Apple In-App Purchases Settlement Approved, Get Your Free $5 Now

Did your child take your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch and then make in-app purchases without your knowledge? Apple has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit that was brought forth over its old in-app purchases.

Under terms of the settlement, customers can file a claim for their share of the fee. Apple will credit anywhere from $5 in iTunes credit to the entire cost of any unintentional in-app purchases via in-game currency.

To qualify for the $5 iTunes credit, just fill out this claim and then check the box that says you unknowingly allowed a minor to make in-app purchases without permission. You must also swear that you have not already received a refund.

If you no longer have an iTunes account, you can also choose to receive $5 or more in cash.

According to the settlement, for refunds higher than $5 but less than $30, Apple users can fill out an itemized refund form which requires you to look up the names of every app involved. Only games with ratings of 4+, 9+, or 12+ qualify for the rebate and only if they were purchased prior to May 2, 2013.

If a parent’s child spent more than $30, they must fill out the itemized payments form and then “describe in narrative form and under penalty of perjury” the circumstances that allowed a child to make such large in-app purchases.

The settlement only provides potential refunds if parents notified the seller of the unauthorized purchases within 45 days of the purchase period.

If you plan on requesting a refund, you must submit your claim by January 13, 2014.

In 2013, Apple added a warning to App Store listings that highlights to customers when an Apple iOS app contains extra in-app items for sale.

While the new Apple system isn’t foolproof, it is meant to ensure that children do not make thousands of dollars in purchases without their parents knowledge.