iTunes email: Problem with Payment Information

Actually this is really sophisticated phishing attempt. In my mail I was advised you to go to settings, general, iTunes and App Store (and of course this option no longer exists on phones). At the bottom of the mail it then says you can update on a Mac or PC (both in blue and clickable links). And there is the phishing link.

What concerns me is that they knew my billing cycle (date and amount) allowing the algorithm to identify the storage plan - as mail correctly addressed the plan size)

I contacted apple about this today - I wasted my entire day trying to figure it out. When I called, they said the email was LEGIT. When I would sign into my account everything was up to date. They said the credit card was going to expire even though it was updated months - if not years - ago. After speaking with someone they assured me that the information had indeed been updated and that there was no further action to be taken. Not sure if there’s a bug in their system or if it is a phishing scam that they’re not acknowledging. Make sure the info is correct in your settings using the steps - not links - and you should be fine. Just thought I’d share so no one else has to waste an entire day on this. 🙂🙃

Just chatted with Apple Support and they got back super quickly - tl;dr, it looks like it’s a widespread, internal glitch that’s triggering these emails to be sent from Apple. So a legitimate email in most cases, but it’s being sent due to some internal error at Apple, so payment method is actually fine.

Exact response:

“Thanks for waiting, I was checking here at the system, and I was able to see that everything is fine regarding your subscription, this is a problem that is happening worldwide, most of our customers have been receiving some emails with the same billing error. I do hope our internal team solve this as soon as possible, I can assure you that either your subscription and payment method are fine.”

I received the same email, and it is from iTunes.com, so it seems to be a legitimate email. Additionally, my payment information has not changed. Included in the email were the following instructions:

Follow the instructions below to update your billing information:

1.Go to Settings > [your name] > iTunes & App Store.

2.Tap your Apple ID, then tap View Apple ID. You might be asked to sign in.

3.Tap Manage Payments (if you’re using an older version of iOS, tap Payment Information) and follow the prompts.

However, there is no such option for "iTunes & App Store" under Settings->[your name].

Any ideas?

thanks!

"And there is the phishing link."

Actually, it seems that this was simply an errant email from apple. When you look at the raw source from the email, you can see the actual link, which is legitimate:

----------------------------

" > You can also update your billing information on a Mac or PC =

<https://support.apple.com/HT201318>. "

-----------------------------

So it appears that this message is harmless. It would be nice, though, if apple would admit their mistake.

Got the same email.

In the body it says:

“On 12/30/2023 you are scheduled to be charged $0.99 for iCloud+ with 55 GB of storage, but there is a problem with your payment information.”

The 55GB storage is a giveaway for a scam and phishing email. Quite simple, Apple does not offer any 55GB cloud storage. It offers a 50GB subscription which INCLUDES the free 5GB that comes with the account.

Hope that helps.

[Edited by Moderator]

Not sure about that advice. I received one email, contacted Apple. They told me it was spam. I deleted it and changed my iCloud password. Then I received the email again. I deleted it. Then I received a notification on my phone through the Settings app that I needed to update my payment details. I rang Apple again and they told me again that the emails were spam. They couldn't tell me why I received the notification to update my details. My payment for my iCloud subscription on 29th Dec was declined. The notification remains and I'm currently in arrears. Apple also told me they are aware of the issue. My problem has been escalated and I hope to hear from them in a day or two. My bet is that one of their internal systems has been compromised. I'm reluctant to add a new card and my old card is perfectly fine.

So yes it might be phishing but cards are being refused and iCloud subscriptions are not being paid.

Had the same thing happen. Received an email from iTunes to update payment info on December 22, another on December 28 to update charge card. Charge card is updated and accurate. This morning I got an update wheel on iPad settings needed to update payment info for Apple. Charge card does not expired until 2025. Online chat with apple, sent screen shots of emails, told they would elevate up to next level and they would call me. Call came from Apple, screen shared, then told they tried to charge me and it didn’t go through. Told to call my credit card company. I did. They never show a charge being attempted! Apple has a problem! They ended my call with “you will be downsized with iCloud to the next lower level!”

After receiving two similar emails, I checked the email headers and found them both to have originated from an Apple ip address. The only url in the email was to a legitimate Apple address. And as mentioned elsewhere, the email had billing info and amounts. All of this convinced me that the email had indeed been sent from Apple. I contacted support. The 2nd tier support person found that they had an invalid expiration date for the my card. She suggested removing it and re-adding it. We had to do this twice - the second time she did something on her end. It seems to be ok now.

This is the winning answer. Don’t listen to people saying it’s a sophisticated phishing attempt. It’s just an Apple glitch.