Changing Your App Store Country to the US: the Payment Method Step

If you move to the United States, you can change your Apple Account’s country or region so the App Store and Apple’s services follow you. During the change Apple asks for a payment method you can use in the new country, and a few things can block the change. This guide covers that payment step and the blockers, using Apple’s own support article and terms.

What Apple’s terms say about your country

Apple’s Media Services Terms say: “Our Services are available for your use in your country or territory of residence (“Home Country”). By creating an account for use of the Services in a particular country or territory you are specifying it as your Home Country.” Change your account’s country when you actually move.

Apple also offers a way to do it without a payment method: “If you don’t want to enter a payment method, wait until you’re physically in your new country or region. Then create a new Apple Account.”

Before you change

Apple’s support article lists what to do first:

Spend any remaining Apple Account balance
Cancel subscriptions that block a country or region change, then wait until the end of the subscription period
Wait for any memberships, pre-orders, movie rentals or Season Passes to complete, and for any pending refunds from Apple to process
Check your Family Sharing status: if you are part of a Family Sharing group, you might not be able to change your country or region
Have a valid payment method ready for the new country or region
Redownload your content: some types of content might not be available in your new country or region

The steps

On iPhone or iPad

In Settings, tap your name, then tap Media & Purchases
Tap Country/Region and select your new country or region
Tap Continue, review the Terms & Conditions, then tap Agree
Select a payment method, enter your new payment information and billing address, then tap Done

On a Mac, a Windows PC or the web

Mac: open the Apple Music app or the Apple TV app, choose Account Settings from the Account menu, then click Country/Region
Windows PC: click View My Account, then click Change Country or Region
Web: sign in to account.apple.com, select Personal Information, then select Country/Region

The payment method step

Apple asks for a payment method you can use in the new country or region. For the United States it lists most credit and debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Apple Cash, Apple Card and Apple Account balance
Enter a billing address that matches the information on file with your card issuer: Apple’s support article says your billing details must match it
If you have just moved and do not have a US bank card yet, a prepaid card from a US-issued BIN range, entered with the US billing address shown on the card, fits that list
In our data from the last 90 days (2026-08-07 to 11-04), about 99% of Apple charges on our cards with a recorded merchant currency were billed in US dollars, and almost everyone who completed an Apple charge used a card from a US-issued range

If the change is blocked

What blocks it	What to do
A remaining Apple Account balance	Spend it. If it is less than the cost of a single item, Apple says to contact Apple Support to clear it
An active subscription	Cancel it and wait until the end of the subscription period
Pending memberships, pre-orders, rentals, Season Passes or refunds	Wait for them to complete
A Family Sharing group	Apple says you might not be able to change; its terms say all family members must share the same Home Country
The new payment method is declined	Check the card balance, the card details and the billing address; see our Apple payment declined guide

FAQ

Can I change my App Store country without a payment method?

Apple’s support article says that if you don’t want to enter a payment method, you can wait until you are physically in your new country or region and then create a new Apple Account.

What happens to my Apple Account balance and gift cards?

Apple asks you to spend any remaining balance before the change. It also says Apple Gift Cards, App Store Gift Cards and unused Apple Account balance cannot be redeemed or returned for cash, except as required by law.

Will I lose my apps and purchases?

Apple suggests redownloading your content before the change, because some types of content might not be available in your new country or region.

Do I need a US card to change my country to the US?

You might need to enter a valid payment method for the new country. For the United States, Apple lists most credit and debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Apple Cash, Apple Card and Apple Account balance.

Can I change to the US if I do not live there?

Apple’s terms make its services available in your country or territory of residence, your “Home Country”. We do not advise setting an Apple Account to a country you do not live in.

Official sources

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