Credit card verification loop

You must email apple via the iTunes support website ... they will resolve it. There is little you can do outside the obvious on your own for most of these cases. Be patient.
Support originally recommended updating my user information which although didn't resolve my issue, it may be of help and just wise for others. That can be done here under the "Manage your account" link ... they told me to confirm and make certain all data was accurate here.
https://appleid.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MyAppleId.woa/

This issues is in another thread as well for both Windows and Mac users ... http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2552101&start=50&tstart=0

Follow up:
After filling out a support ticket (form) via Apple's Support website ... In about 48 hours I received an email from Apple Support stating they were working on the problem and give it up to 24 hours to be resolved. Also to reply to the email if there was any further issue.
However ... they fixed it right off the bat and I can make purchase again.
Thank you Apple Support ... much appreciated.
(iTunes for Mac OSX)

I have been waiting for apple itunes support to answer for several days since I received their machine generated formletter response telling me they're investigating. Finally after trying everything I could think of I figured it out myself. As suspected and confirmed by Visa, this isn't a problem with the credit card or the credit card information, but an itunes store desktop application bug. First it is displaying a misleading and inaccurate message on entering valid credit card information for an available credit card with more than enough credit (your credit card has been declined). This message implies that apple sent the request to your credit card vendore which wastes your time and the credit card vendor's when you contact them to investigate.

It turns out the whole issue is caused by poorly coded integration between itunes store desktop application and apple store web application. I found an old apple knowledge base article which said that whenever you update account info on itunes store, it automatically updates apple store.

What was really happening when itunes store displayed the CC declined message was that it was trying to update apple store's information to match, but the apple store account info has different options and validaiton than the itunes store accounts info (in my case the apple store doesn't have an option for my country, Jordan). So when a validation error was encountered by itunes desktop app as it was trying to update apple store information, it just falls back to displaying credit card declined simply because the apple programmers did not bother (too lazy I guess) to take the validation error from the apple store and display it in itunes.

So what I did was open apple store account management, change my email and save. Then open itunes login with the new email, then itunes will ask me to re-enter account info (not just billing info) this allowed my cc to be accepted immediately.

FOUND A FIX:

I've been in contact with the itunes support team on this 3 times now & one if the techs helped me. First make sure you are emailing ITUNES & not ipad, iphone, ipod. Or you can also place a call if you don't want to wait for an email.

The tech had to " remove any blocks from my account." Now I'm able to download apps (even free ones) & not get the "Your credit card was declined. Please enter valid credit card information" error message.

PLEASE TRY TO CONTACT ITUNES SUPPORT, IT SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY WAY AS STATED IN PREVIOUS POSTS.

Hope this works for everyone!!!

GOOD NEWS

Hello everyone. Thank you for all of you to share the information with me in this discussion. Today my account looks like being solved.
After reading hundres of opinions and information here, I think only way to solve this issue is TO CONTACT APPLE ITUNES CUSTOMER SERVICE either via email or by phone to make
them realize your account has a problem.
Once they get your message, they would send you the email saying they acknowledgeded and work on it.
Then you may have second email like this...

"Thank you for contacting iTunes Store Customer Support.
I understand from your e-mail that you are unable to purchase applications from the iTunes Store, as your billing information is not accepted. I can certainly understand the inconvenience caused. My name is Dharman and I will help with your request today.
I have made the necessary modifications to your account. Please wait at least for 24 hours from your last attempt of purchasing and try again."

Once you get this. You are almost there. Make sure you wait for 24 hours after you get this and retype your financial information. It should work. My account did.

Hope this help you.

Hi,

Hoping you haven't given up yet! I had to contact itunes through the apple site:

http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/contact.html?form=account&topic=iTunes%20Sto re%20Account%20and%20Billing&subtopic=Managing%20your%20Account

I filled out the form & someone got to me with in 24 hours. It took 3 emails back & forth. Just tell them they need to "remove any blocks from my account." Be firm that you've tried everything. My phone did this last year & I couldn't remember how I fixed it. But this time I just emailed itunes & they removed all the "blocks." But odd thing is I don't know how the blocks got there! I'm am american wife living in Korea for a year with my husband who's in the air force out here, so that could've been my issue- the korean internet! But since it happened last year when I was in the states I still can't place why I have to call them to fix this now twice.

Just be patient, I think Apple is trying to fix this. At least they have a problem solved by us being able to email or call them. If you want to call (just for future reference) their # is at the bottom of the Apple.com page. Look for "contact us" & it will send you to a page with #'s to pick from to call in different areas.

I had the same problem myself. I tried all of Apple's fixes but none worked.

After doing my own research I found out that Apple did an upgrade that actually shifted the address map as it is compared to the zip code map slightly somehow.
Apple denies it because.....they're perfect.

I live in fairly close proximity to 2 other zip codes so I changed my credit card zip to the nearest one to mine and everything works fine.

I even contacted iTunes about it and now they are blaming the post office.

FIGURED IT OUT !!

credit card info is fine .. you need to change your password and the new passwords require:
1 Capital letter, 1 small letter and 1 number .. once you change that, everything works !!

I just started getting the exact same symptoms as the rest of you today (after updating to latest iTunes).

I've successfully overcome this. But I had to go through a paid proxy service.

I am an American living overseas. My credit card billing information is stateside. Testing suggests this happens when the computer's IP address is in a foreign country and mismatches with the country (U.S.) where your credit card and iTunes account are based out of.

Interestingly enough, after connecting through the proxy, I had to "Authorize Computer" as if it were a new computer (which it wasn't - same as I always use). So I don't know how this will work in the long run if I get a different IP all the time /shrug.

I did a test this morning. I ran hotspot shield to mask my Korean IP and give me an American IP. *My credit card verified in itunes without a problem*. For all of you in America with this problem, I would suggest checking your IP or firewall settings. Unfortunately, masking my IP is only a workaround and does not help at all when I'm relying only on my iPad and iPhone with free wifi around the city.

I rang customer care, or whatever the extended warranty customer service is and requested to speak an iTunes billing service operator. I was told that there was only phone support for this in the US. I insisted that I was prepared to speak to somebody in the US and was directed to a page that would have setup a call back. After entering my details I got a noticed saying that call back support was only available to US customers. From the feed back here and on other similar threads it looks like that only some US customers have been successful in getting through to iTunes.

I settled for the email support option and was lucky, it seems that iTunes replied quickly. The advice I was given was to log in to iTunes erase all my credit card details, save the account in that state and then log out and then back in and enter it all again. For me it seems to have worked, and holding. Others have tried the same and it has not fixed the problem.

It would seem that Apple has created it own kind of denial of service monster with too many customers...
If this keeps up that won't be much of a problem for sure.

GOT IT!

Without the help of the ******** support that gives you nothing but an Indian name along with a prescripted email.

Load the new iTunes 10. That did it for me. I was able to setup my paypal once again and it worked first time.

It seems that proxx may be right. I'm in Hong Kong, and about a week ago I encountered this verification loop. I sent several emails to Apple, but they've only responded with the above-mentioned scripted replies. I finally called someone at one of US Apple's call centers just now, and the representative didn't know anything about this problem. He put me on hold for 10 minutes while he researched the problem and returned to say that they are now blocking non-US IP addresses from accessing the US iTunes store. He told me that the only thing I can do is buy iTunes gift cards or have someone in the States log-in to my account and download them for me. I suspect that it must have something to do with some Chinese websites that gives you 24 hour unlimited access to the US itunes store to download anything you want.

But this can't be the whole story as some people in the US are experiencing similar "verification loop" problems.

It's too bad. I finally made the switch to iphone after years with Symbian Nokia phones. Despite Symbian's lack of apps, I never once encountered such restrictions as I do with this iphone.

I started having the same problem yesterday, and here is what I posted to Apple Support:


Hi Apple Support,

I'm hoping you can help me. I have been been getting my credit card declined message when updating my billing method in itunes since yesterday, 8 Sept when trying to buy an app for my iphones and ipads. It was working fine until then, and there were no problems. I am a US Military member stationed overseas in the United Kingdom, with a US iTunes/Apple account with US based credit card(s)which has worked fine up until yesterday.

I did a net search, and my problem seems to be related/described in the following link:

http://www.aeromental.net/2010/08/31/itunes-store-bug-your-credit-card-was-decli ned-please-enter-valid-credit-card-information-2/

To check this, I tried logging into US itunes from my UK based macbook, and setting my billing information and got the credit card denied message. I then remotely logged into my mom's laptop in Tampa Florida (within minutes of the first attempt at home in the United Kingdom), and was able to successfully update my credit card information. I logged out of the US based system, and tried to make a purchase with my newly updated account from macbook at my home in the UK, and was presented with the "update billing information" dialogs again, and then subsequently failed that credit card update. I then repeated the process, and was able to again successfully update my account billing info from the US machine and made a purchase, but the process repeated itself when moving back to the UK machine. I have also checked with my bank, and they only see the "successful" purchase and no declines at all. This is with trying 2 separate credit cards and a debit card. This would appear that there is IP domain checking or geographic checking going on and thus iTunes (not my bank) is denying the credit card update and subsequent purchases. Can you please put me on an "exclude list" to fix this or have this fixed so I can resume being a loyal Apple customer (imac, macbook, 2xiphone4, ipad, 2xipodtouch3G, nano, shuffle, 2xATV, Powermac Dual G5tower, MobileMe.). When I set the account to "no credit card", I can "purchase" free content and updates with no problems. I have also tried this on multiple machines with itunes10 installed.

All these devices are somewhat limited if I can not purchase content through the itunes store.

This is extremely inconvenient, as I was trying to purchase the tom-tom USA application for a trip I leave for on Sunday in Wash DC. I would really like this to be remedied before then. This seems to be itunes issues, as my bank(s) (both of them) have not processed any transaction requests that were denied.

Your speedy reply/assistance is greatly appreciated.