What to Do When Someone Else Makes a Purchase in Your Game
It’s a stressful situation to find a purchase on your account that you didn't authorize. Here's who to contact and how to secure your device.
Discovering an unexpected charge from Travel Town on your bank statement can be alarming. Often, these accidental purchases are made by a child or family member who has access to your device. While the situation is frustrating, it's important to know who is responsible for handling these transactions and what steps you can take to resolve the issue and prevent it from happening again.
Who Handles Refunds for Accidental Purchases?
The first and most important thing to understand is that the developers of Travel Town do not process payments or have access to your financial information. All in-app purchases are securely handled by the platform your device uses: either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
This means that for any unauthorized or accidental purchase, you must go directly to Apple or Google to request a refund. The Travel Town support team cannot issue refunds for these types of situations.
How to Request a Refund
The decision to provide a refund is entirely at the discretion of Apple or Google, based on their specific policies. Here's how to contact them:
- For iPhone and iPad Users (Apple): The best way to request a refund is through Apple's dedicated "Report a Problem" page.
1. Go to reportaproblem.apple.com.
2. Sign in with the Apple ID that was used to make the purchase.
3. Find the Travel Town purchase on your list and click the "Report" or "Report a Problem" button next to it.
4. Choose the reason for your request (e.g., "A child/minor made this purchase without my permission") and submit the form. - For Android Users (Google Play): Google has a similar process for refund requests.
1. Follow the instructions on the official Google Play support page: Learn about refunds on Google Play.
2. You will need to locate the purchase in your order history and select the option to request a refund, explaining the reason for your request.
For a general overview of the refund process, you can also read our guide on "Can I get a refund?"
The Best Solution: How to Prevent Future Accidents
While getting a refund is helpful, the best strategy is to prevent unauthorized purchases from happening in the first place. Both Apple and Google offer robust parental controls and purchase settings that can secure your account.
We strongly recommend setting up purchase authentications on your device. This will require a password, Face ID, or fingerprint for every single in-app purchase, making it impossible for someone else to buy something without your permission.
- On Apple Devices: You can learn how to require a password for purchases here: Prevent in-app purchases from the App Store.
- On Android Devices: You can find instructions for setting up purchase authentication here: Require a password or authentication for purchases.
By taking a few minutes to secure your device, you can ensure your journey in Travel Town remains fun, safe, and free of any unwanted financial surprises.