It’s hard to imagine life without online shopping.
We’ve grown so accustomed to ordering everything from groceries and shoes to electronics and pet food with a few quick taps on our phones that it’s hard to imagine life “before.”
But while buying has become seamless, returning unwanted items has remained a pain point, certainly one of the biggest frustrations of the e-commerce experience. That’s true even on Amazon, the world’s largest e-commerce platform.
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Amazon (AMZN) has made returns easier over the years by no longer requiring packaging, for example, and by setting up return counters in Whole Foods stores, Kohl’s, and UPS stores, but you still have to pull up a QR code or email that could be buried in the app.
And that often leads to a familiar scene: customers standing in line, frantically refreshing their inbox or hunting for the right order number.
If you happened to be in a mall basement or UPS store where cell service is weak, returning an item can be downright maddening.
Amazon is now taking steps to fix the frustration by making its return codes compatible with Apple Wallet, eliminating one of the irritations for shoppers.
A new Apple Amazon integration will make online returns easier.
Image source: NurPhoto/Getty Images
Amazon adds Apple Wallet support
Amazon rolled out Apple Wallet integration for returns in July. After starting a return on the Amazon app or website, shoppers can now choose “Add to Apple Wallet.”
When iOS 26 rolls out in the fall, the Wallet app will also add support for order tracking with Amazon purchases.
According to the Apple announcement:
“Apple Wallet now uses Apple Intelligence to automatically identify, summarize, and display order tracking details from emails sent from merchants or delivery carriers. This works across all orders, giving users the ability to see their full order details, progress notifications, and more, all in one place.”
Once added, the code is stored in Wallet alongside credit cards, tickets, boarding passes, and loyalty programs.
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For returns, at a drop-off counter, customers will simply open Wallet and scan — no need to search for that elusive email, switch apps, or even be attached to the internet.
The offline capability is one of the most useful aspects of the update. Even without a signal, the Wallet-stored code remains accessible, solving one of the most common headaches shoppers faced.
The Amazon integration highlights a broader strategy at Apple. Wallet has primarily been used for payments and boarding passes, but is becoming a hub for everyday tasks.
Americans make a lot of purchases
The Apple (AAPL) update may seem minor, but it tackles a problem that costs retailers billions.
According to the National Retail Federation:
- U.S. consumers returned $890 billion worth of merchandise in 2024, according to the NRF.
- For every $1 billion in sales, around $145 million in merchandise is returned, according to Retail Dive.
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Amazon has long made returns easier than have many competitors, but the Apple Wallet feature shows how even small improvements can reduce friction and encourage customer loyalty.
The rollout has already generated buzz among Apple fans and Amazon customers. On Reddit’s Apple community, users were quick to praise the convenience.
One noted that Wallet removes the need for screenshots or last-minute email digging. Another emphasized the offline access: “No network connectivity is needed…With Wallet, it should just pop up as needed.”
The response suggests that what looks like a minor change could quickly become a must-use feature.
Why the new Apple Wallet Amazon experience matters for the two companies
For Amazon, the move keeps the return process as seamless as possible, reinforcing its reputation for customer-friendly policies. While returns remain costly, making them painless encourages customers to keep shopping without hesitation.
For Apple, the change is part of a push to make Wallet indispensable. Over the past few years, Wallet has added features like digital IDs, transit passes, and event tickets. By layering in returns and order tracking, Apple is positioning the app as a one-stop shop for daily life.
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Amazon’s Wallet integration comes just weeks before iOS 26 is expected to launch. If Apple delivers on its promise, Wallet will soon manage not only return codes but also purchase history, shipping updates, and delivery notifications from multiple retailers.
That could reduce the need for retailer-specific apps and give consumers one central, reliable place for all their order logistics. For shoppers, the payoff is convenience: fewer clicks, fewer screenshots, and fewer headaches at the return counter.
Amazon’s new Apple Wallet support is more than a small tweak. It fixes one of online shopping’s biggest hassles and signals a much larger shift — transforming Apple Wallet into the digital hub for buying, tracking, and returning everything we order online.