Apple Stops Credit And Debit Card Payments For App Purchases And Subscriptions In India

According to Apple's support page, the available payment methods in the country include only UPI, net banking and Apple ID balance.

This development comes after the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) new auto-debit rules that came into effect in 2021. Image: Getty

New Delhi: Apple App Store has stopped accepting payments via debit and credit cards for subscription services and app purchases using Apple ID in India. The tech giant has also stopped accepting payments for ad campaigns on Apple Search using cards issued by Indian banks and all campaigns will be put on hold starting June 1. This development comes after the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) new auto-debit rules that came into effect in 2021 and which prohibit companies from auto-debiting payments above Rs 5,000.

According to Apple's support page, the available payment methods in the country include only UPI, net banking and Apple ID balance as the three methods to receive payments. Earlier last month, the tech giant had put up a statement on its support page addressing RBI's mandate and recurring transactions.

Apple wrote on its support page: "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 company added.

Meanwhile, the company added in an email to its users: “Due to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulations, Apple Search Ads will soon no longer accept payments from credit cards issued by banks in India.”

Apple has apparently taken a cue from Google to shift its payment method as the latter is also one of the companies affected by the RBI mandate. Many Google users are facing issues when it comes to recurring payments made through cards on Google Play Store and YouTube.