With iCloud Family Sharing, one family member (an adult, the organizer) can share Apple subscriptions, iCloud storage, and App Store purchases with up to five other family members in a simple and efficient way. Each family member keeps their own Apple account but has access to the shared content through the family group. Although Family Sharing is a well-organized system, many users who are part of a family group don’t know how to add their own payment method in iCloud for purchases.
The scenario is as follows: You are a member of a family group, and when you try to subscribe to an Apple service (iCloud storage, Apple Music, App Store apps, or other services), the purchases are made using the payment method set by the group organizer. In other words, the family group organizer automatically pays for all purchases made by other members of the group. The problem becomes more complicated when you try to add your own payment method in iCloud but don’t see that option.
Normally, when you want to add a payment method to your Apple account, the steps are as follows:
1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Go to your Apple account settings (tap your name at the top).
3. Go to the payment method options (Payment & Shipping).
Here is where the issue arises for those in a family group. Instead of the option to add their own payment method for Apple services, they only see that purchases are shared (Purchase Sharing).
Table of Contents
What needs to be done so that family members can add their own payment method in iCloud?
For family members (Family Sharing) to be able to add their own payment method in iCloud, the group organizer must disable the Purchase Sharing option. When this option is enabled by the family group organizer, all purchases made by family members are billed using the payment method added by the organizer. In other words, no member of Family Sharing can purchase apps or subscribe to Apple services using their own payment card.
Thus, the Family Sharing organizer needs to access the family group settings on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and then disable purchase sharing. To do this, they should follow the steps below:
1. The Family Sharing organizer opens the Settings app.
2. Go to the family group options and settings (Family). This option is located under the personal Apple account settings.
3. In Family settings, go to the Purchase Sharing options.
4. Disable purchase sharing with other family members (Stop Purchase Sharing).
5. Confirm the deactivation of purchase sharing (Stop Sharing).
In the image below, the steps the family group organizer (Family Sharing) needs to follow to disable Purchase Sharing are illustrated.
Once the organizer disables payment sharing, family members can add their own payment method in iCloud (Apple account) to make app purchases and subscribe to Apple services. They can manage their own expenses and add their own payment card.
Disabling Purchase Sharing will not affect the sharing of other services. iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Fitness+, and other services will remain shared with members of the Family Sharing group.
How can you add a payment method to your personal Apple account?
1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Go to your Apple account settings (tap your name at the top).
3. Go to the payment method options (Payment & Shipping).
4. Tap the option to add a payment method (Add Payment Method).
5. You can choose a payment method such as Apple Pay, Credit/Debit Card, Apple Card, or mobile payment (available for some mobile carriers).
Once the payment method is added, the user can purchase apps and games from the App Store or Apple subscriptions (iCloud storage, Fitness+, Apple TV+) using their own funds.
In conclusion, when the Purchase Sharing option is enabled, family members cannot add their own payment methods for purchases. Group organizers can decide whether to keep this setting active or disable it to offer family members more financial freedom.
What you need to know about sharing Apple subscriptions with the Family Sharing option
Purchases of apps, games, and Apple services made by a user in the group cannot be shared with other Family Sharing members if the Purchase Sharing option is disabled. Only the organizer can share Apple subscriptions and apps purchased from the App Store.
If the organizer shares a subscription that offers iCloud storage, all group members will be able to use that storage for their personal files, just like the organizer. The Family Sharing organizer cannot impose storage usage limits on group members within the shared subscription.
If the Purchase Sharing option is disabled, any group member can add their own payment method and purchase Apple subscriptions. When a non-organizer Family Sharing member subscribes separately to iCloud+, that subscription cannot be shared with other group members. However, if this group member uses space from the shared iCloud+ storage, all their data can be automatically transferred to their personal account.
Let’s take the scenario where the Family Sharing organizer shares an iCloud+ subscription with 2 TB of storage, from which they use 200 GB, Sabrina (a family member) uses 300 GB, and other users together occupy 500 GB. This means that the available storage space in iCloud for the whole family is 1 TB. If Sabrina separately subscribes to iCloud+ with 2 TB of storage, she will have the option to move her 300 GB from the organizer’s storage to her personal one (the transfer is done instantly from iCloud+ settings). Thus, the available storage for other group members will be 1.3 TB.
Related: How to cancel iCloud+ subscription from iPhone or Mac
In other words, storage purchased by another user in the group will not add to the storage purchased by the organizer, nor can it be shared with other Family Sharing members.
