Apple stops accepting debit and credit cards for subscriptions in India

App Store (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Apple appears to have stopped accepting credit and debit card payments for subscriptions and media products in India.
The company announced the change back in April, and it seems to have taken effect this week.
It means customers must use their Apple ID balance to pay for subscriptions and media.

Apple appears to have stopped accepting credit and debit card payments for subscriptions and media on its platforms in India, in line with government regulations.

Apple announced the changes in a support update in April, but it seems that the changes have now taken effect according to multiple reports and users on Twitter.

Wow
So apple just removes cards from list of supported payment methods pic.twitter.com/zPe8BsmstJWow
So apple just removes cards from list of supported payment methods pic.twitter.com/zPe8BsmstJ— Akshay Kanade (@akkatweets) May 3, 2022 May 3, 2022

As the above user notes, Apple is sending out alerts to users to notify them of issues with payment details for subscriptions like iCloud+ and Apple Music on devices like its best iPhones such as the iPhone 13.

An Apple support page notes that Apple only supports adding funds to your Apple ID through Apple ID balance, Net Banking, and UPI.

As explained by Apple in April:

Regulatory requirements in India apply to the processing of recurring transactions. If you hold an Indian debit or credit card and you have a subscription, these changes impact your transactions. Some transactions might be declined by banks and card issuers.To continue enjoying your subscriptions, you can pay with your Apple ID balance. You can add to your Apple ID balance using App Store Codes, Net Banking, and UPI.

The change seems to be causing a lot of issues for customers previously reliant on subscription payments:

Hey @apple , your payment structure in India is broken. Not accepting any possible card, added funds to Apple ID, unable to process subscription, iCloud storage transactions through that. How the hell am I supposed to take my backup. @AppleSupportHey @apple , your payment structure in India is broken. Not accepting any possible card, added funds to Apple ID, unable to process subscription, iCloud storage transactions through that. How the hell am I supposed to take my backup. @AppleSupport— Cooper (@Akshaykpr) May 5, 2022 May 5, 2022

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9