Apple forcing “unpaid balance” after bank declined subscription I canceled immediately — is this even legal? (I am in Europe)

aleynaglcn wrote:

Treats a failed payment as debt?

Yes

• Blocks free app downloads over it?

Yes. Per the Terms of Service of the iTunes and App Stores you agree to by using them.

• Forces users to add another payment method or buy gift cards to regain basic phone functionality?

Yes. Because you entered into a legal contract with Apple to pay for the subscription and now you are legally responsible for it. Subscriptions can't get activated by mistake. You need to confirm the purchase more than once and then have FaceID confirmation to complete the charge. There is no way this happened by mistake.

Has anyone had Apple remove an unpaid balance in a case like this?

No. Apple does not do this at all. You must complete the payment successfully. Then you can request a refund and Apple has been known to grant these requests.

Is there any legal or consumer-rights basis for this, or is this just how Apple’s system works?

Most online stores work like this since the developers of the apps also need to get paid and Apple can't just say, well, the user failed to pay us so we can't pay you. Legally Apple cannot lie to the developers, the developers can see that their app was downloaded and a subscription activated and Apple will not absorb the cost and will not simply not pay the developer. The payments needs to be completed and then a refund requested so Apple can then legally tell the developers the app was refunded. Legally this works like this on all similar systems including the Google Play store for Android and the Microsoft Store for Windows and Xbox. This is not new or different.

Any advice or similar experiences appreciated.

Let the charge complete, then request a refund for it.

click here ➜ Request a refund for apps or content that you bought from Apple - Apple Support

Your bank saying "no" was like you walking into a store, buying something, then walking out with the item and the store then discovering you wrote them a check that the bank in now refusing to honor. Since you say you are in Europe, the issue may have been due to additional verification that may be required when making purchases in Europe or Japan --> About billing and purchases in Europe and Japan - Apple Support

Yes, Apple can insist you follow the protocol for paying what you owe first and then asking for a refund. Until you do they can take the measures you describe in terms of preventing additional purchases and not letting you remove an existing payment method.

You have to pay what Apple considers you to owe them. You can then request a refund. That is the process. Not having used the subscription does not matter. I can subscribe to a newspaper and never read it but I still have to pay for it. In your case even though you canceled "immediately" you still had use of the service for a minute or whatever. If I subscribe to a newspaper on a monthly basis and only read it the first day, I stilll have to pay for the entire month.

Follow the directions in this support article about how to request a refund for apps or content that you bought from Apple ➔ Request a refund for apps or content that you bought from Apple - Apple Support

If Apple does issue a refund you can see if any of these apply.

About canceling subscriptions in Germany, Israel, South Africa, or Türkiye - Apple Support