Fix for "Credit Card Rejected" / "Can't buy apps" / other CC issues
If you're having problems buying things from iTunes such as:
-- Credit card rejected (even if you're paying by PayPal)
-- Session Timeouts (on a non-Microsoft platform -- there is a different fix for Session Timeout on a Microsoft platform)
-- Credit card information does not match bank information
-- Unable to create a new account or save changes from iTunes to your account
After struggling for 3 days to fix this problem, I finally found something that works EVERY time, at least for me, and people who go through ALL the steps also find it works for them. It's important to follow ALL the steps -- people who skipped steps because "all my information LOOKS right" kept having problems until they followed all of them, and then all the problems cleared up. So, here's what I've found works EVERY time:
-- Sign out of iTunes.
-- Reboot your Mac or whatever device you're using to access the iTunes store (including your iPhone and/or iPad).
-- Open a web browser and go to http://appleid.apple.com (or Google "Apple ID" and choose the "My Apple ID" option).
-- Sign in with your Apple ID and click "Manage your account".
-- Verify ALL of your user information. Seriously, verify and validate EVERYTHING--your name, your e-mail address, your mailing address, your shipping address, your phone number, all of it. Make sure your Primary Address EXACTLY matches the address your bank has as your primary address; if those don't match, your purchase will be refused. If your Primary Address spans 2 lines, change it into 1 line (that is, turn "123 Main Street" and "Apartment 456" into "123 Main Street, Apartment 456") and blank out the second line. Make sure your Apple ID is linked to a valid e-mail address; if not, your purchase will be refused because there will be nowhere to send purchase information and other Apple e-mail. Make sure your date of birth is correct and not missing any part of it (like your birth year; mine had somehow come un-set); otherwise, your age cannot be verified and your purchase may not go through. Click "Save Changes" whenever you change something.
-- Once all that is done, sign into iTunes, then click on the little downward-pointing triangle next to your Apple ID in the upper-right corner of iTunes and choose "Account".
-- Click "Edit Payment Information".
-- Choose "None" as your payment option, make sure all your address and phone number information already listed is correct, fix anything that isn't correct, and click "Done". This will force iTunes to verify your account information as it exists in iTunes with what is registered for your Apple ID at http://appleid.apple.com.
-- You may be asked to verify the county for your billing address (for sales tax purchases); make sure this is correct, or transactions could be refused. Click "Done" when finished.
-- Go back to the "Account" screen and choose "Edit Payment Information" again.
Choose either the credit card logo of the card you want to use or choose "PayPal".
-- If you choose PayPal, follow the directions on the web page that pops up in your browser to verify your PayPal account and link it with your Apple ID. Click "Return to iTunes Store" inside the web browser to return control to iTunes, then click "Done".
-- If you choose to enter a credit card, make sure EVERYTHING is correct on the page--your credit card type, account number, CVV, billing address, etc.--and then click "Done".
I had to do this every time I restarted iTunes to buy something for two days, but as long as I did ALL the steps every time I restarted iTunes, I was able to buy anything I wanted with no problems.
If you're still having problems after all of this, contact iTunes Support via e-mail. This is important -- the more help requests Apple gets about this issue, the more seriously they will have to take it and the more likely it will be that they address the problem with the seriousness it deserves. The link to file a trouble request via e-mail is:
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/contact.html?form=account&topic=iTunes%20Sto re%20Account%20and%20Billing&subtopic=Managing%20your%20Account
Good luck!
-- Credit card rejected (even if you're paying by PayPal)
-- Session Timeouts (on a non-Microsoft platform -- there is a different fix for Session Timeout on a Microsoft platform)
-- Credit card information does not match bank information
-- Unable to create a new account or save changes from iTunes to your account
After struggling for 3 days to fix this problem, I finally found something that works EVERY time, at least for me, and people who go through ALL the steps also find it works for them. It's important to follow ALL the steps -- people who skipped steps because "all my information LOOKS right" kept having problems until they followed all of them, and then all the problems cleared up. So, here's what I've found works EVERY time:
-- Sign out of iTunes.
-- Reboot your Mac or whatever device you're using to access the iTunes store (including your iPhone and/or iPad).
-- Open a web browser and go to http://appleid.apple.com (or Google "Apple ID" and choose the "My Apple ID" option).
-- Sign in with your Apple ID and click "Manage your account".
-- Verify ALL of your user information. Seriously, verify and validate EVERYTHING--your name, your e-mail address, your mailing address, your shipping address, your phone number, all of it. Make sure your Primary Address EXACTLY matches the address your bank has as your primary address; if those don't match, your purchase will be refused. If your Primary Address spans 2 lines, change it into 1 line (that is, turn "123 Main Street" and "Apartment 456" into "123 Main Street, Apartment 456") and blank out the second line. Make sure your Apple ID is linked to a valid e-mail address; if not, your purchase will be refused because there will be nowhere to send purchase information and other Apple e-mail. Make sure your date of birth is correct and not missing any part of it (like your birth year; mine had somehow come un-set); otherwise, your age cannot be verified and your purchase may not go through. Click "Save Changes" whenever you change something.
-- Once all that is done, sign into iTunes, then click on the little downward-pointing triangle next to your Apple ID in the upper-right corner of iTunes and choose "Account".
-- Click "Edit Payment Information".
-- Choose "None" as your payment option, make sure all your address and phone number information already listed is correct, fix anything that isn't correct, and click "Done". This will force iTunes to verify your account information as it exists in iTunes with what is registered for your Apple ID at http://appleid.apple.com.
-- You may be asked to verify the county for your billing address (for sales tax purchases); make sure this is correct, or transactions could be refused. Click "Done" when finished.
-- Go back to the "Account" screen and choose "Edit Payment Information" again.
Choose either the credit card logo of the card you want to use or choose "PayPal".
-- If you choose PayPal, follow the directions on the web page that pops up in your browser to verify your PayPal account and link it with your Apple ID. Click "Return to iTunes Store" inside the web browser to return control to iTunes, then click "Done".
-- If you choose to enter a credit card, make sure EVERYTHING is correct on the page--your credit card type, account number, CVV, billing address, etc.--and then click "Done".
I had to do this every time I restarted iTunes to buy something for two days, but as long as I did ALL the steps every time I restarted iTunes, I was able to buy anything I wanted with no problems.
If you're still having problems after all of this, contact iTunes Support via e-mail. This is important -- the more help requests Apple gets about this issue, the more seriously they will have to take it and the more likely it will be that they address the problem with the seriousness it deserves. The link to file a trouble request via e-mail is:
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/contact.html?form=account&topic=iTunes%20Sto re%20Account%20and%20Billing&subtopic=Managing%20your%20Account
Good luck!
MacBook, Mac OS X (10.4.11), iTunes 9.2.1
