Apple restores card payments for Apple Account in India after 4-year pause
Original: Apple brings back card payments for Apple Account purchases in India after a four-year hiatus
Why This Matters
Card payment restoration signals Apple's deeper compliance push in India's fast-growing services market.
Apple has resumed card payment support for Apple Account purchases in India, more than four years after suspending the option in May 2022. Users can now add eligible Visa and Mastercard credit/debit cards to pay for iCloud+, Apple Music, and App Store purchases. The phased rollout follows Apple's backend updates to comply with India's RBI recurring payments framework.
Apple has begun a phased restoration of card payments for Apple Account purchases in India, over four years after withdrawing the option in May 2022. The change allows Indian users to add eligible Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards to their Apple Account for subscriptions such as iCloud+ and Apple Music, as well as App Store purchases. During the intervening years, users had relied on UPI, net banking, and Apple Account balance.
The suspension was triggered by India's Reserve Bank of India (RBI) framework introduced in 2021, which required stronger customer authentication for recurring card payments, mandated tokenized card credentials, and prohibited merchants from storing raw card data. The transition disrupted subscription billing across numerous domestic and international companies.
According to a source familiar with the matter, Apple has completed the backend changes required to comply with this framework. The rollout is expected to expand to all eligible users over time, and Apple has updated its support documentation accordingly.
Counterpoint Research Director Tarun Pathak called the move "long overdue," noting it addresses friction in subscription renewals. He added that Apple's services business in India has continued to grow at a double-digit pace despite the card payment gap, but restoring the option becomes increasingly important as Apple's installed base expands. The development has also renewed speculation about a potential Apple Pay launch in India, though Apple has made no such announcement.