Need Help. having problem purchasing Alhambra tickets
 

hello everyone,
I am having problems with the actual purchase of our Alhambra tickets. I selected the tickets we want, the number we need, and the time for the Nasrid Palaces. My problem is with the actual purchase/payment of the tickets. I entered my credit card information correctly (double checked for typos, etc.), and I keep getting a message that says "The entered data of the card could not be validated correctly." I thought maybe our bank was refusing the purchase, so I called them, but that is not the case. They do not see the purchase anywhere.

For contact information, they ask for First Name, Surname, and Second Surname. What is the second surname? First I left that blank. Then I put my last name in Surname, and my middle initial, (as it appears on my card) for the second surname. Could this be the problem?

For the mobile phone number, I used hyphens. Could this be a problem?

Should I try a different credit card?

I would appreciate help ASAP. I want to purchase these tickets before we leave for a different trip this Friday, since we will be gone for 2 weeks.

Thank you so much!

It seems it is the naming convention. Try First name, initial, surname....in that order.

The first surname is the father's surname. The second is the mother's surname. This is Spanish custom. Normally, you just give the father's surname as your last name, the mother's is used for formal and legal issues.
I would not use an initial as my first surname. I would probably do what you say you did first.

Forms usually make it clear how you put in a phone number and it bounces back if it isn't in the form they want. usually you use the + and the country code, then the phone number, no hyphens, eg,+1 then the phone number. But maybe it would accept hyphens after the +1

quiltingmamma,
I tried what you suggested, and it does not work. I even tried entering my full middle name, and still does not work. I just tried a different credit card, but keep getting the same message.

Also, on the form there are 3 places where you can check off "I accept". Do we need to check off all 3? I have tried different variations, trying all 3, and then only the last one "I accept the general conditions." Don't know if this is the cause of the problem.

any other ideas? I don't know what to do. Is there a way to contact ticketmaster?
Thanks

Bummer.

I just went through the steps of trying to buy a ticket and got this screen, seems different than you are describing. Are you sure you are on the correct site?

http://nelsonchenkin.zenfolio.com/gr...3258#h8d3f3258

I'll delete that image after a while.

Good luck.

Nelson,
Thank you so much for doing this. Yes, I am at the same site, except that for contact information, the wording is First name, Surname, and Second Surname. I see that your image says Middle Name. I entered a "1" before the area code, but that doesn't make a difference.

When I click on Continuar, that is when I get the message "The entered data of the card could not be validated correctly."

I will keep trying, but if this doesn't work, I might call the number in Spain that is on Alhambra DeGranada.org's website. Or I might email our hotel to ask if they can order the tickets for me. I am certainly willing to pay an order fee, if necessary, after all of this non-productive work.

thank you!

Well, sometimes it works as I suggested. For others it has worked by entering your last name in twice.

Others have had to use AMEX cards and at last resort, phone and order tickets. They have English servers and a skype address.

Seems more have headaches than success these days.

I couldn't get the site to work this morning on my computer, but for some reason I easily booked tickets using my AMex on my iPhone.

Now I'm really dreading the process of buying Alhambra tickets! Karen, let us know how it goes. I'm sending supportive vibes.

Try +1, not 1, and no hyphens, no spaces in your phone number. + is shorthand for dialing outside the country you're physically in. 1 is the country code for the US.

Thank you everyone for your support. I tried all 3 of my credit cards, and they don't work. We don't have American Express.

Mimar, I might have tried what you suggested but I will try again tomorrow (Wednesday). I don't have the patience right now.

I will also try calling them tomorrow.

Will let everyone know how it goes.
Thanks!

I don't think you are on the English page of the Ticketmaster website. When I did a dummy purchase I got the following. It only asked for First/Middle/Last Name. I would try again on the Ticketmaster.es site in English.

These tickets will remain reserved for 5 minutes
Pay by card
VisaMastercardAmericanJCB
15,40€
Contact Details
Name:
Middle name:
Last Name:
E-mail:
Mobile phone:
Enter your card details
Credit Card Number
Expiration dateMonth:Year:
Security code (CVV) More information

Emily,
How do I get to the English page? Do I just click on translate? I have done that. But I don't see name, middle name, last name. It still reads name, surname, second surname.
Thanks,
Karen

I found the English Page. I didn't see the little box earlier. So I entered the information, including first name, middle name, and last name. After I enter my credit card information, and click on continue, I still get the message that my card data cannot be validated correctly. This is so frustrating. I wonder if they are only accepting American Express credit cards now?

Tomorrow I will call the number in Spain. In the meantime, if anyone else has any suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks!

Karen I believe I put none in the box for either second or first surname and then it worked - also +1 and no hyphens and then it worked, it isn't your card, it's the site

Laura,
I tried what you suggested, and it doesn't work. When I enter the plus sign, I get a message that I used an incorrect symbol.

While on the Spanish page, i did enter none for the second surname, and that still did not work. On the English page, it asks for middle name, so i used my middle name, but it still does not work.

The problem seems to be with my credit card info because the message states "Entered data of the card could not have been validated correctly."

I think I have no choice but to call Spain.

BTW, I did not use hyphens for my CC number because it won't let me, so I must be entering the CC # correctly. Then there is the expiration date and security code. I check off "I accept the general conditions." And then click on Continuar, and that is when I get that message.

Try adding a 0 in front of the phone number like:

07777777777

Thats how I entered it.

Jamikins, before I read your message, I tried entering a 0 in front of the phone number, and that did not work, either. I have tried everyone's suggestions, but nothing worked. I keep getting the message that "The entered data of the card could not be validated correctly."

So I called Spain and ordered my tickets over the phone without any problems whatsoever. I'm not sure if the number I called is ticketmaster's number or not.

If anyone else needs to call, this is the number I called:
34 958 926 031. I found this number on AlhambraDeGranada.org's website.

It was very easy. I selected the English option. They will not email me a confirmation but the woman who took my order told me to go to ticketmaster.es and click on My Tickets. Then enter my CC # and expiration date, and there is my order. I printed it out so that I can bring it with me to Spain for proof in case I have any problems. I plan on getting the tickets at the Corral del Carbon near city Hall the day before our visit.

I ordered tickets for the General Daytime Visit with a timed entry for 9;30AM to Nasrid Palaces, and also ordered tickets for the night time visit for the same day.

Thank you to everyone who responded. I still have no idea what the problem was, if it was my card or the site.

One more thing: I wanted to add that I tried ordering the tickets from my iPad and iPhone, and neither one worked.

Glad it worked out!

Karenwoo, yes, Alambra was a bit iffy as to tickets; we had ours in hand, purchased here in States from our travel agent, but somehow ended up in wrong line with wrong info on it when we arrived and the staff wasn't kind, so be sure to inquire before spending any minutes; then our friend tossed his ticket into a receptacle after passing through the first "checkpoint" down along the path to the Nasrid Palace and, of course, was denied admission to it! Allow 1/2 hour before your timed admission in the least. Keep ticket in hand until you leave! But it is so worth it!!!

Granted, it depends on how you get to the Alhambra complex (we walked from town) and what you plan to see first, but we found it easiest to enter at the Puerta de la Justicia. From there, you are fairly close to the Nasrid Palace, the museums and the Alcazaba. Public restrooms and lockers are also nearby (although I'd note that these seem to fill up fast). Audio guides are available just outside the Nasrid Palace.

We picked up our tickets the day before at the Caixa Bank ATM located on Gran Via.

Glad to hear perseverance paid off. That sounded like more of an adventure than using Renfe's site!

The Alhambra is incredible and we were glad to have done the night tour as well. Enjoy your time there!

Thanks everyone for your helpful information. The woman who took my order told me we should be there one hour prior to our timed ticket entry to the Nasrid Palaces. I do plan on entering through the Justice Gate. I have some difficulty walking because of arthritis so I plan on taking a taxi to the Justice Gate. I don't think I can handle the uphill walk.

BTW, I purchased my train tickets through Loco2 without any problems. And I purchased bus tickets through ALSA without any problems.

Karen, we are here now so here is the "skinny" on the tickets. (where are you staying by the way - there are three, maybe more hotels right here on site and that will make your life so much easier if you can stay at any of them - the Parador, the Washington Irving and the Hotel America - all right next door). So go to the ticket booth at the entrance at the bottom of the Alhambra (don't know what it is called but it is right there). We didn't need our passports though we were told to bring them, just the receipt and the credit card and presto, the guard gave it to us (it was about 6:30 in the evening, no line, but I'm sure there would be one earlier). If you are doing the nasrid Palace in the evening you can pretty much just waltz right in - we got late cause we were heat exhausted and confused but still got in fine.

I nagged hubby like crazy this morning to get there early. You don't actually use the tickets to get into the Alhambra grounds, but instead for each particular part of it. we got to the Nasrid palace (which is by the gate at the top of the hill) half an hour early and ended up 10th in line or something. They are very efficient and organized. (just do a better job of reading the signs than I did. Definitely take a taxi if you are at all mobility challenged - there is so much walking anyway. and advice if it is hot - in the Carlos V palace on the second floor there is a gorgeous little art museum that is air conditioned!!! hardly anyone was ther. Let me know if you have questions

Karen, glad the "old-fashioned" method worked. And Laura, as someone who is dogging Karen's trip, since mine is about a week or so after hers, thanks for the extra tips!