Apple Pay Payment Processing Certificate Setup#
This guide explains how to create an Apple Pay Payment Processing Certificate for processing Apple Pay payments through Plexy.Do not generate your own private key or CSR for this integration.Plexy generates and stores the private key because Plexy decrypts Apple Pay payment tokens.
Before You Start#
| Requirement | Description |
|---|
| Apple Developer Account | Your company must have access to Apple Developer Portal. |
| Apple Merchant ID | Example: merchant.com.company.app. |
| Plexy Dashboard access | You need access to the Apple Pay setup section. |
| iOS app | Your app must support Apple Pay. |
Setup Flow#
1. Merchant creates or selects an Apple Merchant ID.
2. Plexy generates a private key and CSR.
3. Merchant downloads the CSR from Plexy Dashboard.
4. Merchant uploads the CSR to Apple Developer Portal.
5. Apple issues the Payment Processing Certificate.
6. Merchant downloads the .cer file from Apple.
7. Merchant uploads the .cer file to Plexy Dashboard.
8. Plexy validates the certificate and activates Apple Pay.
Key Concepts#
| Term | Meaning |
|---|
| CSR | Certificate Signing Request. A file generated by Plexy and uploaded by the merchant to Apple. |
| Private key | Secret key generated and stored by Plexy. It is not shared with the merchant. |
| Payment Processing Certificate | Certificate issued by Apple for the merchant's Apple Merchant ID. |
| Apple Merchant ID | Apple identifier used by the merchant app to accept Apple Pay payments. |
The CSR does not contain the private key. It contains the public key and certificate request data.
Apple uses the Payment Processing Certificate to encrypt Apple Pay payment data. Plexy uses the corresponding private key to decrypt the payment token.
Step 1. Create or Select Apple Merchant ID#
Open Apple Developer Portal:Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles
→ Identifiers
→ Merchant IDs
Create a new Merchant ID or select an existing one.Use the same Merchant ID in Apple Developer Portal, your iOS app, and Plexy Dashboard.
Step 2. Generate CSR in Plexy Dashboard#
Open Plexy Dashboard and go to:Apple Pay
→ Payment Processing Certificate
→ Generate CSR
Download the generated CSR file.apple_pay_payment_processing.csr
Do not create the CSR yourself. Use only the CSR generated by Plexy.
Step 3. Upload CSR to Apple Developer Portal#
In Apple Developer Portal, open your Merchant ID:Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles
→ Identifiers
→ Merchant IDs
→ Select your Merchant ID
Payment Processing Certificates
Upload the CSR file downloaded from Plexy Dashboard.
Step 4. Download Certificate from Apple#
After Apple processes the CSR, download the issued certificate.The file usually has the .cer extension.apple_pay_payment_processing.cer
This is your Apple Pay Payment Processing Certificate.
Step 5. Upload Certificate to Plexy#
Return to Plexy Dashboard:Apple Pay
→ Payment Processing Certificate
→ Upload Certificate
Upload the .cer file downloaded from Apple Developer Portal.Plexy will validate that:the certificate matches the private key generated by Plexy;
the certificate is a Payment Processing Certificate;
the certificate is valid and not expired;
the certificate belongs to the expected Apple Merchant ID.
Apple Pay is ready when Plexy Dashboard shows the certificate as active.
What to Upload#
| File | Upload to Apple? | Upload to Plexy? |
|---|
.csr from Plexy | Yes | No |
.cer from Apple | No | Yes |
| Private key | No | No |
.p12 / .pfx | No | No |
| Merchant Identity Certificate | No | No |
For this setup, upload only the Apple-issued .cer Payment Processing Certificate to Plexy.
What Not to Upload#
Do not upload these files to Plexy for this setup:Apple Merchant Identity Certificate
Apple Development Certificate
Apple Distribution Certificate
APNs Certificate
TLS / SSL Certificate
Private key
.p12 / .pfx file
iOS App Configuration#
Your iOS app must use the same Merchant ID that was used to create the Payment Processing Certificate.Also make sure Apple Pay capability is enabled in Xcode and includes the correct Merchant ID.
FAQ#
Can we upload a .p12 file instead of .cer?#
Upload only the .cer file issued by Apple after submitting the Plexy-generated CSR.What happens if the Merchant ID in the app is different?#
Plexy may not be able to decrypt or process the Apple Pay token.Use the same Merchant ID in:Apple Developer Portal
iOS app
Plexy Dashboard
Common Errors#
| Error | Cause | How to fix |
|---|
| Plexy cannot validate certificate | Wrong certificate uploaded | Upload the Payment Processing Certificate issued from the Plexy CSR |
| Plexy cannot decrypt token | CSR was not generated by Plexy | Generate a new CSR in Plexy and create a new certificate in Apple |
| Apple Pay token rejected | Token was modified | Send the original token without changes |
| Merchant ID mismatch | App uses another Merchant ID | Use the same Merchant ID everywhere |
| Wrong certificate type | Merchant Identity Certificate uploaded | Upload Payment Processing Certificate |