User profile for user: John Howarth
John Howarth Author
User level: Level 1
54 points

There is an unknown number for Apple Pay verification

The code was sent to a number which is not mine. It is almost mine, but misses the last digit. When I attempt ‘alternative method’ I am given a number to contact my bank, which connects me to a financial organisation which is not my bank and cannot help.


I am standing in my bank branch now. They already have my correct details. They say I must contact Apple, because it is Apple who have sent the code, not my bank. So, my question is, how do I contact Apple?

iPhone XS, iOS 17

Posted on Mar 19, 2025 7:33 AM

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User profile for user: Jeff Donald
Jeff Donald
User level: Level 8
35,703 points

Mar 19, 2025 9:44 AM in response to John Howarth

I’ve answered this same question 100’s of times in the last 3+ years. Every time the poster swears it’s Apple’s fault. I share the support article and reluctantly, they go back to the bank, and every time the bank finally figures it out and updates the information.


Let’s start in the beginning. You’re trying to add a card to your Apple Wallet for use with Apple Pay.


Apple doesn’t participate in any way in the verification process. It would make sense if they did. A thief steals your iPhone, changes the verification phone number to their own and then adds stolen cards onto your iPhone and commits fraud. Why would a bank allow that?


Many banks outsource their phone call verification. Apple does not offer a verification service. Banks contract with third parties. Apple has no knowledge of who uses who. When the bank switches service providers, they need to also update their dashboard with the new information. Evidently your bank switched and never updated their message sent for verification.


What bank is it and what country are you in?

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User profile for user: Jeff Donald
Jeff Donald
User level: Level 8
35,703 points

Mar 19, 2025 7:56 AM in response to John Howarth

The bank has the wrong primary contact number. Apple does not supply the number, nor does your iPhone. Your bank is verifying you. They are using the information they have on file.


Adding additional verification

A card issuer can decide whether a credit or debit card requires additional verification. Depending on what’s offered by the card issuer, the user may be able to choose between different options for additional verification, such as a text message, email, customer service call or a method in an approved third-party app to complete the verification. For text messages or email, the user selects from contact information the issuer has on file.


A code is sent, which must be entered into Apple Wallet, Settings or the Apple Watch

app. For customer service or verification using an app, the issuer performs their own communication process.


Card provisioning security overview - Apple Support


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User profile for user: John Howarth
John Howarth Author
User level: Level 1
54 points

Mar 19, 2025 8:45 AM in response to Jeff Donald

Thank you for your swift reply, but…. The bank has my correct number. I have just been into the branch and seen their entire details on me. There is only the one number. The message within Applepay advising me that a text had been sent was sent to this number minus the last digit, as far as I can tell. Consequently I did not receive the text. Using the alternative verification method gave me a number to call my bank, together with the correct bank name. However, that number is not my bank, but belongs to an independent payment service. They are aware of the error, but they are not my bank and therefore cannot help. My bank is adamant that the problem lies with Applepay misreading my number. I am in Europe, and it’s not the first time an American-centric website has failed to read a phone number or address which is in a format unfamiliar to an American. Having said that, another card of mine from the same bank was previously accepted by Applepay without any problem. So the question remains - how to solve this issue.

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User profile for user: John Howarth
John Howarth Author
User level: Level 1
54 points

Mar 19, 2025 10:49 AM in response to Jeff Donald

Ha! There is a BPI in the Philippines I believe. The full name here in Portugal is BancoBPI.

I have just had a long phone call with customer support at BPI who confirm that all their info on me is correct, and my cards are linked to my correct phone number. Again, their view is that it is an Apple issue.

I also spoke with the payment services SIBS, whose number Apple supplied as my bank's contact number. SIBS do not handle the verification process, so are uninvolved, and first informed Apple of the incorrect supplying of their number as a BPI number five years ago. They are very familiar with calls such as the one I made to them.

Regards,

John

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There is an unknown number for Apple Pay verification

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