iPhone 11 How can my kid purchase an iPhone app while I’m the Leader in our FAMILY SHARING Account?

[HappyDude20]

I’m the main account on the family sharing account.
It’s me, my wife and my three kids.

One of my kids age 17 is currently on the other side of the country and called me this morning stating he needs to purchase a specific app for his summer schooling program. The app costs $20. He wants to know how to purchase the app himself on his iPhone without charging my default credit card that’s associated with the Apple family sharing account.

Not sure if he can type in his debit card info for this one purchase, or maybe if he’d have to go to Walmart and buy a $20 Apple gift card.
Tips recommended as I’m lost.
We’re both on iOS 14 btw.

 

[RRC]

Can he not just transfer you $20 and download it using your card associated with the account?

But yes in theory he can get an Apple gift card and pay for it that way.

 

[BrettDS]

One way apple tries to make sure that people are using family sharing for actual families and not just a bunch of friends or strangers sharing app purchases is to require that all purchases by every member of the group use a single credit card.

However, if someone in a family sharing group has iTunes credit then their purchases will be paid by their iTunes credit first and the family credit card second (if there is not enough credit for the whole purchase). So the only option is for him to get an iTunes card, apply it to his account, then make the purchase. Note that a lot of stores offer e-delivery for iTunes cards, so he won‘t need to go to a physical store. He can make the purchase online and get emailed a code to apply the credit to his account.

Obviously there is also the option of using your card and transferring the money to you as well.

 

[HappyDude20]

Yes as a last resort I’m okay with my card being charged for his purchase. However the Main reason I got family sharing was cause I have so many apps and usually whenever someone in the family wants to buy one I already own it. But not this one specific schooling app he needs. And what’s more is that the school eventually reimburses him for the $20 at the end of the school year in June.

He ended up buying an iTunes gift card and buying it that way.
Thank you!!!