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The Apple Support Community will permanently close on November 20, 2026. Starting today, the site will no longer accept new posts and is available in a read-only state.
You can continue to find trusted guidance and support on the official Apple Support site.
We want to thank the community members who have contributed their time and expertise to help others with their Apple products.
i have an Apple balance of $41. I want to use this to pay my monthly 99¢ iCloud storage. It is listed as my first form of payment but it charges my credit card instead. Is it impossible to use my Apple balance to pay for iCloud? If so, can I move the balance to Apple Pay and use it like at Walmart or wherever so that I don’t lose my balance?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iPhone XR, iOS 18
dawntesta wrote:
Not even Apple Pay?
Nope.
Nor Apple Cash.
An Apple Account balance can only end up at Apple.
Which is not the case for Apple Pay, or Apple Cash.
If the Apple Account balance is listed first in your payment options, that is where the money should be withdrawn.
Add a payment method to your Apple Account - Apple Support
If that’s how your payment methods are ordered, yes, you’ll need to discuss this with Apple Support.
dawntesta wrote:
Not even Apple Pay?
Nope.
Nor Apple Cash.
An Apple Account balance can only end up at Apple.
Which is not the case for Apple Pay, or Apple Cash.
If the Apple Account balance is listed first in your payment options, that is where the money should be withdrawn.
Add a payment method to your Apple Account - Apple Support
If that’s how your payment methods are ordered, yes, you’ll need to discuss this with Apple Support.
You should be able to pay for purchases from Apple using an Apple Account balance including iCloud+, yes.
You cannot transfer an Apple Account balance to anywhere else other than to Apple, and can’t buy gift cards with your balance.
Details directly from Apple: What you can buy with your Apple Gift Card or Apple Account balance - Apple Support
If you have a balance it should be the first place that charges come from. However, if you have a credit card on your account Apple will initially put a $1 hold on the card just to verify that the card is valid. If you look at the statement it should say “hold” or “pending”, and it will disappear after a few days.
Not even Apple Pay?
It does have a $41.37 balance and it is listed first but I am always charged the 99¢ on my credit card. It is not just a Hold. I am being charged and my Apple balance never decreases.
Do I need to call Apple to get this fixed? I can’t fix myself?
Can I use my Apple Account balance to pay for iCloud storage?
