FOLKS. Like I said above, the way to fix this problem is to be very thorough and patient at correcting the address to an address that matches your credit card's mailing address, and doing that at all three places that apple lets you change it.
1. Remember that there are not actually three, not just two, places that your billing address and credit card information are edited in the Apple Store world. (1) The website http://store.apple.com... (2) the music store that you access from your copy of iTunes that runs on a computer... and (3) the Settings->Store configuration on your iPhone or Ipod touch (and I guess on your iPad)
2. (For me, the problem was originally caused because I had actually gone and CHANGED my billing address over at location number 1 mentioned above, the apple store website, because I wanted them to bill an iPad purchase to a specific credit card. That wound up creating some kind of confusion somehow within those three systems.)
3. So, what worked to fix the problem for me:
- First close out of all three of those locations that I mention above (web store, iTunes store, and ipod touch config screen.
- Then, go to the very first one I list above, the website of the apple store, and I totally and correctly set the credit card to a valid credit card, and then set the address to be the exact same mailing address that the bank has on file for that credit card. (Also, note: if you currently have a purchase pending with the itunes store -- maybe an iPad that has not yet been shipped? -- then I recommend that you use the card that that pending purchase is under.)
- When you hit submit on that apple store website credit card screen, it makes you wait while it checks that credit card/billing info.
- Then, go to the second location I mentioned -- the copy of iTunes on your computer -- and go to the iTunes Store link in the left column. click to go to your account (in other words click your email address that is up in the upper right corner.) This screen should nicely show the totally new address/credit card that you just entered over on the apple store website. if it does show the same ones you entered above, then don't change either.
- Last, go to your third location I mentioned, in other words your actual device (iphone or ipod touch or ipad), and go and do the operation that had been causing the "Invalid Address" errors (in my case, it was updating some apps.) This time, it will at first still give the same error message, because it needs to "confirm" the changes that were just made elsewhere in apple's system. So it brings up that same darn bad-address screen. But then, when you click your way through that error to "fix" your address, it will probably show that address/card that you have recently just entered in the other places in apple's billing system. SO, simply confirm that three-digit security code from the back of the credit card in its place on this screen, and hit Submit. For me, the ipod thought for a bit, and then...
- Thank god, it actually started updating my darn apps!
I hope you'll have luck with this also... just take it super slow like I did. Also, if it still doesn't work:
* Make sure that you indeed know what mailing address your credit card's bank actually uses for that credit card. Naturally, the address that you tell apple has to EXACTLY match that address!
* If you still have a problem after checking that and doing it again, then consider goign through all these steps, but using a different credit card in your collection (if you're lucky enough to have one)
