Using iTunes credits with Family Sharing

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Using iTunes credits with Family Sharing

I used to have a debit card associated with my Apple ID, but now that we've enabled Family Sharing with a child on the account, I am required to use a credit card. However, I don't want to put iTunes charges on a credit card. I thought I could avoid this by adding iTunes credit to our accounts. So, I decided to test this. We have her settings set to "ask to buy".

I have credit on my (the organizer's) account. I attempted to purchase a song using my daughter's account on her device. I thought I was supposed to get a message on my phone telling me that she was requesting to make a purchase. Instead, I got a message on her account on her device with a pop-up that said I needed to enter my security code (on her device).

My questions:

- Why was I not notified on my device that she was attempting to make a purchase? Nothing I read suggested that she would get messages on her device that I had to enter information on it. Was this a one-off thing for setting it up? Or, does this only work with apps and not music?

- If I entered the security code, would it charge my credit card or would it realize that I had credit on my account and deduct it from there first?

- If I apply credit to her account, is it true that I will not get a message to verify her purchase?

Thanks for any insight.

iPhone 6, iOS 8

Posted on Oct 5, 2014 5:37 PM

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Answer 1

ssschmidt

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5,450 points

Oct 5, 2014 5:42 PM in response to holliamari

iTunes store credit is used for payment if it is on the account. By that, if your daughter has store credit, and she makes a purchase, it would be deducted from her store credit - not yours. So if two children (Billy and John) each have $10.00 in their respective accounts, only THEY can use the credits - iTunes store credit is not shared. If there is not sufficient store credit, then the organizer's credit card will be charged to cover the purchase.

Regarding the pop up security code message, do you still have a restriction set on her device? If so, that could be interfering with the "Ask to Buy" feature of family sharing.

Regarding the last question, I am not sure. The documents are not very specific, but I have read that if Ask to Buy is enabled, you will receive notification if the child tries to download free apps.

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Answer 2

holliamari Author

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Oct 5, 2014 5:55 PM in response to ssschmidt

Thanks for the quick response. So, even if I have credit in my account, and I'm responsible for paying for her purchase, if she initiates a purchase and does not have credit in her account, then the payment comes from my credit card instead? That just seems crazy to me!

I have no restrictions applied; it's turned off entirely. I had just completely wiped this device and added her new iTunes account so I could test the different scenarios.

This was the article I read to try to figure this out, but it's vague on the part regarding whether Ask to Buy still happens if the child's iTunes account has credit on it. http://support.apple.com/kb/ht201079

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Answer 3

ssschmidt

Level 5

5,450 points

Oct 5, 2014 6:02 PM in response to holliamari

Well, the whole point of family sharing and ask to buy is to allow more control over children's accounts while still able to share purchases - Using a single Apple ID (which is what most people used to do), causes conflicts when the accounts are merged (deleting contacts, calendars, etc).

As the "Organizer", providing your credit card was required to cover any purchases made by family members. If they have iTunes credits (IE: Redeemed gift cards), your credit card won't be charged. If they don't, you have agreed to pay those charges (when you or another adult that has permissions to authorize Ask to buy). Otherwise, each child would need their own credit card.

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Answer 4

holliamari Author

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Oct 6, 2014 3:32 AM in response to ssschmidt

I understand the point of it. I simply do not want charges from iTunes going to a credit card. The details were fuzzy so I just tested the different scenarios.

In case anyone else has this problem, I'll share the solution.

- The request to enter my security code on her phone never came up again even though I never entered it. Must have been a glitch.

- I have confirmed if I have credit and she doesn't, it charges my credit card.

- I have confirmed that even if she has credit, it still asks me for permission and if granted, it deducts from her credit. This was the scenario I was hoping for so I am glad it actually works.

Thanks

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