Client checklist: Apple Account balance blocks a country change

When the App Store will not let you change country

If your iPhone says you must spend your balance before you can change stores, money is still left on your Apple Account. Apple asks you to use it up first.

1. Check that the balance is really what blocks you: in the App Store, tap your photo. A balance shows below your name.
2. Note your current App Store country, the currency and the exact balance, including cents.
3. If there is something you already want to buy in the App Store, spending the balance on it is the simplest route.
4. To bring it to exactly 0, check the free balance calculator: zeroleftapp.com/?src=helper#check It shows whether the balance can be cleared with ZeroLeft's paid in-app packs, how many purchases it takes and whether any amount would come from a card.
5. Before buying anything, review the purchase count, the total and the card amount.
6. If the balance is smaller than the cheapest item, one purchase brings it to exactly 0: the balance covers part and the card on file pays the rest. Without a card, a balance this small cannot be spent on its own and ZeroLeft cannot bring it to 0.
7. Clearing the balance is one step. Cancel subscriptions, wait for pending refunds and check Family Sharing too, then follow Apple's steps: support.apple.com/en-us/118283
8. Never share your Apple Account password or verification codes with anyone, including a helper.

Disclosure: this checklist and the calculator are made by the developer of ZeroLeft, an independent iPhone app. ZeroLeft is not affiliated with Apple. The calculator is free; clearing a balance with ZeroLeft uses paid in-app purchases.