Can’t Purchase Any Giftcards

[JulieF274301]

Went To Purchase Giftcard And I keep getting an error message when In fact I have the funds plus more in my account .. I have cleaned my cookies and also switched to the browser customer support says aarp is compatible with and it’s still not working .. I see similar issues being posted which lets me know it’s a deeper issue I Hope maintenance on wenesday Fixes this !!

[LauraR516315]

As a last ditch effort, try early in the morning or late at night.  After 4-5 failed attempts with 4-5 different credit cards, I finally got mine to go thru on 2/29/2024 in the early morning, but it was with yet another credit card.  My theory is their system can't handle the online traffic.  That's just a guess.  

[TinaM891382]

yea they made sure to process your payment for the membership smh 

I still can't get one but I have a friend who just bought like 5 

[TimothyW836406]

[LauraR516315]

I also can't purchase the gift cards.  I have tried 4 different cards, changed my billing addy (we live in a city, but USPS has our zip in a different city).  I am really frustrated.  Please fix this problem.  I have been told this has been escalated to TECH SUPPORT.  Feel free to ask me to test the solution if your testers are unable to do it (I used to test software, so I get it).

[LauraR516315]

I couldn't get it to work with the Edge browser this morning, it said I had used up my 5 purchases of gift cards this month (none had made it thru the payment).  So, I tried Chrome browser again, with a new credit card, and for some reason, that went through.  I haven't yet received them via email yet, though.  But, it may take a little time.

[AARPConsumerCare]

@LauraR516315, I see you purchased 5 Holland America Line gift cards earlier today. We are still processing your purchase order. It should be delivered within 24 hours. We know that many orders placed do arrive sooner, and we appreciate your patience. - Diana G.

[LauraR516315]

Quick question:  we are LIFETIME members so there's no expiration date associated with our AARP account.  Could that be the bug that won't let us pay for the gift cards?  I have tried my logon, my husband's and 4 different credit cards (these all work for online purchases elsewhere).

[AARPConsumerCare]

Thanks for your membership, @LauraR516315! I can take a look into this. May I know what error did you get? - Diana G.

[LauraR516315]

The error I was getting was simply that the payment couldn't go through and to contact AARP.  I finally tried again on 2/29/2024 early in the morning and was able to get it to go through with yet a different credit card (5th one tried).  This is just crazy that this hasn't been resolved yet.  Maybe you need to add some more software developers to help.  

[KristinC36725]

Been having this trouble for a year!!! You have to hit it just right for an order to go through for gift cards! It’s honestly a frustrating waste not to be able to purchase what you want when you want! I call in and no one ever gives you a case number and they ALWAYS tell you nothing is wrong on their end! So frustrating!! Back to trying every day now!! 

[TinaM891382]

yessss they act like it's our card I just bought 2 yesterday 

and today its not working at all ive tried 2 cards 

[AARPConsumerCare]

@TinaM891382, may I know what error are you getting? - Diana G.

[TinaM891382]

Something went wrong with your transaction. Please try again or contact AARP Rewards Support at 1-866-451-6305.

Please note, even though there was an error with this transaction, submitting your payment information may result in a temporary hold on your available funds. While funds have not been removed or withdrawn from your account, they may be temporarily unavailable as is standard banking procedure when validating a request to transact. Before retrying this purchase, please be sure you have the available funds.

[TinaM891382]

Something went wrong with your transaction. Please try again or contact AARP Rewards Support at 1-866-451-6305.

Please note, even though there was an error with this transaction, submitting your payment information may result in a temporary hold on your available funds. While funds have not been removed or withdrawn from your account, they may be temporarily unavailable as is standard banking procedure when validating a request to transact. Before retrying this purchase, please be sure you have the available funds.

[AARPConsumerCare]

Thanks for providing the error message, @TinaM891382. AARP Reward accounts are one per person and cannot be shared. Please ensure you use your credit/debit card and the address we have on file should match the billing statement of the credit/debit card. Participants can't purchase using someone else's credit or debit card. - Diana G.

[TimothyW836406]

everything matches and I’m using my card on my own account. Still not working. It’s clearly on AARP’s side since hundreds, if not thousands of people are having the same issue. Everything went through to purchase membership, why would it be any different with the rewards account? 

[AARPConsumerCare]

@TimothyW836406, thanks for providing details. Since you mentioned the card is in your name, the address match and the card information was entered correctly, perhaps, you're you using Ad-blockers? This may cause this error message. Please try disabling the ad blockers. Let me know what browser you're currently using, and I'll provide the steps (if you need them). - Diana G.

[TimothyW836406]

I’m not using ad blockers. I’ve used google chrome and safari with multiple different cards of mine. It’s 100% on AARPs end.

[AARPConsumerCare]

@TimothyW836406, I see you called earlier today and the issue was escalated. Please allow 3-5 business days for a response. - Diana G.

[TinaM891382]

clearly these responses are autogenerated 

this site is a joke smh 

[TinaM891382]

ITS NOT US IT'S YOUR SITE FIX IT OMGGGGGG

[TinaM891382]

I know this already it is my account my cards 

y'all have excuses for everyone else issues but your own sites smh 

just fix it 

[HouvilladoB335241]

Here we are in late sept of 2023 and it still does not work.  I reported it but they did not know why.  there is a reason otherwise we would not all be complaining over the last few months.  

[ShelliM540884]

And here we are again in Aug 2024..

Same issue for over a month now

[AARPConsumerCare]

Hi @ShelliM540884, I tried to send you a private message to take a look at your previous escalation but is not going through. Please use this link: https://help.aarp.org/s/article/contact-aarp to chat, text or call us to take a look at the issue with your gift cards. Thank you. - Diana G.

[LauraR516315]

It was still broken as of 1/28/2024!!!  

[AARPJanelleM]

@HouvilladoB335241 Your escalation was created yesterday and you can expect your issue to be resolved within 3-5 business days. Keep an eye out for another email from our escalations team once they have more info for you. We're here to help!

[mwainright08]

Good morning! I've tried purchasing some gift cards this morning with two different payment methods and none went through. Is there an issue with the system? I got a generic error message everytime. Thanks! 

[LauraR516315]

Same here.  I have a question:  are you perhaps a "lifetime" member like me?  I am wondering if that is the "bug" causing us issues.

[LauraR516315]

I finally managed to get the gift cards.  The error what when I selected Submit on the payment - just said the payment couldn't go thru.  I tried 4 different cards (that I use regularly and KNOW they work).  I used a 5th different card and did it early on 2/29/2024.  Then, today, when I tried to apply them to the Holland America cruise, it took over an hour.  This has been an incredibly difficult process.  Even hooking up my AARP membership to HAL didn't go well since the third party software verifying my AARP card was looking for an expiration date on our cards, but we have the word "LIFETIME" instead of an expiration date.