Contact Green Dot Bank:

• by calling (877) 233-8552,
• by mail for disputes at P.O. Box 9, West Chester, Ohio,
• by mail for general customer service at P.O. Box 1070, West Chester, Ohio 45071,
• visit www.greendot.com

https://applecash.greendot.com/termsconditions/

Dimples777 wrote:

I have been using Apple Pay for years now. But now it won’t let me send money without verifying my identity. Which is fine. But why is it asking for my social security number?

Because in the US, most everything financial-related is tied to a national identity number; to your SSN, EIN, ITIN, or whatever other tracking number is appropriate for the case. This for financial accounts, and financial transfers larger than a fairly minimal value.

Among other regulations involved:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Act#Title_III:_Anti-money-laundering_to_prevent_terrorism

Goldngophr wrote:

I had previously registered my Apple Cash account when I set up Apple Pay a few years ago, but do understand it may be requested to be verified but for what reason?

Unfortunately the reason is not given. In some cases, even if the bank had a reason they could not tell you what it is. This is because of the Bank Secrecy Act and also amended by the US Patriot Act that regulates banks and imposes severe penalties/prison sentences on any disclosures to you if it is due to a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR). They can't even tell you if a SAR has been filed and it may not even be due to activity on your part, but may be an investigation to another party in a transaction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_Secrecy_Act

The T&C refers to the aggregate total of all transactions, where the $500 threshold has been reached to require identity verification and the posted Support Article by Apple says that you may need to provide verification even if you have done so previously. That really is all we know for sure.

AimeePhil wrote:

Apple won’t let me send $100 without this verification

Correct, it is actually GreenDot Bank where the verification is required for banking transactions. It is called the Know Your Customers (KYC) laws passed by congress for banking regulations. If you want to use the service, you will need to provide verification.

AimeePhil wrote:

Apple won’t let me send $100 without this verification

Green Dot Bank would prefer to avoid the risk of participating in what could be found to be money laundering or terrorist funding, or denied parties, you mean.

All non-trivial financial transactions are tracked, per the USA PATRIOT Act, and the Bank Secrecy Act, among other financial and tax regulations, and anyone and any entities on the US Blocked, Denied, Entity and Debarred Persons Lists.

Which means you will need to identify yourself, if you want to transfer money.

Hello~ Also in addition to the excellent information provided by others…click on below and review.

Verify your identity for Apple Card or Apple Cash - Apple Support

~Katana-San~

pamove4me wrote:

Is your SS secure when apple asks for it when you try to use Apple Cash?

Yes!

Verify your identity for Apple Card or Apple Cash - Apple Support

Saegzz wrote:

I use Apple Cash on a somewhat regular basis. I’ve never been asked for my SSN

According to Mac Jim ID's post above, you need to reach a certain threshold. Or possibly trip some other "alarm bell." So, while it hasn't happened to you yet, it may in the future.