Apple Music is their streaming service for music and videos. It has over 90 million songs, playlists, music videos, live radio stations, and more. Users can stream music on Apple devices, Windows PCs, and Android phones and tablets with either a single or a family subscription plan. What if you forget to pay your Apple Music bill on time, though? How long do they give you to pay before they stop letting you use Apple Music?
As an Apple Music subscriber myself, I’ve had this happen a couple times when my credit card expired and I forgot to update my payment information. Based on my experience, Apple tends to be pretty flexible and give you plenty of warning before they disable your account for non-payment. Here’s a breakdown of the timeline and the different alerts you’ll get from Apple if your payment fails for your Apple Music subscription:
The Day Your Payment Fails
On the day your payment fails to process due to an expired card, insufficient funds or another issue Apple will send you an email notification that your subscription payment did not go through. The email will let you know that your subscription has switched to an “inactive” status, but you will still have full access to Apple Music.
This is your first warning that you need to update your payment information. Your account is still fully active at this point, but you’ve been warned that you might soon lose access if you don’t change how you pay.
1 Week After Missed Payment
If your payment is still unpaid 1 week after the initial failure, Apple will send another email notification urging you to update your payment information to avoid having your subscription canceled.
At this point, your account access is unchanged and you can still use Apple Music as normal. Apple is just giving you another reminder before they take any action on your account.
2 Weeks After Missed Payment
If the balance is still not paid two weeks after the first failed payment, Apple will send you one last email warning that you will lose access to Apple Music in one week if payment is not received.
This is your last chance to log in and update your payment information before losing access. Apple gives you a 7 day grace period to avoid having your account disabled.
3 Weeks After Missed Payment
If you still have not updated your payment information 3 weeks after the initial missed payment, Apple will cancel your subscription and disable your access to Apple Music.
At this point, you will no longer be able to stream any music or access any Apple Music content until you reactivate your subscription and pay off the balance owed.
Once your access is cut off, if you try opening the Apple Music app, you’ll get an error message that your membership has ended. The only option will be to resubscribe in order to regain access.
How to Reactivate Your Apple Music Subscription
If your Apple Music subscription gets canceled due to non-payment, reactivating it is simple. Just follow these steps:
- Open the App Store on your device and tap on your profile icon in the top right.
- Tap “Subscriptions” to view your list of subscriptions.
- Find the Apple Music subscription and tap “Renew”.
- Enter your updated payment information and pay any outstanding balance owed.
- Your Apple Music subscription will instantly reactivate, granting you full access once again!
As long as you log in and enter valid payment info within 3 weeks, you won’t lose access to any of your Apple Music content. Apple’s billing process is designed to give subscribers plenty of leeway to fix any payment issues before resorting to account cancellation.
For myself, I appreciate how flexible Apple is about missed payments on Apple Music. It has saved me a couple times when my credit card expired and I forgot to update my card details right away. The multiple reminders ensure I have plenty of warning before losing access.
Hopefully this breakdown gives you a better idea of Apple’s billing timeline and policies related to missed subscription payments. The key takeaways are:
- You’ll receive multiple emailed alerts over 3 weeks before cancellation
- Apple gives you a 1 week grace period to update your payment before disabling your account
- As long as you update your payment within 3 weeks, you won’t lose access
- Reactivating a canceled subscription is quick and easy
Knowing Apple’s policy for missed payments allows you to avoid the headache of losing access to your music library if you ever forget or miss an Apple Music payment. So next time your card expires, be sure update your details promptly when you get that first “Payment Failed” email from Apple!
Why doesnât the payment presented match the amount received in my bank account?
The amount paid on the Payments tab represents the amount our bank has sent to your bank. Payments can be subject to bank fees and transaction costs charged to you by your bank or intermediate financial institutions, reducing the amount when presented on your bank account. Payments indicated as wire transfers would generally be subject to bank fees and transaction costs.
Payment dates and methods
The payment date is the date the payment leaves Appleâs bank. Your bank may or may not credit those funds to you on the same day. We present the payment date in Payments and Financial Reports. For past payments, we display the value as Paid. For any scheduled future payments, we display the date as the Expected Payment Date.
How to Change Apple Music Payment Method (2024) – Full Guide
FAQ
What is the grace period for Apple Music billing?
What happens if you forget to pay Apple Music?
Does Apple Music work if you don’t pay?
Is there a late fee for Apple Music?
How do I pay for my Apple Music subscription?
Your purchases and subscriptions, including Apple Music, will be paid with your primary method at the top of the list. Click the blue upward arrow to move the card to the top. Make sure the payment method you want to use for your subscription is at the top of the list here.
What is the monthly cost of Apple Music?
The monthly cost of Apple Music depends on the plan you choose.You can get a free trial for 1 month if you’re a new subscriber, after which you will be charged **$10.99 per month** .
How does Apple Music work?
Here’s how it works. When you sign up for Apple Music, you’ll get access to all the features of a paid account for the first three months of your subscription. After those initial 90 days, however, you’ll have to choose whether you’re going to continue paying for Apple Music—and keep those paid account features—or downgrade to a free account.
How do I cancel my Apple Music subscription?
You may be asked to sign into your account. Click Manage next to Subscriptions. Click Edit next to your Apple Music subscription. Click Cancel Subscription. Click Confirm. Click Done. As you can see, Cupertino has made it pretty easy to manage your Apple Music subscription across different devices, including iPhone, iPad, and Mac.