Missing 'Add Card' option in Apple Wallet on 15-year-old's iPhone

I have arranged a call with the Apple support, they have helped me to check the age restriction for Malaysia. It is 16, which explains why his phone does not have the Add Card option in Wallet.

Apple should have put the message in the same Wallet screen to inform the user about this restriction. And the age restriction information by countries is also not publicly available.

Now I'm thinking of whether to change the Region to other country or change his birth year.

I think your best path forward will be to contact Apple Support in your region and ask the specific age restrictions in your country.

Electronic wallets are governed by the banking laws and regulations in your country. Even though Apple has a restriction of 13, your country may require children to be 16, for example. Apple does not maintain a list of restrictions by country or region. Therefore your regional Apple Support team is best positioned to assist at this point. Good luck.

Contact Apple Support - Apple Support

There is an outside chance it’s a hardware issue and again Apple Support can assist with remote diagnostics.

A family organizer or parent/guardian can manage the child’s Screen Time from their own device. The exact settings depend on the iOS version and which parental controls interface the family uses.

In the older Screen Time interface, check,

iPhone > Settings > Screen Time > child’s name] > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps, or Allowed Apps & Features.

Look for Wallet and allow it to restore access or disable it to restrict access. Apple identifies the Wallet switch under Allowed Apps.

Use Screen Time to manage your child's iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

Have you or you son recently changed or updated the age on his Apple Account? Is his iPhone updated to the latest iOS version for his iPhone?

Go to the country/region settings and reselect the correct region. I once had an issue where, despite the fact that it showed the correct region, I couldn't add a card. I re-selected it and all was good.

Is your son’s iPhone signed into the same Apple Account as the one added to Apple Family Sharing Group? Have you or you son recently changed or updated the age on his Apple Account? Is his iPhone updated to the latest iOS version for his iPhone?

Is your child’s age correct in their Apple Account? Is the child part of your Apple Family Sharing Group?

Thanks for your suggestion. I’ve also seen people on YouTube recommend this trick to fix the issue. Unfortunately, I’ve already tried reselecting the correct country/region, but it didn’t work for me.

Yes, the iCloud account added to my Apple Family Sharing group is the same account he uses to sign in to his iPhone. The parental controls I’ve set up are also working on his phone. From time to time, he has to request additional screen time from me or ask for my approval to download an app.

Thank you for the update. Personally I’d just wait until your son is 16. This can lead to issues with the bank and/or Apple in the future. But you’ll need to figure out what works best for all involved. Good luck!

Hi, do you use a VPN?

Hi, no VPN or device management policy in my son's iPhone.

Yes he is under Family sharing group. His age is displayed as “Age 15’ in my Family screen.

No changes or update to his age info on his iCloud account lately. His iPhone XR has been updated to the available latest version.

iPhone > Settings > Screen Time > child’s name] > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps & Features

This step was checked before, the Wallet is always turned on.