Debit card shows “failed” right after adding on the App Store

Hey mate - just replying to your post again as I finally managed to figure out what was the issue with my card and thought it might be the issue with yours also.

To reiterate what was happening with my card;

1. I added my debit card and no matter what I did it was marked as ‘failed’, despite all billing address info being correct etc
2. I contacted my bank as the card worked fine everywhere else, but they could not see any reason for this either
3. Deleting and re-adding the card did not work as it just kept saying “payment failed” every time
4. I am in NZ so we can only use debit/credit cards as payment options and I only have this one card, therefore I could not ‘just add another card’ (not everyone has the privilege of access to multiple cards, especially in this economy)
5. I could not even download any free apps
6. The card had worked perfectly fine up until 2 months ago

SOLUTION TO MY ISSUES;

About a month and a half ago I had made purchases on the Apple Store (subscriptions and an app) that worked perfectly after I bought them, however unbeknownst to me they had actually not been charged properly on my debit card. Therefore, as far as the Apple system was aware, I had not paid for purchases.

I discovered today (looking for something else entirely!) that these purchases were listed as “pending purchases” on my account, which is why my card was failing. I had not received ANY notification that these charges had not gone through successfully; not from Apple or my bank. If I hadn’t happened to look in my purchase history for something else I would never have put two and two together.

Once I contacted Apple Support and paid the pending purchases, my card worked fine again (shout out to Valery in Apple Support chat, who was excellent).

Have a look in your Purchase History and see if there are any issues with purchases you have made in the past - I know how frustrating this can be so I hope this helps or that you have found a solution. Good luck xx

You can contact your bank or try a different card. Not all card companies work with Apple. And Apple does not accept all cards. Check the link below for payment methods you can use.

Payment methods that you can use with your Apple Account - Apple Support

I have this issue too - my card was working fine, it's the only card I have and then for no reason at all it is showing as "failed". Contacted my bank, they can't see any reason. Tried removing it and re-adding, all my usual fixes: nothing

I can't even download free apps :(

Thanks for letting us know what your solution was, Meutrir. This may help others in a similar situation.