I created an Apple account two years ago and added three $100 gift cards that I had received but never used since I've never owned any Apple products. Recently, I decided to buy some Apple AirPods, thinking if I didn't like them, I could just give them to family. However, when I tried to place my order, I got an authorization failed error message even though my account balance was $300 and the order was only $281. After several hours of online chats and phone calls with different departments, I was told to wait for an email to resolve the issue. But after two days without any email, I attempted to place the order again and found my account balance disabled. I went back through the support channels, and one representative mentioned I must have broken some terms and conditions, but they couldn't tell me how. I then asked if I could transfer the balance to another account or at least get a refund, but they were unable to help. It's frustrating how they could just take my money without any explanation. So, yeah, it seems I'll never own any Apple products after this experience.
3 Answers
It sounds like the gift cards might have been flagged for some reason, possibly because they were never used and just sat in your account for too long, leading to a potential fraud flag. Check if the terms and conditions might require you to use the funds within a certain timeframe.
Since you mentioned you received these gift cards, it’s possible that they were flagged because they seemed suspicious. Companies have algorithms to detect potential fraud and sometimes legitimate cards get caught up in that.
Just a heads up, don’t use gift cards that are suspected to be fraudulent. It can really mess up your account and it seems like that's exactly what happened to you here.
Damn, so basically I just let it sit too long?