Free app wanting payment and declining card

You usually need a payment method -

You usually need a functioning payment method for your account. Even to download free apps, to re-download or to update apps.

You can find the acceptable payment methods for your country here;

Payment methods that you can use with your Apple ID - Apple Support

M1 Mac mini, macOS 14.5;  Watch, series 7 GPS/cellular, watchOS 10.5; iPhone 12 Pro, iOS 17.5; TV 4th Gen, tvOS 17.5; HomePods, audioOS 17.5 and Airport Express w/ Airplay 2

Read this document about how to view your current payment types and add Apple ID payment methods on an Apple mobile device, a Mac, or a PC --> Add a payment method to your Apple ID - Apple Support

If an item appears in red then it is no longer working and you either need to replace it or get it working again. Apple may require the presence of a valid payment method such as a card, even if an app is free. You won't be charged but the card has to be there and in working order.

Check this resource about what to do if your payment method is declined in the App Store or iTunes Store. Click here --> If your payment method is declined in the App Store or iTunes Store - Apple Support

- Apple is checking with your financial institution if the payment method is valid and receiving a negative, or no, response. Make sure the name and address are entered exactly as it appears on your financial institution bills and that the 3 digit CVV is correct. Check with your financial institution about the status of your card.

- Make sure your payment method is up to date or to try a different one ( If you need to change or update your Apple ID payment method - Apple Support ).

- Make sure this is one of the payment methods that you can use with your account, as listed in this support article: Payment methods that you can use with your Apple ID - Apple Support .

・Unfortunately the payment methods list is somewhat general and does not include individual brands of cards (I guess there are too many and are constantly changing).

・Also read any footnotes in the document.

・If you are trying to use a payment method from another country you may encounter problems. Apple nowhere states outright your payment method must come from the same country as that to which your ID is set, but some contributors to the forum (none of us work for Apple) say—without any substantiation on Apple's part—this is the case. In fact what Apple says about international payment methods is found in If your payment method is declined in the App Store or iTunes Store - Apple Support where it says: "You might need to ask your financial institution to allow international purchases on your debit or credit card". It could be there is some other unstated requirement that raises problems such as the billing address for the card must be in the same country as your account country even if the issuer is a foreign bank. Apple does not say but usually it is easiest to just use a card from the same country as your Apple Account setting.

・Finally, note that the document only says which methods _are_ acceptable. Apparently certain types (usually a credit or debit card) _must_ also be present under certain situations such as when a subscription is involved.

If you still have problems, contact official Apple Support. Click here --> Choose your country or region - Official Apple Support Select your country, then a product. If you don't see one that handles your issue then keep experimenting with selections until you reach one that gets you a chat session or a telephone call and get the representative to redirect you.

or:

See a list of Apple phone numbers around the world, in this article --> Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

If you're in India, click on this link to read an April 2022 notice 'About billing for Apple subscriptions and media products in India' --> About billing for Apple subscriptions and media products in India - Apple Support

Additional verification that may be required when making purchases in Europe --> About billing and purchases in Europe - Apple Support

Other users have mentioned that also.

It may also let you remove the payment method after you've jumped through this hoop of adding it!

I don't like leaving my bank card info with websites so I use my free PayPal account as my payment method whenever that is a choice, such as here with Apple. I have used PayPal for ten+ years without any issues. You can register different payment methods with PayPal and when you are taken to your PayPal account to pay for something online, you can easily choose among your various payment options.

The other thing about PayPal is that their dispute process is very consumer-oriented. Also, if you have a subscription with PayPal as the payment method, you can instruct PayPal not to accept any more charges from that vendor.*

*Don't do that with Apple if you ever intend to use your Apple Account again!