“Verify your payment method” loop on Mac OS

I tried to make my first purchase from the App Store on Mac OS (Dark Reader for Safari) and ran into an issue where every payment card in my Apple Wallet, including my Apple Card, were deactivated and noted as “not available”.

When I tried to make a purchase, it would ask me to sign into my Apple account, then it would tell me that I needed to verify my account. I honestly couldn’t figure out how to do that on Mac OS. I had to open my iPhone to check there instead.

I went to Settings > tapped on my name at the top > Media and Purchases > View Account. I hit a roadblock here. I had to disable Adguard for iOS to get into the next screen. Once I got to the next screen, I clicked on Purchase History.

At the top there was a warning message saying there was something wrong with my payment methods. Tapping it took me to a screen showing my saved payment methods in Apple Wallet. I had to reverify them all. With Apple Cash, I had to “edit” and then just save the same information. Then everything worked again.

Once I did that, I was able to go back to my MacBook and purchase Dark Reader for Safari with no issues. I didn’t have to disable Adguard either.

Ever since I bought a MacBook Air, I’ve been having issues with my Apple account. About a week or so after buying the MacBook Air, my Apple account was locked out. The only reason I was able to recover my account is because I had my security key from my iPhone saved.

So, what’s the deal? Did someone else previously buy this MacBook Air and return it? Did Apple sell me a used product as new and that’s causing issues? I honestly can’t think of how anyone would have my Apple payment information or access to my account. I also can’t think of why every card in my Apple Wallet would suddenly need to be re-added or reverified. I go to the same places all the time.

Is it just software errors? If so, that’s almost as concerning. I wanted to get a new MacBook Air because I remembered how great my MacBook Pro from 2007 was. I wanted stability, reliability, and something that “just works”. It’s only been a few months, but I’ve had more issues with my Apple account in those few months than in the last 17 years. Hopefully nothing else crazy happens.

As an aside, Dark Reader for Safari looks amazing on the MacBook Air M2.