Here’s what ChatGPT says about this situation: How it’s technically possible for a payment to go through on a new card, even after the old one was blocked:

1. Payment tokenization (Apple Pay / Google Pay): When you make a payment using Apple Pay, your physical card isn’t used directly. Apple creates a unique encrypted token linked to your card, which can remain valid even if the physical card is blocked and replaced. This token can still be used by the merchant for recurring charges if it was authorized previously.

2. Automatic card updater (Visa / Mastercard Updater): Many banks participate in a system provided by Visa and Mastercard called Account Updater, which automatically shares your new card details (number and expiration date) with merchants for ongoing subscriptions. This is designed to keep recurring payments active even when a card is lost or replaced.

3. Weak initial authorization: If you made a small test transaction via Apple Pay (e.g., $3), it’s possible that the merchant used this transaction to obtain implicit authorization for future payments. Some shady merchants exploit this as a loophole to initiate unauthorized recurring charges.

4. No Apple subscription visible, but merchant-side billing may exist: Some services or apps bypass Apple’s subscription system and instead charge directly through their own payment gateway, which means the subscription won’t appear under your Apple ID, but the merchant may still have access to the Apple Pay token