Unable to purchase add-on with wallet funds

Niilo 5 Reputation points
2026-05-15T21:51:19.23+00:00

Hello,

I've got my child set up in Microsoft Family Safety. They want a Minecraft add-on that is $9. I put $10 in their wallet. When I approve the requested purchase in Family Safety, it says I need to add more funds. I have a screenshot of it showing both the $10 account balance (in my child's wallet) and the $9 price tag and the incomprehensible request to add more funds.

How do I approve this purchase?

I've spent a lot of time searching the incomplete or out-of-date instructions online. There is one set of instructions that claim to allow you to turn off the "Ask to buy" feature in Family Safety. However, the instructions don't match the actual interface and I can't find an "Ask to buy" feature anywhere.

I'd also appreciate directions on how to purchase a Minecraft add-on directly, for the exact amount it is worth, for my child. Having to put arbitrary amounts of money in their wallet is not acceptable to me. We'd buy more add-ons but I'm not willing to give Microsoft extra money through this scheme.

Thanks.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Family and online safety
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  1. Docta Dave 0 Reputation points
    2026-09-27T18:31:29.93+00:00

    I have the same issue. There is no way to make a purchase from my child's wallet, which they are trying to purchase a $10 item and have $40 in their wallet; don't give me that garbage excuse of taxes pushing the required money over the current wallet amount. There is no option to select the child's wallet as a funding method, simply to add more money to the wallet that has no way to be used as a payment source.

    Also, my child's wallet is set to not needed to ask to make purchases so that's another issue that needs to get sorted out.

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  2. Alex-L 12,745 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-17T08:46:58.2433333+00:00

    Hi Niilo

    I'm sorry to hear you're running into this. This may happens because the listed price doesn’t include tax, so your $10 balance may still be slightly short and the approval flow keeps asking for more funds. This behavior is confusing, but it’s usually expected and not a bug.

    What you can try next:

    1. Add more funds Add a buffer (e.g. $2-$5 extra) to cover taxes.
    2. Or add a payment method to the child account:
      • Sign in to the child’s account → Payment options
      • Add a card/PayPal
      • Keep “Require approval for every purchase” enabled This allows you to approve and pay the exact amount without leaving unused balance
    3. Workaround if approval flow is stuck
      • Family Safety → child → Spending
      • Turn off “Require approval for purchases” temporarily
      • Let the child complete the purchase using the wallet
      • Turn approval back on afterward

    If it still loops, you can temporarily turn off “Require approval for purchases,” complete the purchase using the wallet, then turn approval back on. Hope this helps you get it working without having to waste more time on it.

    Hope you'll get this sorted out!

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