Why am I being charged to download apps?

Are you sure you are being asked to pay, or are you just being asked to enter a payment method?

If you are being asked to enter a payment method, Apple has multiple criteria* requiring the presence of a payment method, even for free items. Since you may be encountering one of those situations, you have no option but to enter a valid payment method if you wish to continue downloading. Read the support article Add a payment method to your Apple ID - Apple Support about how to do that. The payment method may not be charged if you also have account balance or the item is free, but the payment method has to be present. This next article lists valid payment methods for different countries but note that in this situation Apple Account balance alone apparently may not meet the requirement and you need to use another payment method until you find one that satisfies Apple's requirement (often a credit or debit card): Payment methods that you can use with your Apple ID - Apple Support .

If you have already entered a payment method, use the first link above to check it. If a message appears in red there is a problem with it. If the information is still correct and current, contact your financial institution.

* Ref.:

Add a payment method to your Apple ID - Apple Support

"To make purchases from the App Store and use subscriptions like iCloud+ and Apple Music, you need at least one payment method on file."

If you can’t download or update apps on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

- "You might need to have a payment method on file, even if the app that you want to download is free."

Remove a payment method from your Apple ID - Apple Support

- If you have any active subscriptions, you must have at least one payment method on file other than Apple ID credit.

- You might not be able to remove a payment method if you have a balance due.

Sign in with your Apple ID - Apple Support

- "When you sign in to the App Store and other media services for the first time, you might need to add a credit card or other payment information."

How apps, content, and subscriptions from Apple are billed - Apple Support

- You can’t charge gifts to your Apple ID balance. If you send a gift or gift card, your primary payment method is charged.

- Some subscriptions might not be charged to your Apple ID balance.

What you can buy with your Apple Gift Card or Apple Account balance - Apple Support

"Some purchases might require that you have a credit card on file, even if you use your Apple Account balance to make the purchase."

Bosslady2025 wrote:

Why I’m been ask to add card every time download app

Apple can require a valid payment method (which cannot be a gift card) for verification purposes. It may be charged a small amount to verify it but this will be automatically refunded.

Add a payment method to your Apple ID - Apple Support

Then you have a subscription/purchase that has not been paid for yet. Review your account balance here:

Check your Apple Account balance - Apple Support

You can see your previous purchases and subscriptions by following this link:

Subscriptions and Billing - Official Apple Support

If you find a subscription that has not been cancelled:

If you want to cancel a subscription from Apple - Apple Support

After reviewing your information, if you are still unable to determine what you are being charged for, then contact Apple directly and they will let you know.

Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

Memehotdog123 wrote:

I don’t have any unpaid for things and it’s still trying to charge me?

If it is trying to charge you, then review your purchase history at this link:

Subscriptions and Billing - Official Apple Support

If you are unable to find it there than contact Apple directly:

Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

If you share your Apple ID with anyone else or are the Organizer of a family sharing plan, then you may also want to check with them.

If you are attempting to download a free app, the charge is not for the app, but for a previous charge that has not been paid. Contacting Apple with the link will help to identify the charge if you are unable to using the other methods.

demetria250 wrote:

Mine is telling me i need a new payment method so i add a card and it tries to charge $35.99 i have multiple cards on file that im getting notifications saying apple is trying to charge me $35.99. Cant download anything free at all anymore. This is ridiculous

Then most likely you have a subscription that has not been paid. You are responsible for cancelling any subscription that you sign up for. The subscription should not be a surprise to you since you would have to had physically double click the side button to authorize the charge. You cannot expect to be able to continue to use the App Store if there are charges that have not been paid.

To cancel a subscription, this procedure is necessary. Some people believe that they can just delete the app or reset their device, but that is not the case.

Manage a subscription - Apple Support

You can view your account and subscriptions here:

Subscriptions and Billing - Official Apple Support

If you are still unable to see what the charge is, then you should contact Apple directly:

Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

gregilgen wrote:

This is only part true because many! of the very many apps are inpurchase or missrepresented as free and are not, because they will not let you fully down load the app without recieving your credit card information!!

Most apps will have in-app purchases or even free trials. The developers that create these apps have to pay each year to have them in the store and it also costs them time and money to develop and continue to update the apps. If a developer wants to spend their own money and time to develop an app only to give it to you for free, they can do that. It is a business and without income there is no incentive for most developers to publish their apps.

By using in-app purchases and free trials, it allows you to try out the app to see if it would be useful for you. Before those options were available, most of the apps had a charge to download them and you were not given the chance to try it out before purchasing.

You may need to have a valid payment method to download these free apps, but you will not be charged as long as you do not make an in-app purchase or cancel any free trial before the trial period ends.

EPDB wrote:

Same issue...never had a card connected. Son got Apple Gift Card...in order to use it I HAD to add a payment method...WHY. Did as son was near tears not being about to buy. Fast Forward to the his card having 97 cents left, the card I had added was a Visa gift card with 48 cents on. He tried to download a "free app" and can't because it says there is an issue with the card...yea cuz I didn't want him buying anything more than what his gift card was for. Now he can't add apps and the free app....tried to charge 6.28 3x ......for a free app.

Some purchases were made on the Gift Card if it ended up with only 97 cents on it. These are the options were purchases can be made even if you can download the app for free:

• Free Trial
• In-app Purchases
• Subscriptions

Did can check what those purchases were by going here to view your Purchase History:

Subscriptions and Billing - Official Apple Support

If a free trial was signed up for, it will need to be cancelled 24 hours before the trial ends or you will be charged. Any Subscriptions will need to be cancelled otherwise you will continue to get billed for them.

If you want to cancel a subscription from Apple - Apple Support

You may be able to better monitor a child's purchases by using the Ask to Buy option the charges before the child is allowed to purchase them and will need to be approved by you first.

Set up Ask to Buy - Apple Support

Most apps in the store will have options for purchases. You are able to download them without a charge to make sure the app interests you before spending any money. Developers have to pay each year to have the apps in the store and it also costs them time and money to develop them along with continued updates. There won't be many developers that are willing to do this without a way to recoup their expenses.

samara278 wrote:

Me to it is charging me 5.41 for a free app

• What is charging you?
• What is the exact description of the charge?
• Have you checked the previous link to Billing and Subscriptions?
• Did you sign up for a free trial?
• Did you recently add a payment method and being charged for a previous purchase?

A charge will not happen using an in-app purchase without you first double clicking the side button. This is not something that can be done by accident. If you are talking specifically about dating apps, then most will have a free trial that needs to be cancelled 24 hours before the trial ends. It may be free to download, but they do not let you use the service for free after the trial ends. That is simply how they make their money.

Butchydakid wrote:

Why am I being charged a 499 to download a free app. And is this a one time charge?

Instead of posting the same links over and over, you should review the links already provided to verify your previous Purchase History and Subscriptions. If you are unable to see any there, then you should use the link to contact Apple directly to find the answer. None of us have access to your account and unable to provide you the details. There is no charge to download a free app, but if there is a previous purchase that has not been paid, then you will be charged for it before you can use the App Store to download/update any apps. Let us know what you find out.

so I just ran into the problem and got ahold of apple support. could be different for others but if you for some reason owe money to apple you can’t download any apps regardless of previous download. I made a small purchase ab an hour ago and it kept declining but really it “went thru” but didn’t charge my card for some reason so therefore I owed apple the money. idk how it happened or why but when downloading the app it’ll have you pay for your balance before you download it.

Indeed. See the very first reply I made in this thread last August:

You might not be able to remove a payment method if you have a balance due.

Sign in with your Apple ID - Apple Support

Not exactly what you said but pretty much the same thing. If you owe money then Apple wants to see a payment method.

It's not too difficult. If you want to use the App Store to download apps you are going to need a valid payment method. Many of the apps that are downloaded, including Roblox contain in-app Purchases that the developer relies on to further support and maintain their app. You have many options to prevent an "accidental" purchase, such as using the "Ask To Buy" method that allows you to approve the purchase your child would like to make, or simply restrict in-app purchases altogether using Screen Time. The options are there, you just need to use them.

If there is an unpaid balance, NO the purchase cannot be cancelled, it needs to be paid for. If you go to the grocery store and have an unpaid balance, would you also expect them to just cancel it and let you continue to shop there. Developers have to pay to offer these apps on the store every year and it also costs them time and money to create and continue to maintain them. Don't you feel like that should be compensated some how or is exploited them OK.

jadahlyn wrote:

I’m trying to download a game that I want ,but I can’t bc I keeps on asking me to pay $15 and some change and idk what it is and I don’t like it I have no charges for nothing.

You do have a charge for something that has not been paid for. Most people forget to cancel a free trial before it ends. You will automatically be charged for a subscription if you do not cancel the free trial.

First you can attempt to identify the charge here by verifying your subscriptions and purchase history:

Subscriptions and Billing - Official Apple Support

If you are unable to identify it, then contact Apple directly and they will be able to assist.

Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

I understand. I think

Here's the issue: You have a subscription or made a payment of $6.51. Apple processed and completed this payment for you, but the bank or card you initially used might have declined it. As a result, your iPhone/Apple account is now in a "lock-payment mode" (as I like to call it). This means your iPhone assumes the current payment method is no longer valid and is requesting you to add a new viable payment method to process the $6.51 charge. Apple is charging this amount to both verify and complete the payment, which is a smart move on their part.

maybe the dating apps have subscriptions 💀💀💀💀