Apple recently had to make changes in their payment methods in India. Due to new RBI guidelines, Apple can no longer accept cards and other payment methods for their services in India, which leaves their users in a certain dilemma on how to buy a subscription to Apple Music in India.
The third-party payment services and card-based payment services have been disabled from the service. There’s no direct payment method to buy a subscription to Apple Music, which stops new users from experiencing it. However, removing some payment methods doesn’t necessarily mean buying the subscription now is impossible.
There are still alternate payment methods to buy the subscription for Apple Music in the country. Even though it’s a very lesser-known, yet a straightforward method. So if you want to buy and use Apple Music in India and are confused about how to subscribe to it, you are at the right place. Please stick with us till the end to discover all the possible payment methods to buy Apple Music plans in India.
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Why Apple Music doesn’t support direct payment methods in India?
Due to the new RBI guidelines, which reportedly do not allow any service provider to use auto debit services on credit and debit cards, Apple Music had to remove the option to use card-based payment services. It was because of the plan being a recurring payment. The new guidelines only allow UPI and net banking for recurring transactions. But yet, you won’t find a net banking option easily in Apple Music.
Let’s see how you can buy the plan officially with other methods.
Methods to subscribe to Apple Music in India
There are two methods to buy Apple Music in India and both of them work pretty well. While the first one is kind of straightforward, the latter one is hidden and not everyone knows about it. Let’s look at them one by one.
Buying an Apple Music subscription using a Gift Card
You can buy an Apple Music subscription plan in India using a gift card. It is a pretty easy method and will work for almost everyone. First of all, you will need to buy an Apple gift card from any digital store or other method convenient to you. For reference, we are going to buy the Apple gift card from Paytm.
To buy a gift card from Paytm, open the app, then click on the search bar and type Apple.
Now click on the “Apple Store” code. Then enter the amount of which you want to buy the plan and make the payment. Your code will be sent to you over email and will be visible once the payment is done.
Now, after buying the Gift card, follow these steps to redeem it and buy the subscription.
- Head over to music.apple.com. You can use mobile app as well, but we recommend the website for easier-to-use purposes.
- Now log in with your account. Once done, click on your Profile icon and then click on Settings.
- The settings menu will now open in front of you. Click on “Redeem promotional code”.
- Now enter your code and click on “Continue”.
- Go back to the Apple Music settings page and check for Apple ID Balance. It would be updated.
- Now scroll down to the Settings menu page of Apple Music. Under the subscription tab, click on “Manage”.
- Choose your desired subscription plan and hit Enter. That’s it. Your money will be automatically debited from your Apple ID balance.
Pretty easy, isn’t it? Also, make sure to load your Apple ID balance with the subscription balance before the renewal due date to enjoy a seamless experience. You can also choose to cancel to upgrade to other plans later.
Buying an Apple Music subscription using UPI
You can also buy an Apple Music subscription using the UPI payment method. However, keep in mind that this is not very reliable yet. In our case, this payment method doesn’t work the majority of the time. Anyway, you can still try as this is the only other method to buy the plan in the country.
- First of all, open the Apple Music website or app.
- Now click on your profile icon, then click on Settings. (Click on the Accounts option if using the app)
- Now click on Payment Information.
- You will be able to enter your UPI ID and payment address now.
- After entering it, press “Done” to save it.
- That’s it. You can now subscribe to any plan and you will receive the payment request on your previously entered UPI ID.
Further, if you already have an active subscription plan then you won’t be able to edit the payment information until or unless your current plan expires. The other case is that you may not get editing access when you already have enough balance in your Apple ID for renewal.
Frequently Asked Questions
This change in the guidelines isn’t specific to Apple Music only. The Reserve Bank of India has updated this to ensure no spam transactions are done and the money of the citizens remains safe. All the platforms are prohibited from using debit and credit cards for recurring transactions.
Many users are encountering the issue where UPI payment methods aren’t working for them. There can be two possible reasons behind this; you either have an active plan or some money in your Apple ID sufficient enough for the next renewal. If none, then there’s nothing much you can do about it. You should rather go with the gift card method.
No. Your Apple ID Balance remains intact even if you don’t use it for anything. However, if you have an active plan then some balance, equivalent to your plan price will be deducted automatically during the renewal. You may cancel the plan before its renewal.
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