How purchases work
Who sells you a booster, and who takes the money
Three parties, one payment processor, one receipt. The receipt decides who you talk to when something goes wrong.
Checked · 6 min readSpending, explained · Australia
What a free game costs, and who takes the payment
Orazevix explains the money side of free-to-play puzzle games for readers in Australia: which company charges your card, where the controls live on each phone, how a refund request is actually made, and which consumer guarantees no terms of service can remove.
Four terms worth knowing
Everything else on this site is built on these. Two are labels printed on the store listing; two describe what is being sold.
Contains ads
A Google Play label meaning advertising is shown inside the game. It says nothing about whether the game also sells anything.
In-app purchases
A separate label meaning optional items can be bought. Every title covered on this site carries it.
Consumables
Coins, lives and boosters: bought, used, gone. The most common purchase and the hardest to reverse.
Subscriptions
Recurring charges managed in your store account. Cancelling inside the game, or deleting it, does not stop them.
Six things to do once
In order. The first three take about five minutes and prevent most of the situations the last three exist for.
Find out who charged you
Every in-app purchase is billed by Google or Apple, not by the studio. The receipt names the party that can reverse it.
Require authentication every time
Both stores default to a looser setting. Requiring a password or biometrics for each purchase is the single most effective change.
Read the subscription list
Passes and memberships live in the store account. Deleting a game never stops a recurring charge.
Decide on a different screen
Offers appear at the moment a level is failed. Nothing is lost by closing the offer and deciding later on a calm screen.
Keep the receipt
Order numbers make a refund request quick. Purchase history sits in the store account on both platforms.
Know the fallback
If a request is declined, ask for the reason in writing, then consider the consumer guarantee route set out by the ACCC.
How the examples are funded
The titles used as examples on this site, with the two funding labels as shown on their official listings on 2026-08-13. All are free to download in Australia.
| Game | Developer | Ads label | In-app purchases | Age | Official listing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candy Crush Saga | King | Yes | Yes | 12+ | Play · App Store |
| Royal Match | Dream Games | No | Yes | 12+ | Play · App Store |
| Homescapes: Match 3 Games | Playrix | No | Yes | 12+ | Play · App Store |
| Toon Blast | Peak Games | Yes | Yes | 4+ | Play · App Store |
| Fishdom | Playrix | No | Yes | 12+ | Play · App Store |
| Blossom Blast Saga | King | No | Yes | 12+ | Play · App Store |
The four explainers
Controls
Turning on the controls before you need them
Five minutes in the settings removes the class of problem that fills store support queues.
Checked · 7 min read
Refunds
Asking for a refund, and what Australian law guarantees
The store that took the payment is the first stop. Australian consumer guarantees sit above whatever a game's terms say.
Checked · 8 min read
Funding
Ads, purchases, and what you actually pay with
Two funding models, two very different feels. The store label tells you which one you are installing.
Checked · 6 min readFrom the same desk · A$14
The Spending Control Kit
A PDF with the settings walk-throughs, the refund letter templates and the checklists that the explainers on this site describe in prose. Ordered by request, paid by bank transfer off the site, delivered as a PDF by email. The guides on this site stay free either way.
Questions
Does this site sell anything?
One thing: our own PDF kit, at a fixed price, ordered by request and delivered by email. No game currency, no accounts and no third-party products are sold here, and no payment is taken on the site.
Can you refund a purchase or contact a developer for me?
No. We are not a party to any purchase and have no access to any account. The routes that do work are described in the refunds guide.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a plain description of published store policies and of what the ACCC states about consumer guarantees, with links to both. For advice about your situation, speak to a consumer protection agency or a lawyer.
Why link to the stores' own pages instead of quoting the rules?
Because refund windows and procedures change. A link stays correct; a number copied into a page goes stale and misleads.
Are the games mentioned here recommended?
They are used as examples because they are widely installed in Australia and their store data is easy to check. Nothing here is a recommendation to install or to spend.
How current is the information?
The store data was read on 2026-08-13 and each guide shows its own checked date. Policy links point to the live pages so they cannot go stale here.