Apple Restores Card Payments for Apple Account Purchases in India After Four Years

Apple is once again allowing customers in India to pay for Apple Account purchases using credit and debit cards, marking the return of a payment option that disappeared more than four years ago. The move reflects Apple's continued efforts to adapt its services to India's evolving digital payment regulations.

The feature is being introduced gradually and enables eligible users to add Visa and Mastercard credit or debit cards to their Apple Account. These cards can be used to pay for App Store purchases, iCloud+ subscriptions, Apple Music, and other Apple digital services.

Apple stopped accepting card payments for recurring purchases in India in 2022 after new banking regulations changed how subscription payments must be processed. Since then, users have relied on alternatives such as UPI, net banking, and Apple Account balance to pay for Apple's digital services.

The return of card payments shows how global technology companies are increasingly modifying their products and services to comply with country-specific regulations. Apple has faced similar regulatory adjustments in regions such as Europe, Japan, and South Korea, where changes to digital payment and app marketplace rules have required updates to its business practices.

According to reports, Apple has completed the technical changes necessary to meet India's payment compliance requirements. The rollout has already started for some users and will expand over time. The company has also updated its official support documents to reflect the restored payment option.

India's recurring payment framework, introduced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), requires stronger customer authentication, tokenized card credentials, and prevents merchants from storing customers' card information. These rules initially caused subscription payment disruptions for many domestic and international companies before they upgraded their payment systems.

Industry experts believe the change will make subscription renewals much smoother for Apple users. Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, described the update as a long-awaited improvement that removes a major inconvenience for customers managing recurring subscriptions.

Although Apple's services business in India has continued to grow at a strong pace without direct card payments, offering additional payment methods has become increasingly important as the company's user base continues to expand across the country.

The return of card payments has also renewed speculation about a possible launch of Apple Pay in India. While reports have suggested Apple has explored bringing its mobile payment service to the market, the company has not officially announced any plans.

For now, Indian Apple users can look forward to greater flexibility when paying for apps, subscriptions, and other digital purchases as the phased rollout continues nationwide.