# Apple quietly brings card payments back to India's App Store after a five-year gap

> Apple has restored Visa and Mastercard payments on the App Store in India after nearly five years, though money must first be added to the Apple Account Wallet. The move follows Apple completing compliance with the RBI's card tokenisation rules.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Technology · **Published:** 2026-07-07 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/technology/iphone-aura-ipad-men-aba-karda-se-hogi-sidhi-pementa-apple-ne-india-men-phira-shuru-ki-suvidha-5386 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Apple, App Store, Card Payment, RBI Tokenisation, iPhone, iCloud+, UPI, RuPay Card

After a gap of nearly five years, Apple has restored credit and debit card payments on the App Store in India. The company made the move after completing compliance with the Reserve Bank of India's card tokenisation rules, and the change should make buying apps and paying for subscriptions noticeably easier for iPhone and iPad users.

## Which cards work right now
For now, Apple has enabled support for Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards. There is an important catch though, these cards cannot be used to pay directly on the App Store. Users first need to add money to their Apple Account Wallet, and only that wallet balance can then be used to buy apps or pay for subscriptions such as iCloud+. In other words, the card works as a way to top up the wallet rather than as a direct payment method at checkout.

## When will everyone get it
Apple is not switching this on for every account at once, it is rolling the feature out in phases, and it should reach all Apple accounts over the coming days. The existing option of adding money to an Apple Account through UPI continues to work exactly as before, so users effectively have two ways to top up their wallet. Support for RuPay cards could also be added in the coming weeks, which would widen the feature to a much larger base of Indian cardholders.

## Why card payments disappeared five years ago
The backstory here is the RBI's card tokenisation rule, introduced a few years ago to make online payments safer. Under this rule, no company is allowed to store a customer's actual card number and expiry date on its own servers. A secure digital token is generated instead, and every future payment runs through that token rather than the raw card details. Apple was not compliant with this requirement in India, so it simply switched off card payments on the App Store until it could build tokenisation support into its systems. Five years later, that work is done, which is why card payments are back.

## This is not Apple Pay launching in India
Apple has clarified that the return of card support does not mean Apple Pay is now available in India. Apple Pay is the company's contactless payment service, the one used to tap a phone at a store checkout, and it remains unavailable in India. This update is limited strictly to App Store purchases and subscription payments.

## How to add a card and how payments will run
To add a card to an Apple Account, users will need to complete OTP verification. Once a card is saved, it can be removed at any time. Recurring subscriptions like iCloud+ will operate under the RBI's e-mandate framework, meaning the first payment needs explicit OTP approval, while subsequent payments within the pre-approved limit go through automatically after the bank sends a notification, without requiring fresh approval each time.

## What this means for you
- **Across India:** iPhone and iPad users can now top up their Apple Account Wallet with Visa or Mastercard cards to buy apps and subscriptions more easily.
- **For subscribers:** Adding a card stays protected by OTP verification, and recurring payments like iCloud+ will renew automatically within a set limit without needing repeated approval.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. When did Apple restart card payments on the App Store?
Apple has restored credit and debit card payments on the App Store in India after nearly five years.

### 2. Which cards are supported right now?
Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards are currently supported.

### 3. Can a card be used to pay directly on the App Store?
No, money must first be added to the Apple Account Wallet using the card, and only that balance can be used to buy apps or subscriptions.

### 4. Will RuPay cards be supported too?
Support for RuPay cards could be added in the coming weeks.

### 5. Why did card payments stop five years ago?
Apple had not completed compliance with the RBI's card tokenisation rules, so it stopped card payments in India.

### 6. Does this mean Apple Pay has launched in India?
No, Apple has clarified this is only the return of card support, Apple Pay is still not available in India.

### 7. How will subscriptions like iCloud+ be charged?
They will work under the RBI's e-mandate rules, needing OTP approval for the first payment while later payments within the set limit go through automatically.

### 8. Is the option to add money via UPI still available?
Yes, adding money to an Apple Account through UPI remains available just as before.

---
_TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.. Machine-readable view; canonical HTML at the URL above._