Apple has stopped accepting payments through debit and credit cards for subscriptions and app purchases in India through its App Store. At the time of writing, the Cupertino giant only allows payments through netbanking and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

This development means users can no longer use their debit card or credit card to buy apps, subscribe to services such as iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple One. Users will also not be able to purchase or rent any movies using their cards on Apple TV.

The move is a result of the new auto-debit rules enforced by the Reserve Bank of India last year, which have disrupted recurring online transactions, especially for subscription-based services such as over the top (OTT) video streaming platforms and music platforms like Spotify and YouTube Music. However, Apple is among the few companies to outright stop accepting card payments — other companies such as Netflix have allowed users to again set up a recurring charge on their cards.

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Apple's support page, which lists the payment methods accepted in each country it operates in, currently shows that it only accepts netbanking, UPI, and Apple ID balance to receive payments in India. According to another post on the Apple Support page, the change occurred on April 18.

"Regulatory requirements in India apply to the processing of recurring transactions. If you hold an Indian debit or credit card and you have a subscription, these changes impact your transactions. Some transactions might be declined by banks and card issuers," Apple said in the post on its support page.

Under the RBI's rules auto-debit rules that came into effect last October, any recurring transactions debited automatically from debit, credit, or prepaid cards will require explicit approval before the transaction goes through. Under the new norms, banks are required to inform in advance and seek approval from customers on recurring payments due. Additional approval is needed for recurring transactions over Rs 5,000.

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First Published:May 5, 2022 8:06 PM IST