My Kid Bought $300 Worth of In-App Purchases. Here's What I Did.

My six-year-old somehow bought $300 worth of gems in a mobile game. I was furious, panicked, and then I got every cent back. Here is exactly what I did.

I handed my phone to my kid to keep them busy during a long car ride. In 20 minutes they managed to buy three $99.99 in-app purchase packs. Apple Pay was set up with Face ID and my kid figured out how to hold the phone up to my face while I was driving.

I noticed the charges on my credit card notification. My heart sank. $300 gone.

I immediately went to Apple's support page and requested a refund for each of the three charges. Reason: "Purchase made by a minor without authorization." I explained that a child made the purchases without my knowledge.

Within 24 hours, Apple refunded all three charges. Full $300 back.

Apple has a specific policy for unauthorized purchases made by minors. It is well-established. Other platforms have similar policies. Google Play processed a similar refund for a friend whose kid spent $150 on in-app purchases.

Important: disable in-app purchases in your device settings. On iPhone: Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases > In-app Purchases > Don't Allow. Do this before handing your device to a child.

I learned this lesson the expensive way. But at least Apple refunded it quickly.