elvisbrown
Level 1 (4 points)
iPhone

Q: Unable to change App store unless I pay in every country I visit

I am a Kiwi travelling in the UK. I bought a SIM card from a UK telco when I arrived rather than pay the outrageous roaming charges of my NZ telco.

 

I tried to download the UK telco's app to manage my account but was unable to as it is only available in the UK app store and NOT the NZ app store which my iPhone is tied to. So I followed the instructions on the iphone to change my app store to the UK app store.

 

Long story short, this does not work, the error message I consistently got was  "invalid payment method" and I wasted many hours going through this to see if I had missed anything.

 

So I rang Apple Support to find out what my options were. I was told that what was happening was correct and that I needed a valid payment method for the country I was visiting. The fact that I am using my credit card without any issues was irrelevant. My best choice was to open a UK bank account then get a UK credit card and that would then be accepted and I could then change to the UK app store. Seriously!

 

When I pointed out that I was on holiday and did not have a residential address in the UK I was told that the only other option was to purchase a UK iTunes card and use that for the payment method, but when I left the UK I could not get a refund on that card purchase and that I had to either use it or lose it. I asked if that applied to every country I would be travelling in and that was confirmed as well.

 

This meant that effectively I was prevented from using any app that is not in the NZ app store and there was no alternative unless I was willing to pay Apple for the privilege and I would have had to do that for EVERY country that we are planning to visit! Outrageous!

 

As a consequence of this, apart from being unable to see the usage of minutes and data on our iPhones, we also missed out of many discount apps and other really useful apps for travelling in the UK. I was dumbfounded by this and still am.

 

So be warned that if you are an iPhone user and are planning on travelling overseas just leave your iPhone at home.

iPhone 5s, iOS 9.3.2

Posted on Jun 8, 2016 2:36 AM

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elvisbrown

Q: Unable to change App store unless I pay in every country I visit

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  • by LACAllen,

    LACAllen LACAllen Jun 8, 2016 3:17 AM in response to elvisbrown
    Level 5 (4,616 points)
    iCloud
    Jun 8, 2016 3:17 AM in response to elvisbrown

    Are you saying that apps already installed while you resident in NZ would not work?

  • by elvisbrown,

    elvisbrown elvisbrown Jun 8, 2016 9:43 AM in response to LACAllen
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 8, 2016 9:43 AM in response to LACAllen

    Thanks for the interest.

     

    No, I m not saying that. I am saying that I am unable to download any app from the UK (or any other) app store.

  • by LACAllen,

    LACAllen LACAllen Jun 8, 2016 10:11 AM in response to elvisbrown
    Level 5 (4,616 points)
    iCloud
    Jun 8, 2016 10:11 AM in response to elvisbrown

    OK... than I would suggest your advice should be to make sure you have all the apps you need before leaving home vs. don't bother with the iPhone at all.

     

    I empathize with your situation, but if you did not need an app while you were away, this might not have been an issue.

     

    The culprit here is part developers and part political. I am sure if Apple could have one global store worldwide they would. Myriad tax schemes, protectionist governments and consumer law are all part of the issue.

  • by elvisbrown,

    elvisbrown elvisbrown Jun 8, 2016 11:15 AM in response to LACAllen
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 8, 2016 11:15 AM in response to LACAllen

    Thanks for the comments.

     

    I think you miss the point a bit. You cannot download the apps you need before you leave if they are not available in your country. As per my post, I could not download the UK telco's app in my home country, it is only available in the UK.

     

    As for the culprit, it rests purely with Apple and no-one else. This is not a problem for the other phone crowd and I have yet to hear a rational or even logical explanation for this stupidity. Again, to refer to my original post, my NZ credit card was used all over the UK in shops, restaurants, hotels, you name it, without any issues, but Apple deem it to be invalid to download a free app??? Please!

  • by Chris CA,

    Chris CA Chris CA Jun 8, 2016 11:19 AM in response to elvisbrown
    Level 9 (79,451 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 8, 2016 11:19 AM in response to elvisbrown

    You can only purchase apps in the store of the country you are physically located in.

     

    Get an ITunes Gift card in the country you are located in, change your iTunes store country.

  • by Chris CA,

    Chris CA Chris CA Jun 8, 2016 11:38 AM in response to elcpu
    Level 9 (79,451 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 8, 2016 11:38 AM in response to elcpu

    elcpu wrote:

    Create an iTunes Store, App Store, or iBooks Store account without a credit card or other payment method - Apple Suppor…

    I recommend NOT creatIng a new account.

  • by elcpu,

    elcpu elcpu Jun 8, 2016 11:46 AM in response to Chris CA
    Level 6 (15,946 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jun 8, 2016 11:46 AM in response to Chris CA

    I agree, the article I linked said so!!! I can see his point however, all other places take his CC but he is not able to use it for a free app on the iTunes Store.

  • by KiltedTim,

    KiltedTim KiltedTim Jun 8, 2016 12:16 PM in response to Chris CA
    Level 9 (55,031 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 8, 2016 12:16 PM in response to Chris CA

    Chris CA wrote:

     

    elcpu wrote:

    Create an iTunes Store, App Store, or iBooks Store account without a credit card or other payment method - Apple Suppor…

    I recommend NOT creatIng a new account.

    If the ONLY thing it would be used for would be to download a single free app to manage the mobile account for the carrier he's using in the UK, I don't see it as a big problem. True, it's kind of a kludge, but it would get the job done.

  • by elcpu,

    elcpu elcpu Jun 8, 2016 12:25 PM in response to KiltedTim
    Level 6 (15,946 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jun 8, 2016 12:25 PM in response to KiltedTim

    KiltedTim wrote:

    it would get the job done.

     

    My reason for linking the article... just an option   

  • by elvisbrown,

    elvisbrown elvisbrown Jun 8, 2016 1:14 PM in response to KiltedTim
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 8, 2016 1:14 PM in response to KiltedTim

    Thank you all for your input.

     

    At the risk of being misunderstood I would really like to say that I do not accept the limitations imposed by Apple as being either reasonable or acceptable. Some of your solutions are ones that seem to accept the Apple imposed limitations as being acceptable and therefore the need is to find a way of working within these senseless limitations.

     

    If it really was an issue of just one free app in just one country then maybe I could say it was not such a big deal but please accept it when I say I am not being incendiary or disrespectful when I say that other countries may be more advanced in mobile technology and its application to everyday life than the US.

     

    Almost everywhere I went I saw links to apps that related to tourist information specifically for the areas we were in, discounts in stores and hotels we were staying in and lots more besides. In short I felt thwarted on a daily basis on what I could use my iPhone for.

     

    Please also bear in mind that I have no choice about using the App Store, there is no alternative, at least that I know of, so I am locked into a system that will dictate to me when and where I may use MY iPhone unless I am willing to pay Apple for a solution that works for them but is useless and expensive to me.

     

    <Edited by Host>

  • by elcpu,

    elcpu elcpu Jun 8, 2016 12:46 PM in response to elvisbrown
    Level 6 (15,946 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jun 8, 2016 12:46 PM in response to elvisbrown

    http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

  • by elvisbrown,

    elvisbrown elvisbrown Jun 9, 2016 6:50 AM in response to elcpu
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 9, 2016 6:50 AM in response to elcpu

    Thank you I will follow that up.

     

    My final comments are these:

    Would you accept a car manufacturer setting conditions on how and where you can use a car you have paid for and own outright?

    Would you you accept a pen manufacturer telling you that you can only write on paper you have purchased in your own country?

    Would you allow a clothing manufacturer dictate which accessories you could wear with their clothes if you are in another country?

     

    Today, I took a bus near London only to read on the bus that if I downloaded the bus company's app I could get cheaper fares unfortunately this was yet another offer that Apple prevents me from accepting. Seem fair to you?

  • by Chris CA,

    Chris CA Chris CA Jun 9, 2016 6:48 PM in response to elvisbrown
    Level 9 (79,451 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 9, 2016 6:48 PM in response to elvisbrown

    elvisbrown wrote:

     

    Thank you I will follow that up.

     

    My final comments are these:

    Would you accept a car manufacturer setting conditions on how and where you can use a car you have paid for and own outright?

    Would you you accept a pen manufacturer telling you that you can only write on paper you have purchased in your own country?

    Would you allow a clothing manufacturer dictate which accessories you could wear with their clothes if you are in another country?

    You are comparing apples to oranges.

    What is preventing you from using your iPhone where you want?

    Nothing.