Unable to Use Apple Credits for Purchase – Payment Declined Despite Full Balance, Support Unable to Assist

Apple has a long list of when it will require the presence of a payment card instead of simply account balance. Although account balance is usually charged first, a card frequently still has to be present even if not used.

Apple is sending an inquiry to your bank about the payment method and either receiving no reply, or a reply saying the card is not working or maybe you don't have adequate funds on the account. You need to ask your bank about this.

Also remember, nobody responding to you here works for Apple. We can provide suggestions but we can't actually do anything.

Jein, the senior advisor was helpless. After a few days, she got back and said she couldn't escalate because she works for the technical department, and it turns out that only seniors of the sales department could escalate to the back office at Apple. This means I should call them and explain myself again. However, I decided to try the trick I previously told you about, and I believe it worked! I placed the order using a Credit Card, then called After-Sales, and asked them to change the payment method to Apple Balance. The order is still processing and hasn't been shipped yet because delivery slots are taking too long for the new iPhone, but everything looks good for now (as per the screenshot). The trick only works with home deliveries, not store pick-ups. This of course doesn't solve the main issue in my account, yet it saved the day!

Here are 2 key reasons why there may be a problem with the payment method assigned to your Apple ID.

• Double-check that your name, billing address, and other information is spelled correctly and matches what you have on file with your financial institution.
• Some payment methods require that you verify through your financial institution's app, text message, or other means. Contact your financial institution for help if you're unable to verify.

Add a payment method to your Apple ID - Apple Support

The charge will come out of your Apple Account and would only charge your payment method if there was not enough money in that account, but your identification still needs to be verified using the payment method that is added to your Apple ID.

@sever23 Of course, I will.

But while waiting for updates on my case, would you mind trying this method I read about on this thread?

You basically place the order using a credit card. Once you get the order number, you call sales immediately, namely after-sales, you give them your order number and ask them to switch the payment method from credit card to store credit (Apple Balance).

I'm unsure if the German system allows them to do so, but it's worth trying. It worked for U.S.-based customers according to the comments on that thread.

Sorry I was unable to help further. Have you contacted the bank of the card you are using? Since the message says that the bank denied the request for identity verification, they must have some record on their end showing the request and must have a reason for the denial.

Have you tried removing the payment method and adding it again?

If you need to change or update your Apple ID payment method - Apple Support

Were you able to get this issue resolved?

I’m experiencing a similar issue with the German Apple Online Store.

When I try to purchase an iPhone using my Apple Balance only, I receive an error message in German that translates to: "An error occurred with your request. Please try again."This happens when using Safari on my Mac. The Apple Store app shows a different error: "Your credit card was declined. Please check the payment information and billing address and try again."

Additionally, when I attempt to use a combination of my Apple Balance and a credit card, I receive another error message in German that translates to: "Identification failed. A request to your bank to provide the necessary funds for this order was declined..."

The issue persists across different devices and browsers. Sales rep on the phone also received similar errors when trying to place the order for me on my behalf.

I’ve contacted Apple Support and spoken to several advisors across different departments, but so far no one has been able to resolve the issue as they saw nothing wrong with my account. After a lot of back and forth, one senior advisor has been working on the case for few days now and was finally able to escelate to engineers of the back-office today. I’m waiting for further updates.

The order could easily get canceled if this trick fails, but no worries, I totally understand your concern, and sorry about that. This would be my last chance to give if my current case failed, and it's really frustrating to give up on my money! Will keep you posted.