The card network can connect the device number to the card account.
At checkout, Apple Pay sends the device-specific number with a payment cryptogram, a single-use code built from a transaction counter and secret key. The payment service provider passes the token into card authorisation. The card network validates it, maps it to the underlying card account and asks the issuer to approve or decline.
This matters when a business chooses how customers pay. An Apple Pay button sends a tokenised card transaction to its payment processor. A Wonderful Pay by Bank journey creates a bank payment request, opens the customer's banking app and returns real-time confirmation to the merchant, with funds settling directly by bank payment.
The full card number stays out of the checkout.
Katie's half marathon helps Byker neighbours feel they belong.
Katie made a last-minute decision to run the Great North Run for St. Martin's Centre Partnership in Byker. The centre supports children, families and older neighbours with groups, early-years education and projects that reduce loneliness. Her £100 target turns one Sunday run into practical support for a community hub that works with more than 1,200 people each year.
A free cash withdrawal still pays the cash machine owner.
Wednesday: at a free-to-use LINK cash machine, the customer pays no charge. The card-issuing bank or building society funds the transaction through an interchange fee paid to the ATM operator.