Can't use Apple Account Balance to complete purchase

I hope I found this before I trade in my phone to get gift card and redeem to my account or purchase Apple gift card

So far, Apple knows about this issue

Sale department cannot do anything much

Local Apple store cannot help

Calling Apple can be frustrating, if you talk to customer service, once they hear the keyword "Your payment authorization failed" from account balanced or gift card, they will drop the call because they know they cannot resolve the issue

I think as long as we do not have change.org or someone famous tweet about this, they will not care about this

I am having the same issue too. I want to buy an iPhone with an apple account balance and credit card. no success at all. It definitely is not my credit card issue. Something is blocking me from making a purchase at apple.

My god, 18 pages of replies and Apple is yet to take action!!!!!

Now imagine how many out there with the same problem that didn't get to this page.

There must be tens thousands of us out there with the same problem!

Same problem, I have money on my balance received with the help of gift cards. I can make purchases in iTunes, in games, but I can not buy a macbook in the app store. Technical support transfers me to a call to the sales department, but I can't take it because I'm deaf-mute! This is already some kind of discrimination, how can I get help?

Supposedly apple higher management is going to look at my case today, but from talking to all the techs on the phone, I doubt my problem will get fixed. Talk to 4 different techs and told them specially my account has a block on it, they keep sending me to another tech.

Works on iTunes app purchases, but I got $270 and I don't need any iOS or Mac apps...

same problem, no one can help me. I called 3x times, sales forwarded to technical support, technical to sales. shared screen to technician , no luck. what a horrible service. I have money and can't buy. garbage

This issue has been plaguing me for 10 days now. I've called Apple a total of 6 times up to 3 hours total in time and got tickets submitted 3 times with still no resolution in sight :( - I've tried purchasing a small item as a test case (AirTag) but still had no luck even with that. Apple has $780 of my hard earned dollars stuck in purgatory and no one can help. This is by far the most frustrating experience I've ever had with any company.

Tried:

1. pay with balance + credit card, failed
2. Ask customer service to unredeem account balance back to original gift cards. Let my friend to use gift cards for purchases, failed
3. Ask customer service to do gift cards replacement. I have 20 cards, only received 5 replacements. Others stuck in somewhere - received email says "Problem with your payment authorization" for replacement orders.

I have recently loaded the balance too, and today when I try to purchase MacBook Air, got the error for “Your payment authorization failed. Please verify your information and try again, or try another payment method."

they seems are getting high volume call, I called earlier today and got connected with someone for over one hour with no luck, and then the line was broken, and they never call back, I am trying to call back again, and on the waiting line with no ETA

Thank you so much for this tip! This trick worked for me as well -- purchased a MacBook Air at $1499 with $1498 on Apple Account Balance and $1 on my credit card. What a relief as I'd been calling multiple times with no improvement. I'm so happy -- I'd bought those Apple gift cards at a fundraiser and was afraid I'd be stuck with them.

I am having the same issue, trying to order Christmas presents. I have plenty in my Apple balance but receive the "Payment authorization failed" message. Called support today and they said it would be 48 hours but because its Friday I may not hear back until Tuesday... after shipping deadline has passed for Christmas. Thank you Apple for holding my own money hostage that I was just trying to give back to you in the first place.

Most time it will be solved in several hours, my case happens during the thanksgiving holiday , I reported issue on Friday morning and get solved in 4 hours

Wish you best luck and make sure you will keep your eye on email

The problem is when you call up, no one is willing to help you. I've placed one order successfully using a gift card balance using the credit card and then the gift card balance. The second time around, I was unable to get someone to help me do the exact same thing again

The fact that this issue is still prevalent after almost a year with hundreds upon hundreds of comments across the Internet is completely unacceptable of Apple. In the future, I will do everything I can to avoid having any available balance on any type of Apple Card. Reading through these comments, and seeing what people have to do to use their own money to simply give back to Apple is comical.

I cannot be the only one who has noticed a decline across all of Apple, the last few years