Table of Contents Show
Apple has begun reinstating credit and debit card payment options for Apple Account purchases in India, ending a four-year suspension that started in May 2022. The phased rollout, reported by TechCrunch on July 6, 2026, allows Indian users to add eligible Visa and Mastercard cards for subscriptions like iCloud+ and Apple Music, as well as App Store purchases, reflecting Apple’s ongoing effort to align its services with India’s evolving payments regulations.
Why Apple Paused Card Payments in 2022
Apple suspended card based payments in India after the Reserve Bank of India introduced a recurring payments framework requiring tokenized card credentials, stronger customer authentication, and a ban on merchants storing card details. The transition disrupted subscription billing for many domestic and global companies. In the interim, Apple users in India relied on UPI, net banking, and Apple Account balance top-ups to manage purchases and renewals.
What’s Changing Now
According to TechCrunch, Apple has made backend updates reportedly aligned with RBI’s framework, enabling the phased return of card payments. The rollout is expanding gradually to eligible users rather than launching all at once. Apple has also updated its official support documentation to reflect the change.
Why This Matters
This shift matters beyond convenience. It signals how global tech companies increasingly must adapt core payment infrastructure to meet country specific regulations rather than deploying a single global system. Similar regulatory driven changes have already reshaped Apple’s App Store operations in the European Union, Japan, and South Korea. For Indian users, the return of card payments removes a recurring friction point—renewing subscriptions without relying solely on UPI or manual balance top ups.
What’s Next
Apple has not confirmed any plans to launch Apple Pay in India, despite ongoing speculation and past reports of stalled negotiations with banks. Whether card payment restoration signals broader payment ambitions in India remains unclear.
How to Add a Card to Your Apple Account: Quick Guide
For users wondering how tokenized card payments work on Apple devices, here’s a general breakdown of the process:
Understanding Card Tokenization Tokenization replaces sensitive card details with a unique digital identifier, or “token.” Instead of storing actual card numbers, Apple and the bank exchange encrypted tokens, reducing fraud risk and meeting RBI’s data storage restrictions.
Typical Steps to Add a Card to an Apple Account
- Open Settings and tap your Apple Account name at the top.
- Select “Payment & Shipping.”
- Tap “Add Payment Method.”
- Choose a credit or debit card and enter the required details.
- Complete the bank’s authentication step, such as an OTP, to verify and tokenize the card.
Also Read: Meta Launches Pocket, a Generative AI App for Building Games and Interactive Content
