I did not make this purchase, my bank account has not been charged, but Apple is still showing an outstanding balance on my account. What should I do?
In March 2026, I used an app on my Mac and signed up for a 7-day free trial, which would then automatically renew as a one-year subscription. Of course, I proactively cancelled the subscription before the trial period ended.
Today, I used the app again because I no longer needed it and wanted to delete my account. Before deleting my account through the app, I checked the purchase/subscription section and confirmed that I did not have any active subscription with the app. I then proceeded to delete my account.
However, after completing the account deletion, a one-year subscription for this app suddenly appeared in my Apple ID purchase/subscription history. It is currently showing as a failed payment and an outstanding balance owed to Apple. I did not subscribe to or authorize this subscription, and my bank has not sent me any notification or record of a payment for this amount.
I contacted the app’s support team, and they confirmed that there was no subscription or purchase associated with my account at the time I deleted it. My bank has also confirmed that there has been no payment made to this app.
I would like to dispute this unexpected subscription with Apple and have the outstanding charge removed from my account. However, Apple Support in Vietnam has told me that I need to pay the outstanding amount first and then request a refund. I consider this extremely risky because I would have to pay a large amount for a subscription that I never purchased, while there is no guarantee that my refund request would be approved.
Even after I clearly explained the situation, Apple Support in Vietnam told me that they could not clear the outstanding balance because their support guidelines do not cover this particular situation, and that they could only suggest the payment-and-refund process.
I do not agree with this solution. I do not believe I should be required to pay for a subscription that I never purchased or authorized, especially when both the app developer and my bank have confirmed that there was no corresponding purchase or payment.
What should I do in this situation? Is there another way for Apple to investigate the transaction and remove the unauthorized outstanding balance without requiring me to pay for it first?
