Apple brings back card payments for Apple Account purchases in India after a four-year hiatus

Apple has made the backend changes needed to support card payments under India’s regulatory framework, according to a person familiar with the matter. The phased rollout began recently and is expected to expand to all eligible users over time. Apple has also updated its support documentation to reflect the change.

The framework, introduced by the Reserve Bank of India in 2021 and implemented in stages, required merchants and payment providers to introduce stronger customer authentication for recurring card payments and adopt tokenized card credentials, while preventing merchants from storing customers’ card details. The transition disrupted subscription billing for many domestic and international companies before they updated their payment systems.

“It’s long overdue but happening finally. This solves one of the friction points for subscription renewals,” said Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint Research.

Apple’s services business in India has continued to grow at a double-digit pace despite the lack of direct card payments, but restoring the option becomes increasingly important as the company’s installed base expands and more users expect multiple ways to pay, he told TechCrunch.

The restoration of card payments is also likely to rekindle speculation about Apple Pay in India, following media reports that the company has explored bringing the service to the country. Apple has not announced any plans to launch the mobile payments service in India.

Apple did not respond to a request for comments.