Why is the App Store requiring me to have a payment method on free apps?

You can download free apps, but you may need to have a valid payment method on file, even if the app you want to download is free. 

You can have a credit card / debit card on file and an Apple Account balance.

If you have set your Apple Account balance as your default payment method, your default payment method will be used first by Apple when you need to make a payment.

Free apps has also In-app pruchase.

See -> Buy additional app features with in-app purchases and subscriptions

Buy additional app features with in-app purchases and subscriptions

See also -> Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions

Legal - Apple Media Services - Apple

 -----

See -> Add a payment method to your Apple ID

Add a payment method to your Apple ID – Apple Support (UK)

• If you want to change your card, you need to add first the new card, then remove the old card.
• or if you want to use your Apple ID balance, you need to set your Apple ID balance as your default payment.

See also the following Apple articles:

Payment methods you can use with your Apple ID

Payment methods you can use with your Apple ID – Apple Support (UK)

fyi: Not all credit & debit cards seem to work with App Store / iTunes Store, try a different one, or preferably a credit card.

If your card is not accepted as a paymenf method, you need to contact your bank.

Whenever I try to download a free game it keeps asking me for a payment method why please help me

im Trying to download free apps and it keeps charging my card for $10.81. I have no unknown subscriptions, or any other purchases that I don’t know of. I tried to download Spotify and it tried to charged me and has been trying to ever since. This is lowkey theft and I need an answer rn…

laureen275 wrote:

I want to download apps but it wants me to pay what I want to download

If the apps are not free, you will have to pay for them.

If the apps are "free", you will not be charged for downloading them. However, many "free" apps have "in-app purchases" making them like vending machines or coin-operated arcade games. If you make "in-app purchases", those will cost real money and your payment method will be charged for them.

You will need to contact Apple and the app developer to resolve this matter. This is a user-to-user forum, and just because you say something is “lowkey theft” and that you “need an answer” (that you want to hear) “rn” (right now), does not mean that we can “fix” things for you.

I want to download apps but it wants me to pay what I want to download