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 !!

[TracyM848275]

I've done everything they suggested. They did reach out to me, and I did what they said there also.
My CC matches identically, and I still get the error.
Time is money, and I've wasted a lot of time - I'm just going to Carnival and paying the full price. I won't be renewing my membership tho. It's been a PITA.

[AARPConsumerCare]

@TracyM848275  We hope you'll reconsider. I have escalated your issue and a member of the Rewards team will reach out to you in 3-5 business days by email. In the meantime, maybe try to turn off your AdBlocker. Thanks so much!  Jodee R. 

[LauraR516315]

I had the same issues.  What finally worked for me was a 4th (brand new) credit card, and I did it very early in the morning.  The number of people this happens to is incredible.  It has been going on FOR A VERY LONG TIME (year(s)).  If it works, please put the word out!

[FrancelliaH654730]

I'm going through this right now. It's hideous. I'm trying to get some Carnival Gift cards to pay the balance and towards credit on my future booking. This is hideous! I hope I can get it going with some of the suggestions. On Reddit, some mention keeping an eye on Newegg for discounted 10% off promos. AARP is 8% off right now, but it's just not worth the headache.😑

[AARPConsumerCare]

@FrancelliaH654730 I am sorry to hear you are having trouble purchasing Carnival Gift Cards on AARP Rewards, we are here to help! I would like to invite you to reach us via Help Chat or by phone, so a member of our team can troubleshoot with you and help resolve the issues you are having. You can access Help Chat at https://help.aarp.org?cmp=SNO-LITHIUM---&socialid=15468728915, or by phone at 866-451-6305 - Caleb G. 

[FrancelliaH654730]

I already reached out by phone more than once. The first agent was logging in for the day and acknowledged a system issue site-wide so he set up a trouble ticket and told me someone would reach out to me (no one has).   The second time I called the agent was aloof and sickly sounding no help at all. The third time I chatted with an agent they were also aloof I ended the chat with "I give up".  After seeing a notification for this response from you I headed to the site and a banner is up on the site that says:  "The AARP Rewards site will be unavailable from December 5-6, as we implement exciting improvements. We apologize for any inconvenience."  The purpose of buying Carnival GCs was to apply to a balance due on the 8th your site says humans aren't available to talk/chat with during the weekends. Hideous.

[LauraR516315]

They took the site down for about a week in October or November.  I was hoping they had fixed the issues.  I haven't tried personally to purchase more gift cards yet, but I plan to try.  By the way, I am not affiliated personally with AARP - I am just a customer, just like you.  It's amazing how often their customer service has let us down.  I do recommend putting a report out on the Better Business Bureau site.  Several of us with this issue have done that.  

[JeffreyA623864]

I bought some on Cardcash.  They're 7% off right now. If you never used it, I think if you sign up they offer a new member percentage off on top of it.  I've already canceled my recurring payment for my membership for AARP. The only reason I'm a member is to take advantage of the discount on gift cards.Not worth the headache trying to buy them so I'm letting my membership run out and not renewing.

[FrancelliaH654730]

Thank you for the heads up on Cardcash I bought my gift cards through them and received my digital cards by email within a minute of buying them. My trip is paid off with a lil discount I'm going to use them to book another cruise. AARP  please get it together with the payment system. 

[AARPConsumerCare]

@JeffreyA623864  We really appreciate your commitment to buying gift cards through the AARP Rewards program. While we can't match the prices you might find on other sites, we hope you continue to enjoy the benefits and convenience our program offers. Thank you!  Jodee R. 

[JeniseG596947]

I am having the exact same issue.  I called almost two weeks ago, and I’ve heard nothing back.  I intend to cancel and simply pay full price.  This is aweful!! 

[AARPConsumerCare]

I'm sorry to hear you haven't heard back from our team about your issue, @JeniseG596947. Please send me a private message with your name and email address to take a look into this, or please use the "CHAT" feature located at the bottom of the page. Thank you! - Diana G.

[AARPConsumerCare]

Hi @DaphneB243924, here to help! What error are you getting? Also, which gift card are you trying to purchase? - Diana G.

[ShelliM540884]

I get the something wrong with payment error for over a month now.. it has been escalated twice now. 

Never ever had I had this issue.. so WHY NOW? Use same cards I'm trying g to use now, nothing has changed on my side.. what is wrong with yalls system? 

[DaphneB243924]

Same error as everyone else. Please update payment method. Card and address match my account and funds are there. I called in earlier and spoke with someone who said it would be 3 business days before I hear back. This will make you guys loose a lot of customers. 

[AARPConsumerCare]

@DaphneB243924, like you mentioned, I see now the error you got was escalated this morning, and they are working on it. You should hear back from them within 3-5 business days. - Diana G.

[MaryP519140]

I purchased Carnival gift cards a couple weeks ago and went to purchase more this morning.  Got the error on two different cards on my computer.  Switched to iPad and it went right through.  

[MadisonL964017]

Im having the same issue. Customer service mentioned all of the possible reasons and none of them applied to me. I tried multiple cards, browsers, laptop, tablet, my phone as well, my husbands phone. nothing is working. 

[ShelliM540884]

Same

[LauraR516315]

Madison, I have no idea how I got it to work since I tried all sorts of things just like you did.  I waited about 3 days after getting the errors when trying to pay.  On the 3rd day, I tried EARLY IN THE MORNING which shockingly worked.  One other poster mentioned trying in the morning or later in the evening.  My guess, is they have too many users trying to access the AARP system at once and their system isn't designed to handle it.  Best of luck to you!!  I feel your frustration!!

[AARPConsumerCare]

Hi Madison. You may purchase up to 5 standard gift cards and 25 "Premium" gift cards per month. If you are below this limit, may I please ask the error message you are getting when you try to purchase gift cards. - Stephen K.

[NicholasS198643]

Looks like this is still an issue after 13+ months?  Anyone have any tips to get it to work other than getting lucky?  They didn't have any issues charging me when I signed up...

[ShelliM540884]

13 months and still going as I have the same issues now 5 months after your post

[DarylJ892939]

And how is it they can hold your money in your account even if it doesn't go through????

[AARPConsumerCare]

Hi @DarylJ892939, just to be sure, are you having issues purchasing gift cards through AARP Rewards? - Diana G.

[AARPConsumerCare]

Hi Nicholas. You may purchase up to 5 standard gift cards and 25 "Premium" gift cards per month. If you are below this limit, may I please ask the error message you are getting when you try to purchase gift cards. - Stephen K.

[daviszee]

I keep receiving the following error message

"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."

Very disheartening that I call support for assistance and they keep "escalating" as though this isn't a known issue... "we will respond to you in 3-5 business days" when we both know there is no resolution. This is egregious for a corporation, especially considering this is a POS issue and no other methods of payment are offered (paying via phone, Paypal, etc). Even Shopify has a better interface. Please get your developers to fix this as this is frustrating and I've never seen such horrible POS from a business. Funny that the POS works when it's time to pay for the membership 🌝 

This is at best, false advertisement, and at worst, fraud. 

[TracyM848275]

I am getting this error consistently. I've tried for almost a month. Every browser possible, every card possible. I agree. False advertisement, FOR SURE.

[AARPConsumerCare]

@TracyM848275    I see you've purchased gift cards last month, and I'm not seeing a reason on your account prohibiting a purchase. Remember, AARP Reward accounts are one per person and cannot be shared. 
Please ensure you use your own credit/debit card and verify the current mailing address is up to date and matches your bank account. You can verify it or update it from your online account at http://aarp.org?cmp=SNO-LITHIUM---&socialid=13147346062. If you prefer, I'd be happy to check on yours. 
You can't make purchases using someone else's credit or debit card. For complete program details, please review the AARP Rewards Terms and Conditions: https://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/rewards-terms-and-conditions/ ?cmp=SNO-LITHIUM---&socialid=13147346062;
Let me know how I can help!  Jodee R. 

[JeffreyW68256]

This is happening for myself and many people I know and has been happening for over a week. Multiple calls and no one can fix it. I have tried 4 computers multiple browsers, my phone and iPad. Everything matches and I have bought them before without issue. I am about to report this to the BBB and cancel my membership unless someone can actually fix this. Its a very widespread issue and its all over cruise forums especially.