To request a refund for an App Store app, subscription, in-app purchase, or other Apple item, go directly to reportaproblem.apple.com. Sign in with the Apple Account used for the purchase, choose the item, select the most accurate reason, and submit the request.

Apple reviews the request and decides whether to approve it. Filing a request is not a guarantee of a refund, and canceling a subscription does not automatically refund a charge that has already posted.

Apple's available refund options can vary by country or region. The steps below concern Apple's process; the credit-card billing-error section applies to U.S. credit cards.

Submit the refund request

  1. Open reportaproblem.apple.com in your browser.
  2. Sign in with the Apple Account used for the purchase.
  3. Choose I'd like to, then select Request a refund.
  4. Select a reason and choose Next.
  5. Choose the app, subscription, in-app purchase, or other item.
  6. Review the selection and choose Submit.
  7. Save any confirmation and watch for Apple's response by email.

Use the closest truthful reason. For example, say whether the purchase was accidental, duplicated, unauthorized, or did not work as described. Don't describe a family purchase as fraud or claim that an app failed when that was not the problem.

Confirm that Apple billed the purchase

Before opening a request, find the receipt. Search your email for receipt from Apple or invoice from Apple. Apple's receipt can show the item, amount, and Apple Account used for the purchase.

That detail matters if you use more than one Apple Account. Sign in to the account shown on the receipt, not simply the account you use most often.

A Family Sharing purchase can also cause confusion. Check which family member's Apple Account appears on the receipt. For subscription cancellations, Apple directs customers to the family member whose account is shown there.

If the receipt is from Google Play or another marketplace, use that company's process instead. Apple cannot refund a transaction it did not bill.

Reasons to explain in a request

Apple reviews requests individually. A request may involve circumstances such as:

A forgotten cancellation or a change of mind is not an automatic refund right. You can still describe what happened accurately and ask Apple to consider the request.

Be wary of broad claims about fixed Apple refund deadlines, annual request limits, or guaranteed refunds within a certain number of hours. Those claims are not universal Apple guarantees. The options available in your account and Apple's decision on the specific transaction are what control the request.

Cancel subscriptions separately

Cancellation prevents future renewals. It does not itself reverse the latest charge.

On an iPhone or iPad:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap your name.
  3. Choose Subscriptions.
  4. Select the subscription.
  5. Choose the cancellation option.

Apple also provides subscription cancellation instructions for the web, Mac, Windows PC, and other devices.

After cancelling, use the refund portal separately if you want Apple to review a charge that has already been billed. Keep the cancellation confirmation.

If you subscribed to Apple Music or Apple TV on Android and Google Play bills the subscription, cancel it through Google Play rather than through Apple.

If the purchase is missing from the portal

A missing item often points to the wrong account or a different biller. Before contacting Apple, check the following:

  1. The Apple Account named on the receipt
  2. Other Apple Accounts you use
  3. Family members' accounts, if you use Family Sharing
  4. Email receipts and invoices from Apple
  5. Whether Google Play or another marketplace billed the transaction

If Apple still cannot locate the charge, contact Apple Support. Have the purchase date, amount, item name, and receipt or statement details available. Do not send your password or full payment-card number in an email or chat.

Handle unfamiliar charges as a security issue

An unfamiliar Apple-related charge is not always fraud. It may be connected to a Family Sharing member, another Apple Account, or another person with access to the payment method. Check the purchase history and receipts before reporting it as unauthorized.

If nobody authorized the transaction:

A charge mentioned only in an unexpected email or text may be a phishing attempt. Do not use links in that message. Open Apple's site yourself and verify whether the transaction appears in your account and on your financial statement.

Check the request status and refund credit

Apple's approval decision and the arrival of the credit are separate steps. Apple says that, after approval, additional time may be needed for the refund to reach the payment method.

Check:

If Apple says the refund was approved but the credit still does not appear after the normal posting time for your payment method, contact Apple Support with the request confirmation. Your card issuer can also explain how merchant credits appear on its statements.

If Apple denies the request

A denial does not mean you should submit repeated identical requests. Instead, check whether the correct Apple Account and transaction were selected, then gather records that address the problem.

Useful records may include:

Contact Apple Support and ask whether it can review the information. Keep the explanation short and factual. If the concern is an app problem, describe what happened and when. If it is an unauthorized charge, say so clearly and address the security of both the Apple Account and payment method.

When a U.S. credit-card billing dispute may apply

An Apple refund request is not the same as a credit-card billing dispute. A dispute may be appropriate for a qualifying U.S. credit-card billing error, including an unauthorized charge. It is not a substitute for an Apple refund request simply because you changed your mind about a purchase.

The Federal Trade Commission's guidance on disputing credit-card charges says to send the issuer a written dispute so it arrives within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent to you. Keep a copy of the letter.

Under the FTC guidance, the issuer generally must acknowledge the complaint within 30 days unless it has already resolved the problem. It must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, and no later than 90 days after receiving the written notice.

During the investigation, you generally do not have to pay the disputed amount or related finance and other charges. You still need to pay the undisputed part of the bill.

If you changed your billing address, review the FTC's instructions carefully. Its billing-error process includes a condition about giving the issuer written notice of the new address in time.

These U.S. credit-card rules do not automatically apply to debit cards, prepaid cards, ACH payments, bank transfers, or peer-to-peer payments. Contact the relevant payment provider promptly rather than assuming the same deadlines apply.

Keep a clear record

Save the receipt, purchase date, amount, Apple Account used, cancellation confirmation, screenshots, and Apple's response. Start with the Apple receipt, sign in to the account named on it, and submit one accurate request through reportaproblem.apple.com.