ZeroLeftWhy small leftovers get stuck
A remaining balance that is less than the cost of a single item cannot be spent on its own. The reason is simple: App Store content is sold at set prices, and a purchase is not allowed to be only partly paid from your balance and partly left unpaid.
Stores sell at price points, such as 0.99 or 1.99 in many currencies, not at any amount. If the balance is 0.20 and the lowest price is 0.29, there is nothing you can buy with 0.20 alone. Spending the balance on its own means finding items priced at or below it.
Apple's gift card article also notes that some purchases might require a credit card on file even when you pay with your Apple Account balance. So the item you choose matters as well as the amount.
The cheapest purchase in major stores
The list below gives the lowest price among the packs ZeroLeft sells in each storefront, taken from the app's own pricing list. It is not a complete list of everything on the App Store, and other developers' items may be priced differently, so always check the price on the confirmation screen before you buy.
Your balance has to be at least this high before one purchase can come out of it alone. Anything lower cannot be spent on its own. The way out is one purchase where the balance covers part and a card on file pays the rest.
- United States (USD), Canada (CAD), United Kingdom (GBP), Germany and France (EUR): 0.29
- Australia (AUD): 0.39
- Poland (PLN), Saudi Arabia (SAR), United Arab Emirates (AED): 0.99
- Switzerland (CHF): 0.30
- Sweden (SEK): 3
- Turkey (TRY): 2.99
- India (INR): 9
- Japan (JPY): 50
- South Korea (KRW): 400
- Brazil (BRL): 0.90
- Mexico (MXN): 5
- Indonesia (IDR): 3,000
- Russia (RUB): 15
How exact combinations work
If your balance is above the lowest price, you can try to cover it with several purchases. Take a US balance of 0.68. A 0.29 item plus a 0.39 item adds up to exactly 0.68, so two purchases bring it to zero with no card. A balance of 0.20 has no such option, because even the lowest price is 0.29.
This is a small subset-sum puzzle. The more price points a store offers below your balance, the more combinations exist and the more likely one hits your balance exactly. A fine price grid, like the one starting at 0.29 in USD, gives many options. Stores whose prices jump in large steps give few.
There is a second practical point: each purchase has to succeed on its own. Apple notes that some payment methods may ask you to verify a purchase with a text message, so allow for a pause between purchases.
When the balance is below the lowest price
There is one way out, and it needs a card on file: make one purchase priced just above your balance and let the card pay the difference, which clears the balance to zero. ZeroLeft, the app made by the author of this site, plans this as one purchase of its cheapest pack: the balance covers part, the card pays the rest, and the balance ends at 0.
If you have no card and your balance is below the cheapest item, ZeroLeft cannot bring it to 0, because nothing can be paid for from the balance alone.
Sales tax in the United States and Canada
In the United States and Canada, sales tax is usually added on top of list prices, and the rate depends on the state or province. This is general knowledge and not taken from an Apple page, so confirm it against your own receipts.
The practical effect is that a 0.99 item may cost slightly more than 0.99 once tax is added, and your balance has to cover the taxed amount. Exact combinations therefore have to be checked against taxed prices, not list prices. Apple's purchase history page says you can search for a charge by its amount if you are unsure what it was.
Disclosure: ZeroLeft is made by the author of this site. ZeroLeft estimates tax from the state or province you pick, then measures your actual tax after the first purchase and plans the rest from that. It shows the amount before each purchase, and the App Store confirmation sheet shows the final price too.
Checking your balance first
Before planning anything, read the balance exactly. On iPhone, open the App Store, tap your photo, initials or the My Account button, and the balance appears below your name if you have one. Enter every digit, including cents, because a missing digit changes the whole answer. If the number looks wrong, Apple suggests signing out of the App Store, signing back in, and checking your purchase history for a renewed subscription.
Questions
Why can't I spend a tiny App Store balance?
Items are sold at set prices. If your balance is lower than the cheapest item, nothing can be paid for from it alone. With a card on file, one purchase where the balance covers part and the card pays the rest brings it to 0.
What is the cheapest thing in the US App Store?
Apple does not publish one list of everything. In ZeroLeft's own US pricing list the lowest price is 0.29 USD, but check the price on the confirmation screen.
Can I combine small purchases to hit my exact balance?
Yes, if the prices of several items add up to your balance exactly, including tax where it applies.
Does sales tax affect my balance?
In the US and Canada tax is generally added to list prices, so the balance has to cover the taxed amount. This is general knowledge, not an Apple statement.