How to update your payment method on iPhone (App Store and Apple Account)

You usually need to do this for one of three reasons: your card expired or was replaced, a purchase or subscription renewal failed, or you simply want Apple to charge a different card. The steps are the same in every case and take about a minute.

How to update payment method on iPhone

Change it on a Mac, PC or the web

• Mac: open the App Store, click your name at the bottom of the sidebar, then open your account settings and choose Payment Methods to edit or add one.
• Windows PC: open the Apple Music or Apple TV app, click your name, choose View My Account, and edit Payment Information.
• Web: sign in at account.apple.com and open Payment Methods. This is handy if your iPhone is lost or broken.

Whichever device you use, the change applies to your whole Apple Account, so your iPhone, iPad and Mac all charge the new card from then on.

Payment & Shipping greyed out or missing?

If you cannot tap Payment & Shipping, or changes will not save, check these in order:

• Screen Time restrictions: go to Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy Restrictions › Account Changes and set it to Allow. Parents often turn this off on a child’s iPhone, which locks account details.
• Child account: members under 18 in Family Sharing cannot add their own card while Purchase Sharing is on. The organizer handles payment.
• Not signed in to the App Store: make sure the same Apple Account is used in Settings and in the App Store. Two accounts is a common cause of cards seeming to disappear.
• No connection: the list loads from Apple’s servers, so it can hang on weak Wi-Fi. Try cellular data or wait a minute.

Can I use a different card for each subscription?

No. Every App Store purchase and Apple subscription uses the same list of payment methods, in the order you set. You cannot tell Apple to charge Apple Music to one card and iCloud+ to another. If you want to keep one subscription on a separate budget, the usual workaround is to add funds to your Apple Account balance, which is spent before your card.

To add funds, open the App Store, tap your profile picture and choose Add Money to Account, or redeem an Apple Gift Card. The balance pays for apps, in-app purchases and most Apple subscriptions until it runs out, then Apple charges your first card.

Payment options Apple accepts

• Credit and debit cards from Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover.
• PayPal, linked in Payment & Shipping › Add Payment Method.
• Carrier billing on some US carriers, charged to your phone bill.
• Apple Gift Cards, added in the App Store under your picture › Redeem Gift Card or Code.

Prepaid cards sometimes fail because they do not support recurring charges or have no billing address on file. If a prepaid card will not save, use a gift card to add funds instead.

App Store cards vs Apple Pay cards

Cards in Payment & Shipping pay for the App Store, iCloud+ and Apple subscriptions. Cards in the Wallet app pay in shops and on websites with Apple Pay. They are separate lists, so adding a card to Wallet does not change what the App Store charges.

To change which card Apple Pay uses at the register, go to Settings › Wallet & Apple Pay › Default Card. To remove a card from Wallet, open the Wallet app, tap the card, tap the More button and choose Remove This Card.

With Family Sharing

• When Purchase Sharing is on, family members’ purchases are charged to the organizer’s payment method.
• Only the family organizer can change that shared payment method, in their own Payment & Shipping settings.
• The organizer must always keep at least one valid payment method on file.
• Family members can still see Payment & Shipping, but they are asked to contact the organizer to change it.

If you want children to spend within a limit instead, the organizer can turn on Ask to Buy for them, or give them an Apple Gift Card so they spend their own balance.

Payment method declined?

If the App Store says your payment method was declined, add a working card first, then remove the old one. Check that the billing address and ZIP code match your bank records exactly, since a small mismatch causes many declines. Apple cannot see why a bank declined a charge, so if the card details are right, call your bank and ask them to allow Apple purchases.

If your card was lost or stolen, add the replacement card as soon as the bank sends it, then remove the old one. Until then, renewals will fail, and Apple may pause subscriptions such as iCloud+ after a while. Your data is not deleted straight away, but new photos may stop backing up if iCloud storage lapses, so do not leave it for weeks.

What the billing messages mean

• Verification Required: Apple needs you to confirm or update payment details before you can download apps, even free ones. Update the card in Payment & Shipping and the message goes away.
• Billing Problem with Previous Purchase: an earlier charge did not go through. You cannot buy or update apps until it is paid. Update the card, and Apple retries the charge.
• Your payment method was declined: the bank refused the charge. Check the card details or call the bank.

Why you cannot remove your last card

• You have an active subscription, such as iCloud+, Apple Music or an app subscription.
• You have an unpaid balance from an earlier purchase.
• You are the Family Sharing organizer with Purchase Sharing turned on.

Cancel the subscriptions or pay the balance, and the option to remove the card appears. Organizers can turn off Purchase Sharing in Settings › your name › Family Sharing to remove their last card. If you still cannot remove it, Apple Support can check the account for you.

Check what you are paying for

Changing the card is a good moment to check your subscriptions. Go to Settings › your name › Subscriptions to see everything that renews, with the price and date. For past charges, open Settings › your name › Media & Purchases › View Account › Purchase History. If a charge looks unfamiliar, it is often a family member’s purchase or an app subscription under a different name. You can report a problem at reportaproblem.apple.com.