6 ways to make the most out of your Apple Wallet

Apple Wallet is great for payment cards, but it does so much more once you get beyond the basics.

These days, you'll often hear the unmistakable chime of Apple Pay more than you see people pulling out their actual wallets to buy something. Apple has come a long way since rebranding Passbook to Apple Wallet with iOS 9 in 2015. More than a decade later, Apple Wallet is much more than a digital repository for boarding passes or movie tickets.

That's even more evident with the newest features found in iOS 27. While the latest software update includes some quality-of-life upgrades like making custom passes and splitting bills, you might have missed some of the tricks Apple Wallet already has. Beyond creating digital copies of your credit cards, we've compiled a list of ways to maximize what you get out of Apple Wallet. To check them out, open the Wallet app on your device and visit Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay .

Apple has regularly grown the list of companies that are compatible with Wallet, but this still doesn't cover everything. While third-party apps can work around this, in iOS 27, you're able to natively create custom passes for apps that don't already hook into Apple Wallet. This might include your gym's scan tag or a Costco membership, for example.

You can let Apple Intelligence figure it out by snapping a photo of your physical pass, or you can start with a template using the Standard , Membership or Event choices. Beyond registering the barcode or QR code for your custom pass, the new feature lets you add more info like names, dates, membership numbers or admission type. You can even customize each pass with different backgrounds and color schemes.

In classic Apple fashion, a third-party app category has been made obsolete with a new Wallet feature in iOS 27. With the latest update, Apple Wallet offers the ability to split a bill by simply looking at a receipt. No more opening up Splitwise or Tab; you can just take a picture of the receipt to settle a bill through Apple Cash.

It looks like Apple is keeping the bill splitting feature exclusive to Apple Cash, so it won't work with outside apps like PayPal or Venmo. Still, the feature factors in item quantities, tax and tips, while directly giving you an option to request payment or pay your part of the bill.

Traveling is always a stressful endeavor, especially when you're double-checking to make sure you have your passport on you every five minutes. As it turns out, you can skip all that dread with the help of Apple Wallet, which is able to create digital copies of an eligible driver's license or US passport. Currently, 15 US states and Puerto Rico support driver's licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet, while the US is the only participating country for virtual passports. Check Apple's Digital ID page to see if your state is on the list.