Can I manually pay for recurring iTunes/App Store charges?

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Level 1

27 points

Can I manually pay for recurring iTunes/App Store charges?

My daughter is 17 and has a Greenlight debit card on her Apple account in order to limit spending.

She seems to spend any available money she has other than what she sets aside in savings.

I am wondering if there is a way that she can initiate payment for recurring charges on apps we as her parents approve of?

In other words, I want to support certain apps, but when they try to withdraw funds on that card it may be zeroed out.

I also don’t want to just keep a balance on there because she keeps getting billed for subscriptions that have been canceled. It’s an ongoing nightmare and she’s 17, so I can’t easily handle it without her being on the phone with Apple support.

I welcome any suggestions.

Posted on Apr 29, 2021 1:36 PM

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Answer 1

Leanne_68

Community Specialist

Apr 30, 2021 4:55 PM in response to G4RAY

Hey G4RAY, Thanks for posting your question about your account payment methods in the Apple Support Communities! In order to change what card is charged on her account you would need to change the payment method assigned with the Apple ID.

You can do this on her phone by going to: Settings > [Her Name} > Payment & Shipping > Add Payment Method.

From there you can add your card for the payment method and remove hers so it is no longer charged. You can find more details about the payment method in the article, Change, add, or remove Apple ID payment methods.

Beyond that there is no way to manually purchase the subscription each month. The payments are set up to automatically charge to whichever preferred payment method is on file.

Best wishes.

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Answer 2

rose_10

Community Specialist

May 3, 2021 6:46 AM in response to G4RAY

Hey G4Ray,

To answer the question more directly, there isn't a way to control when and which accounts get paid. They are set up automatically and charge on the date that the subscription was first set up. So it seems that your best option would be to set up a payment method that you would prefer to use for subscriptions. As for cancelling any subscriptions you can do so directly on your child's device by going to Settings > Name > Subscriptions. From there you are able to see what subscriptions are active and when they are billed.

Best Wishes.

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Answer 3

G4RAY Author

Level 1

27 points

May 3, 2021 6:18 AM in response to Leanne_68

Thanks Leanne. Sounds like you answered a different question than the one I asked. Which is interesting because you may have accidentally given me a possible solution.

I wasn’t asking how to change payment methods. I was asking if you can control when and to which accounts you pay.

One issue is canceling recurring bills. Not as simple as you may think. Especially when it involves a minor.

One possible solution could be a separate payment method or card just for Apple billing combined with aggressively ending unapproved recurring bills.

Next step for me is to figure out how Apple Pay works.

Thanks for the help.

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Can I manually pay for recurring iTunes/App Store charges?

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