4 Reasons Why Your Payment Method Was Declined On Apple
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Apple is known to be one of the most accommodating brands to various payment methods, but customers often complain about declined payments too. A declined payment method on Apple can result in failed purchases and canceled subscriptions. This can be an unexpected pain and leave you wondering what exactly happened, but it can be fixed quickly.
Table of Contents
- Why did Apple decline my payment method?
- Reasons Why Your Payment Method Was Declined On Apple
- How Do You Fix A Declined Payment Method On Apple?
- What Happens If Your Payment Method Gets Declined On Apple?
- How Can You Avoid A Declined Payment Method On Apple?
Why did Apple decline my payment method?
Apple may decline your payment method if there is invalid payment information, your account has insufficient funds, a software update is required, or if you have the wrong default card selected. All of these issues are easy to fix, and you can quickly update your card or add a secondary payment.
Putting your payment method on an Apple account requires some form of security verification to ensure everything works correctly. However, things can change over time, and your payments can decline. This guide will show you some reasons why this might happen and what you can do to fix it.
If you’re having trouble making a purchase on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer, it may be because Apple declined your payment method. All information below has been compiled from Apple’s terms of service, so you know this is the most accurate guide available.
Reasons Why Your Payment Method Was Declined On Apple
Apple has made major improvements with its subscriptions and apps business, allowing you to subscribe to different services with only a few clicks. But because of this, you need to stay on top of your payment methods within the app store too.
If you find yourself in a situation where your payment method is declined, it can be due to a few different reasons. Luckily, fixing the issue is easy, and Apple provides excellent support to help you determine the problem.
Invalid Payment Information
The primary reason why a payment method gets declined on Apple is invalid information. This can happen because a card expires or your card information was typed incorrectly.
Remember also to double-check the billing address. Even a tiny detail, like the postal code, could result in a declined payment if typed wrong.
Credit or debit cards also expire. This is another common reason why cards become invalid, but you forget to update the payment method before making a purchase.
Not Enough Funds Available
If you get declined for the payment method that is not available in your bank account, it might be because there are insufficient funds in your account. You should check your bank before doing anything.
Depending on the purchase size, you can determine whether there are available funds or not. If not, adding money to your account will solve the problem.
Software Update Needed
Another reason your payment method could have been declined is outdated software. This is a less common issue to deal with, but running a quick Apple update will determine if this is the fix you need.
Wrong Card Selected As Your Default Payment
It’s best to keep track of all the cards listed in your Apple account too. When payment methods are added, a default payment option must be selected.
A common reason for payments to decline is that the wrong default payment method was selected. This results in your account charging old, outdated cards that should be removed from the account.
How Do You Fix A Declined Payment Method On Apple?
So you’ve run into the issue where your payment method gets declined on Apple. After identifying the cause, it’s time to fix it. Here are some tips that can work to get it working again.
Add a New Payment Method Or Update Your Existing One
Depending on why your card isn’t working, you’ll either need to update your existing payment method or add a new one.
To do this on an iPhone, click on Settings, and then at the top of the page, click on your name or Apple ID. The next page displays all information about your account, including a Payment & Shipping option.
You can click here for the option to remove, change, or update your payment information and billing address.
Contact Apple Support
If you’ve added a new payment method or discovered nothing is wrong with your existing one, contacting Apple support is the best way to get an answer for what might be wrong.
Sometimes simple fixes like resetting the account or signing out and back in again work. But contact Apple through email, phone, or chat for expert help on what the problem is.
Contact Your Bank
It’s also possible for your bank to reject transactions from Apple. This can be due to fraud protection or any other reasons enforced by your banking institution.
Contact your bank to see if there are any problems. They can quickly identify why the transactions to solve the issue.
Update Your Device
Check for any available updates that could fix your declined payment problem. Go to Settings, then the General tab. There is a Software Update area to see any available updates for your device.
Download any available updates and also turn on Automatic Updates. This should help in the future, so you never fall behind again.
What Happens If Your Payment Method Gets Declined On Apple?
If your payment method declines on Apple, you have two things to worry about.
Subscriptions Will Be Cancelled
First, a declined payment means your subscriptions will get canceled because they cannot renew, and your purchases will be rejected.
This is especially problematic if you have many App Store subscriptions like Netflix, YouTube, etc.
Your iTunes Account Can Go To A Negative Balance
It’s also possible to send your iTunes account negative depending on the type of payment method you use and the type of purchase. This happens because the payment is made, but Apple often takes a few days to charge your account.
So if your payment eventually declines, they will charge your iTunes account, and you cannot make any new purchases until it gets paid.
How Can You Avoid A Declined Payment Method On Apple?
You can see the declined payment message when you’re trying to purchase something on the App Store if something is wrong. Here are some tips on how to avoid this situation.
Link Your PayPal Account
Adding a PayPal account as your primary payment method is a sure way never to get declined again. You can do this like you would any other payment method, except you need to select PayPal instead of a credit/debit card.
It will ask you to complete some account verification steps, like signing into the PayPal account or accepting a confirmation email. Once this is done, you are ready to use your Apple account again.
Add A Backup Payment Method
You can also add a backup payment method that gets used if the first one fails to prevent declined payments. This ensures no payments are rejected, and subscriptions are never canceled if anything goes wrong with your account.
Keep Your Cards Up To Date
Lastly, you should always monitor your cards and keep the payment methods up to date. If you ever get a new card, double-check your Apple accounts to see if they need to be changed.
This may seem like a hassle, but it comes in handy in the long-run.