Can add card to wallet but can’t link in Apple Pay

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7 points

Can add card to wallet but can’t link in Apple Pay

I recently realised that my payment method isn’t linking to Apple Pay. I am able to add the exact same card to the Wallet and use it for all my daily contactless transactions . So everything is working fine on Wallet . But when I go to Settings > Name > Payment & Shippings and next to my card details it says “link”. When I try to link the card I get an error “unable to add card. There was a problem adding this card. Try again”’ . I spent an hour and a half on the phone with Apple care yesterday and after running diagnostics etc they passed the buck to my bank to say it was the bank declining the link. I called the bank and they seemed to be clueless . I looked at every YT video and information on this forum - I have deselected my region, reset network settings, checked VPN is off, ensured app changes allowed, confirmed the banks in Singapore support Apple Pay and everything else that has been suggested . Nothing is working . So then I tried two things :

I added a 2nd card. This card was my previous payment method which was always working fine . Strangely I am not able to link this card either . This card is from a different bank than the first card , so surely it cannot be a bank problem anymore right?
i added my first card as a payment method onto my son’s phone and it worked perfectly fine and linked easily and on the first try !

My son’s phone is iPhone 14 Plus and mine is an 8 Plus - is this the difference ?

Lastly I don’t know if not linking the card will actually affect the usage of the card when paying for subscriptions and apps on Apple.com . The Apple Card support customer seemed to insist it wouldn’t but then one transaction yesterday didn’t go through and since I do not know why and where the problem is , I do not want to take this risk . I have quite a few subscriptions through my iTunes and can’t afford to have the multiple disruptions as I’m travelling the next few weeks .

if anyone has experienced and have fixed it, would love to hear some other ideas . Thanks!

iPhone 8 Plus, iOS 16

Posted on Sep 14, 2024 7:54 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 15, 2024 7:48 AM in response to leena270

The second link for Subscriptions and Billing has other options, but I doubt you can resolve it that way. The only thing I see that might be the issue, is the VPN. The profile needs to be deleted. You can reinstall a profile after you add the card. Profiles are at this path,

iPhone > Settings > VPN & Device Management > delete any VPN profiles and reset the network settings.

What country are you in? I’m surprised you were on the phone over an hour. This is usually a relatively easy fix. Usually it’s a simple billing matter to add the payment method.

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Answer 2

Sep 15, 2024 3:44 AM in response to leena270

That’s not Apple Pay. That’s your Apple Account for purchases at iTunes, App Store, Book Store, Apple.com etc. Your Wallet is for use with Apple Pay. Please review the Apple Support article I linked below. It explains using Apple Pay.

Make purchases using Apple Pay - Apple Support

If you’re having issues with your Apple Account, please contact Apple Billing support.

Subscriptions and Billing - Official Apple Support

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Answer 3

leena270 Author

Level 1

7 points

Sep 15, 2024 7:37 AM in response to Jeff Donald

Thank you for your reply . So based on what you’re saying, this is related to Apple Account . I have checked your link and can confirm the region is correct , bank supports this payment method etc . Interestingly in the link you shared, I didn’t see the option in the payment method to “link” the card. ( like on my photo ). So is this to do with my account then ?

and ironically i was able to link my card on my son’s account. But not on my own.

so is there no other choice but to call Apple and get stuck again on a call for over an hour ?!

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Answer 4

leena270 Author

Level 1

7 points

Sep 15, 2024 3:14 PM in response to Jeff Donald

Hi Jeff thanks for your reply . Yes, we also checked the VPN settings . This is what I have on that screen

I am based in Singapore, Asian region. Yes it took almost 1 hour 20 mins :-( They ran diagnostics , tried to delete and add Wallet, tried to delete and add payment method, checked region, reset Network Settings, everything. And finally after all that time, told me that it was the bank declining the link! (I did speak to the bank after that as I said , and they confirmed the card is cleared for use on Apple Account or Apple.com transactions, and as I said , I could link the card on my son’s iPhone).

I am really stumped here and nervous as I’m travelling for 3 weeks from this weekend and just want to avoid a situation where any of my subscriptions on Apple.com transactions are declined . I can’t “link” any of my cards at the moment although the Apple customer service swears that it doesn’t matter that the card is not linked per se , because they can see in the system that the card is authorised for use as otherwise there would be some words in red flagging an issue with the card . Having said that, now that you say I may have been speaking to the wrong department , I am not sure if I should trust this wholeheartedly !

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Answer 5

leena270 Author

Level 1

7 points

Sep 15, 2024 7:56 PM in response to Jeff Donald

Hi Jeff thanks for your reply . Yes, we also checked the VPN settings . This is what I have on that screen

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Can add card to wallet but can’t link in Apple Pay

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