How do I resolve recurring billing issues for an inactive Apple Account?

It could be your card has been compromised and a this is just plain card fraud. Apple wouldn't know that that's what's happening and you should really be dealing with your card company about it.

Unless your account is still active and you have left a card on it for the past 15 years (I don't even leave any kind of card on my accounts and I remove them a minute after my purchases have completed), you shouldn't see a charge through the account. Have you looked in your purchase history? Read this support article for directions about how to see your purchase history in the App Store or iTunes Store [mobile device, computer, or web] --> View your purchase history for the App Store and other Apple media services - Apple Support

If the charges appear there then your account is indeed still active and you should have removed your card 15 years ago because your account is compromised by a fraudster. In that case the charges are still a matter for your card company but you should also either officially deactivate the account or delete it entirely once this is over.

How to deactivate your Apple Account - Apple Support

For information about how to delete an Apple Account (formerly “Apple ID”), read this support article —> How to delete your Apple Account - Apple Support

Carefully and thoroughly read that article for information about what happens when you delete your Apple Account. For example:

"Make sure that you sign out of all your devices to avoid issues with apps that use your Apple Account or iCloud. After your account is deleted, you can’t sign out of iCloud or turn off Find My iPhone Activation Lock on your devices. If you forget to sign out, you might not be able to use your device when your account is deleted."

Read this document if you think your Apple Account has been compromised. --> If you think your Apple Account has been compromised - Apple Support

For iOS 15 or earlier, if you want to see if anyone else has access to your device or accounts, click here --> Checklist 1: Limit device and account access - Apple Support

For iOS 16 or later see how Safety Check on iPhone works to keep you safe. Safety Check for an iPhone with iOS 16 or later - Apple Support

Use the information in this document to check your Apple ID device list to find where you're signed in --> Check your Apple Account device list to find where you’re signed in - Apple Support

Related materials:

Personal Safety User Guide

Personal Safety User Guide - Apple Support

> open the Table of Contents and review the articles

A document with general information about security and your Apple ID --> Security and your Apple Account - Apple Support

Contact Apple for help with Apple ID account security. This page provides country-specific Apple Support contact information ➞ Contact Apple Support - Apple Support

Why do you assume your account is inactive?

Did you request it be deactivated at any point?

Unless specifically requested, Apple Accounts don't simply strop being active because you stop using them.

If you simply stopped logging in to the account, or stopped using it on an Apple device it doesn't make the account inactive.

If you had subscriptions on the account before you stopped using it and never canceled them, those subscriptions are still active on the account and would continue to charge you.

The only way to stop them, is to log in to the Apple Account and cancel the subscriptions.

click here ➜ If you want to cancel a subscription from Apple - Apple Support

It won't show purchases from a different account on your current one.

If the old account still exists and has active subscriptions then the only way to solve this to log into that account and cancel the subscriptions.

Unless the charge is being faked as coming from Apple when it's not, it's hard to believe this is card fraud. That would require someone to not only steal your card, but also add it to their own Apple account and make purchases every once in a while with it through Apple. Really odd. Or just make it look like it's being charge by Apple when it's not which is even stranger.

If you know you have an old account and you never had it deactivated or deleted, and never cancelled any subscriptions it possible there still one active in it.

The other possibility as mentioned is if you are the Family Organizer in a Family Sharing group with Purchase sharing turned on. Then purchases from other family members are charged to your payment method but won't appear on your purchase history directly.

If that is the case click here ➜ Get help with charges from apple.com/bill - Apple Support to find the charge and account its from.

Phil0124 wrote:

If you simply stopped logging in to the account, or stopped using it on an Apple device it doesn't make the account inactive.

Legal - iCloud - Apple

VII. B "In addition, Apple may terminate your Account upon 30 days’ prior notice via email to the address associated with your Account if (a) your Account has been inactive for one (1) year; or (b) there is a general discontinuance of the Service or any part thereof."

Doesn't say they absolutely will, but they might.

If there are active subscriptions, I doubt Apple considers that an inactive account.

Apple in my experience does not terminate account like that.

Yes, it's in their terms of service should they ever need do that, but I have thus far in 13 years in these communities and many more using Apple devices never heard of someone having their account terminated like that. In addition as sated in your quote, they would have been notified of the termination before it happened.

Also terminating the account and it being inactive are not the same thing.

If you are a Family Sharing organizer it could be a family member who made a purchase and that has been charged to you as the organizer. You won't see the purchase in your purchase history since you were not the one who bought it. You will see it charged to you if you paid for it though.

Check all the reasons I listed earlier. If you mistakenly think there is card fraud and cancel the card, it can cause more mess to have to resolve with Apple about defaulted payment.

The OP only mentions charges to a card. We don't know about what the actual account status is. It could just be a line on the card bill saying "Apple.com" and one might automatically assume this is associated with an old account.