Since August’s last week many USA iTunes customers while using the store with a Credit Card or PayPal have seen this error message out again and again, unable to buy anything or update their Apps.
Your credit card was declined. Please enter valid credit card information.
When you try to buy something (an app or song) after you login to your account, you get a new window that states:
Verification is required
You must enter your Apple ID and password, click Billing Info, and verify your payment information in order to make purchases.
And once again to log in again to verify your payment details, you get a form with red letters indicating:
You must verify your payment information before you can make purchases.
Although you do update your data, either of PayPal or credit card, and press Done, it again gives the error message:
Your credit card was declined. Please enter valid credit card information
So your credit card was rejected / denied by iTunes, even though you enter valid values in this regard. And this becomes in an infinite loop in which Apple will never accept your data or other cards, which are also valid.
Reasons
There is a theory: Reading some forums about it, most of these mistakes happen when your IP is outside of USA, meaning that even though you use a U.S. Paypal account or credit card, if you are not in the same country, you will have this error.
Some people reported this error while trying to buy something from a not U.S. country with a U.S. account, but when they called a relative in the USA to login with the same account, the error did not exist. 
Solutions
It is an error from iTunes Store and not from your bank account or PayPal. Sadly, there’s no apparent solutions . I recommend to you to read the following Apple Support forums, maybe a solution will appear there, but until now there is none:
- Topic: Credit Card is Declined
- Topic: Your payment method was declined
- Topic: Credit card verification loop
As you can see it is not an isolated error and it is happening to several customers.
Some of them recommend that the best solution is to send an email to Apple Support to the following link and wait 48 hours for a response:
Apple Support, iTunes Store: Billing, managing your account
Hopefully we will have a solution.
If you went through something similar and you solved it, please leave a comment and share your experience 
UPDATE: Once it was solved by Apple Support, after a few days the same problem returns
The first time I got the Credit Card message that it was Declines was on August 28th. I use PayPal with US address and US credit card, but I live in South America.
I sent the first email (using the form) on September the 1st. The same day Apple Support said they will find a solution and they have requested assistance.
I sent a second email on September the 3rd.
I received an Apple email saying my account was solved on September the 4th.
Yesterday (September 7) My account is having again the same problem. (and I have being buying stuff almost everyday).
I am sending a third email today (September 8).
Yes, this is a huge problems affecting thousands of people. Apple has been total piece of shit about this issue. Horrible customer support, they don’t resolve the issue i have been waiting for more than a week.
I’m also travelling outside of US (canada)
Surely this is some new stupid security thing they are doing related to the IP address. Even if VPN to my office in US, i still can’t make purchase. I think they have some system which detects if you’re not in US or if you’re VPN=ing and just denies.
I hope other bloggers will pick this problem and write about this.
I just upgraded my iTunes to 10 last night and now all of a sudden my credit card is not matching my billing address. Apple’s customer service keeps telling me it’s on my end even though it appears that there’s ALOT of other people going thru the same issue. This is why I hate iTunes. This has been going on for weeks and I still can’t find anything that Apple knows about the problem and is going to correct it. It’s very frustrating dealing with Apple’s customer service over the phone. Also I live in the USA!.
Came across your post while searching for a solution to this issue. Can’t believe the utter disregard Apple has on this issue.
After being an Itunes cutomer for the past ten years now I have to say I am completely dissapointed and angered with their lack of support with this issue. The amount of money I spend on a daily basis should allow me to simply call an advisor and have any issue sorted straight away. Apple are dicking us around and I will be looking for a replacement to download all my TV, MOVIE, and music content soon! I am speechless. Why does this have to be like this APPLE? Just fix the dam problem and let us move on!!!!!
It has always been the case that Apple doesn’t want you using the iTunes Store from outside your country. It was a big question I had about the terms of service. This is from the US iTunes Store terms page:
The Service is available to you only in the United States, its territories, and possessions. You agree not to use or attempt to use the Service from outside these locations. Apple may use technologies to verify your compliance.
yes, so I’m travelling in Canada and now I’m locked out.
Apple doesn’t want my money?!
that’s something the stock investors would love to hear about.
Enforcing country based on IP is very stupid and causes US customers major hardships.
Curiously, this seems to have only recently started happening. I have been living and using a U.S. iTunes account outside the U.S. for years with no problems. But suddenly a few days ago I have been experiencing this problem.
I contacted Apple and got a pleasant email response within 48 hours from somebody with an Indian name. In short, he said that somebody would look into it. This was about 5 days ago. I haven’t heard anything since.
Hi i live in the uk, scotland. I am having the same problem. Im well annoyed about it as i purchased a new iphone 4 yesterday and cant use it.. This problem is worldwide it seems. Apple should really get it sorted if they want to keep their good paying customers. I myself emailed apple yesterday so hopefully i will hear back soon.. I will let you know if they tell me anything different..
Take Care
Angie
FInally got card working and gave itunes and apple a right headache!! Their is a bug and they are working on it. Many accounts have been blocked as a result and once the block is there it is nearly impossible to do anything. Call apple support and only speak with a supervisor! They have the ability to do a live chat with itunes support and i got it sorted in 12 hours!
Hi again folks, I had no luck with apple on the phone ! I was actually told that there was no number to call for an iTunes rep! However I did talk to my bank! My outstanding balance with iTunes is £7.30, but when I went to pay it was triple that amount iTunes were trying to take. My bank will only authorise one payment of the same amount and decline any more attepts! 26 times iTunes tried to take £21.00 out if my account! But it doesn’t stop there. Clickbuy tried to take the £7.00 payment 64 times! If my bank had authorised it I would have been cleaned out! It is an iTunes problem and I would advise everyone to talk with their own bank to make sure multiple payments are not being taken… My card and account are fine ! I just can’t risk trying to pay my outstanding £7.00 to iTunes! This is more than a big.. This is fraud!!!
Take
I have sent already two emails using the form to Apple Support (one on Monday and the second today Friday) I just received one respond saying they will find a solution, and they have requested assistance with the issue, then I will receive an email after the matter has been investigated and further information is available.
No solution yet (5 days).
Oh thank god i am not the only one with this problem. It started with me on Saturday (aug 28) and still, no solution.
I live in the border with the USA so i’ve been using my itunes account with a USA debit card and then it started with that damn declined CC problem =S
The funny thing is that i’ve been trying to change countries, setting my account to Mexico and it would still say that the CC are declined. Tried 2 USA cards and 2 Mexican cards, no results =S
Wanna read something funny. I even tried to create a brand new account based in Mexico, with another email address and it still wouldn’t let me, tells me my cards are not valid……..the fuck apple!!! i cannot update any app and i just got my iphone 4 on friday last week and i am dying to try new apps.
So far I’ve sent 2 emails and still no damn solution. At least i am not alone ='(
I am really frustrated with this. I have a theory.
I am in Haiti, but using my US iTunes account with a US Credit Card. After all the headaches of declined Credit cards, I used vpn to update my account in iTunes using a computer in the US. Worked perfectly. BUT, First time I tried to download an app on my iphone in Haiti, i had to confirm. I did so, and once again I am locked out because they recognized my IP as international.
I am wondering if they have contractually started enforcing their terms and conditions related to recent enhancements of iTunes, like ping and TV Rentals. Just a theory, but if this is the case, this isn’t going to change any time soon.
Their terms and conditions say… “The Services are available to you only in the United States, its territories, and possessions. You agree not to use or attempt to use the Services from outside these locations. Apple may use technologies to verify your compliance.”
Well, i agree with that but how come, in my case, if i try to update my Country and change it to Mexico and then try to use my Mexican debit cards, it still won’t let me change it and as I said, i even tried creating a brand new account, with another email, all my billing info bases here in Mexico, debit card and all and it still wouldn’t let me do anything =S
I just got this solved by Apple Support. I sent an email on September 1st using the form. They replied 2 hours later with the email that you all know saying they will find a solution, so they have requested assistance with the issue I reported. Then I will receive an email after the matter has been investigated and further information is available.
I got nothing, no words and on September 3rd I sent a second email (using the form) giving also the TrackID to follow-up the previous email. This second email wasn’t responded but today (September 4th) Apple sent me an email saying everything is solved, and that I should follow these steps, because all my data must be the same, specially the address from my account,and for shipping must be the same than the address from the credit card. I did not need to change this because I already did it before, but I copy paste the data for you (one more time, this works only after Apple Support has solved your case, so you must wait for that) (I can now buy anything in the iTunes Store, I am using iTunes 10).
The recommended steps are:
1) Sign out of the iTunes Store by choosing Sign Out from the Store menu in iTunes.
2) Visit the My Apple ID website at:
http://appleid.apple.com
3) If the site is not displayed in your preferred language, click the Change Language link in the upper-right corner, type the name of your language in the field that appears, then click the Save button.
4) Click the “Manage your account” link.
5) Type your iTunes Store account name (which is your Apple ID) in the Apple ID field, type your password in the password field, then click the Sign In button.
6) Click “Addresses” in the column on the left. Look at your shipping addresses at the bottom. If you have multiple shipping addresses, remove any out-of-date or duplicate addresses by clicking Delete. Also, make sure the state or province field is filled out correctly for each address. To edit an address, click Edit.
7) Now click “Phone Numbers” on the left. The area codes should be in the area code fields and the phone numbers should be in the phone number fields. If an area code is missing, or if it is in a phone number field, your account information may not save properly.
8) Make any other necessary corrections, then click the Save Changes button.
9) Click Log out in the upper-right corner.