Creditcard Weirdness & Apple Online Store

[blackspell]

I've just purchased a Powerbook in the Apple Online Store which is going to be shipped to a relative of mine. I asked Apple beforehand if it's okay to purchase a Powerbook while you're not physically in the USA and even use a foreign (german) creditcard. And they said everything is okay, as long as the Shipping Adress is in the States.

But what really disturbed me was the fact, that it was not possible to enter a german Billing Adress. Since I didn't knew what else to do I simply entered the adress of my relative.... And it works!

Or not? Apple only wanted the creditcard number and the expiration date. No personaly information about the creditcard-owner was needed and miraculously they didn't even say that the adress of the creditcard-owner and the billing-adress have to be the same.

Now what will happen next? I mean, is it sufficient to have the creditcard number to purchase anything from apple, or will I come across some major problems anytime soon?

Please help!

[mkrishnan]

It might depend on your credit card company. Most credible online sellers bounce ship-to addresses to credit card companies, and the companies will reject the transaction if the ship-to address does not match one on file with the company. The ship and bill addresses don't have to be the *same*, they just have to both be on file.

So if your company does not have your relative as a valid shipping address, they may deny the transaction. At least, I think this is the way the major credit card companies do this in the US....

But are you saying you did not have to provide a bill-to address? I did have to provide one. Strangeness.

[blackspell]

I entered both, bill and shipping adress. Both are the adress of my relative in the US and both are completely different to the adress of the creditcard owner, since it was not possible to enter a german billing adress....

So I guess I'll have to wait and see what apple does next and if my creditcard company (mastercard) accepts or rejects the purchase?

[mkrishnan]

I entered both, bill and shipping adress. Both are the adress of my relative in the US and both are completely different to the adress of the creditcard owner, since it was not possible to enter a german billing adress....

So I guess I'll have to wait and see what apple does next and if my creditcard company (mastercard) accepts or rejects the purchase?

You might also call them and get them to add that address as an acceptable address for use with your card, if this is going to be a future issue.

[rainman::|:|]

Perhaps since it's a foreign card, the address database doesn't sync with the American database, therefore they just have to "trust" that the address matches until someone can check it during a monthly clearing. OK, that sounds out-there, but maybe. At worst, I think you might get a phone call or something, but no big deal.

I understand your apprehension tho, it does seem weird that someone could use a card like that...