How to Get Refunds for Kids' In-App Purchases

Many children's and "freemium" games are built to sell in-game currency, character upgrades, and loot boxes, and a single tap can charge a real card. A known cause of surprise bills is the post-password window: in older App Store and Play Store designs, once a parent had typed a password, the store left a short window (about 15 minutes on Apple, up to 30 minutes on Google) during which no password was required — long enough for a child to rack up dozens of charges.

Regulators treated this as a consumer-protection failure, which is why refunds are well established. In 2014 the FTC required Apple to provide full refunds of at least $32.5 million and Google at least $19 million for children's charges billed without the account holder's informed consent. A federal court found Amazon liable in 2016, clearing the way for more than $70 million in eligible refunds on charges made between November 2011 and May 2016. The durable rule from these cases: platforms must obtain express, informed consent before billing, and you can seek a refund when they did not.

Sign in at reportaproblem.apple.com using the Apple Account that was charged. Choose "I'd like to," then "Request a refund," pick the reason that fits (an accidental or unauthorized purchase by a family member), select the specific item or items, and submit. You can only request a refund after the charge has posted and you have an email receipt — a charge that is still pending is not eligible yet, so wait for the receipt and try again.

Track the outcome at the same site under "Check Status of Claims." Approved refunds return to your original payment method: store-credit refunds can appear within about 48 hours, while a refund to mobile-carrier billing can take up to 60 days to show on a statement. Because eligibility and time windows vary by country or region, request the refund as soon as you notice the charge rather than waiting.

Open your Google Play order history — at play.google.com or in the Play Store app under your profile, then Payments & subscriptions and order history. Find the charge, request a refund, and choose the reason that matches an unauthorized purchase. Google asks you to allow 1–4 days for a decision, and approved refunds return to your original payment method.

Timing is the key detail. The routine refund window for apps, games, and in-app purchases is short — roughly 48 hours — but Google treats unrecognized or unauthorized charges differently and lets you report a purchase you did not make within 120 days of the transaction. If the self-service request is denied, contact Google Play support directly and give specifics: who made the purchases, when, and that the account holder never authorized them.

The platform is the fastest route, but it is not the only one. If Apple or Google declines, your bank or card issuer can still help, because U.S. law gives you the right to dispute unauthorized transfers and charges. Treat these bank-side steps as a backstop after you have tried the store, not as a first move.

For debit-card or bank (ACH) charges, the CFPB describes two tools. You can revoke authorization by telling the company you are withdrawing permission and then telling your bank — in writing — that you have revoked it. You can also place a stop-payment order with your bank, ideally at least three business days before the next scheduled payment. If money already left your account without permission, notify your bank right away; federal law lets you dispute unauthorized electronic transfers when you report them in time. The CFPB publishes sample revocation and unauthorized-transfer letters, and you can file a complaint at consumerfinance.gov or by calling (855) 411-2372.

For credit-card charges, contact your card issuer and ask it to dispute the transaction — commonly called a chargeback. Keep in mind that revoking a payment does not cancel any underlying agreement, and banks may charge a fee for a stop-payment order.

On Apple devices, turn on Ask to Buy through Family Sharing so a child's purchase attempt sends an approval request to the family organizer before any money moves. In Screen Time, open Content & Privacy Restrictions and set purchases to require a password every time rather than remembering it for a window.

On Android, open the Play Store, go to Settings, then Authentication, and turn on "Require authentication for purchases" set to "For all purchases through Google Play on this device." Google's Family Link lets a parent approve or block each purchase from a child's account. Removing saved cards and relying on gift-card balance adds another layer of protection, because there is no card on file to charge.

Whichever route you use, write down the details of each charge: the date, amount, the app or game, the account used, and the fact that the account holder did not authorize the purchase. A short, factual explanation — that a child made the charges without permission — is what refund reviewers and bank dispute teams are looking for.

If you believe a company billed you without informed consent, you can also report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and, for payment problems, to the CFPB. Individual complaints do not assurance a refund, but the FTC's actions against Apple, Google, and Amazon grew out of exactly these consumer reports — and they set the consent standards that make refunds possible today.