Apple requires verification for every website that offers Apple Pay before the button can appear. Use Apple Pay Domain Verification in Settings to register each website where your giving forms are embedded. Complete the wizard once per website.

Important: This feature is rolling out gradually. It will begin with customers who do not use one of our website products (such as Sharefaith, E360, Amplify Website, and Clover). You will know when this feature is available to you when you see the Apple Pay Domain Verification card on the Settings page.

What Domain Verification Is

Domain verification registers your website with Apple, allowing Apple Pay as a payment method on giving forms embedded on your site. 

Why You Need to Verify Your Domain

When you embed a giving form on your website, Apple treats your website, not us, as the place where the payment is offered. Apple allows Apple Pay only on verified websites, so you must register your domain before you can use Apple Pay on your site.

You do this once per website. Once you verify a domain, every embedded giving form on that site can accept Apple Pay.

What You Need Before You Start

• Time: 10 to 15 minutes.
• Frequency: once per website.
• Help needed: a person with access to upload a file to your web server.

Gather these three things:

• Your website address: the full address of the site where your giving form is embedded, starting with https://, for example https://yourchurch.org. If your forms are embedded on more than one site, list them all.
• Admin access to Giving: you run the wizard from your Giving admin. Master admin has these permissions by default. If you don't have master admin access, you need Apple Pay Domain Verification permissions (Gear icon > Managers > Update > Organization > Apple Pay Domain Verification) to run through the process.
• Someone who can upload a file to your website: one step asks you to upload a file. If you do not manage the site yourself, loop in your IT team, web volunteer, or hosting provider before you begin.

Verify Your Domain

Open Apple Pay Domain Verification

1. At the top-right corner of the screen, click the gear icon.

2. Click the Apple Pay Domain Verification tile.

   

3. Click the Start Domain Verification button.

1. Add Your Domain

1. Enter the website where your giving form is embedded in the Domain URL field. This field is required. Type the full address starting with https://, and use the website address itself, not the giving form address.
2. Enter a note in Description. This field is optional, but worth filling in. If you verify several websites, a note such as "Main church site" or "Youth campus microsite" makes the list far easier to read later.
3. Click the Continue button.
   

2. Download and Upload the Verification File

Important: Wait until the file is live on your website before you submit for verification. Apple cannot confirm a file it cannot reach.

1. Click Download File to get Apple's verification file. 
2. Upload the file to the website's .well-known folder. Do not rename it or add a file extension. The file name is apple-developer-merchantid-domain-association, with no .txt or .json at the end, and that is correct.
3. Open https://your-domain/.well-known/apple-developer-merchantid-domain-association in a browser, using your own domain in place of your-domain, and confirm the file loads.

4. Click the Continue button.

   

Important: If that address returns a "not found" error, verification will fail. Sort it out before moving on.

Note: If someone else manages your website, forward them the downloaded file along with the upload and confirmation instructions above.

3. Submit for Verification

1. Review the domain and description on screen. Check the domain for typos, because the file must live at the exact address you entered.

2. Click the Submit for Verification button.

   

Note: Submitting before the upload is finished risks a Failed result and a second trip through this screen.

Check the Status on the Domains Tab

The Domains tab lists every website you submitted, along with its status and verification date. Use this to confirm everything worked and to return later to add sites.

• Verified: Apple Pay is enabled. Donors using a supported Apple device now see the Apple Pay button on forms embedded on that site.
• Failed: Apple could not verify the file. Follow the troubleshooting steps in this article, then resubmit.

Use the pencil icon to edit a domain, the trash icon to remove one, and the search box to find a specific site once your list grows.

Add Another Website Later

1. Click Add Another Domain on the Domains tab.
2. Run through the same steps for the new website.

Note: Download the verification file from that domain's setup to make sure you are uploading the right file to the right site. You cannot reuse files. 

Troubleshoot Verification Problems

A Domain Shows Failed

Almost always, the verification file could not be reached. Work down this list of possible causes, then submit again.

• The file is in the .well-known folder rather than the website's hosting root.
• The file was renamed, or your computer added an extension when downloading it.
• The address you entered does not match where the file actually lives. Check www versus no www.
• The site is not served over https://.
• Your host blocks the /.well-known/ folder. Your hosting provider can enable it.

Donors Do Not See Apple Pay

• Apple Pay only appears on Apple devices with a card already set up in Wallet. Some third-party browsers on Apple devices require recent software versions (iOS, iPadOS, macOS). 
• Confirm the form in question is embedded on the domain you verified, not a different one.
• A small number of website builders block Apple Pay on embedded content through iFrame or cross-domain restrictions. If everything else checks out, contact support. We can tell you whether your platform is affected.

Why We Cannot Register It for You

Apple's process requires the site owner to complete it, so we cannot finish it on your behalf. We can walk you through any step; reach out to support.

What Verification Covers

• One time per website: verify a website once, and Apple Pay stays on for embedded forms.
• Each website is separate: a main site and a campus microsite may be two domains, and each needs its own verification.
• Apple Pay only: this wizard covers Apple Pay. Other wallets, including Google Pay, are not included.
• Forms hosted by Ministry Brands keep working: if your giving forms live on the Ministry Brands-hosted address, Apple Pay already works there and nothing changes. This setup is only for organizations that want Apple Pay on forms embedded in their own website.

Updated October 22, 2026 12:29