Problem buying tickets to Sagrada Familia and Alhambra

SCA is an authentication often used in the EU for online transactions. Basically you make the transaction, you get a text, and you verify that you are actually doing that transaction, much like Two Factor Authentication (2FA) when you log on to your bank or credit card website. If the vendor does not get confirmation back you approved the transaction in some time period, it voids the transaction.

I did not run into this when using the Alhambra website, maybe because it knew I was in the US, or I went through a different portal, don't know. I have run into it only when I was physically in Europe, using local data or wifi.

If you are using a VPN, that might be an issue, the site cannot determine where you are by IP address.

You can call your card company and ask if they offer SCA, but I have not heard many people on here talk about it.

"Requires SCA authentication" refers to verification of your credit card. Different US companies have different processes, not all of which are compatible with European verification processes. It isn't unusual for US cards to be rejected on Spanish or other foreign websites. (Forget about using US CCs on Norwegian sites, for example).

I would suggest the following:

try all credit cards, sometimes one works and the other not (looks like you've done this....) OR

use PayPal, ApplePay, or GooglePay - those companies take on the responsibility of assuring the validity of the transaction even if linked to one of your CCs that won't work on its own, so the websites often accept them.

In the past month, I have purchased Alhambra tickets and bought from Renfe extensively. Several times there were errors. In each case, I was able to switch to the other card and get it to go through. (Visa and MasterCard) One time with Renfe, I had made several purchases one after the other, and then couldn't get a third purchase past security. Switched cards and it went through. Another time, I logged out and came back later with the same card and had no difficulties.

Both my Visa and MasterCard send me confirming texts or emails before letting the transaction go through. I submit the code or check "Yes this is me" and everything is fine. One card was inexplicably linked to my husband's phone number so I didn't get that message. I don't know how that happened as my phone is the primary one on the account. Perhaps check into your CC account for contact numbers??

Good luck - very irritating, frustrating, and concerning, I know from experience!

Cross-post!!

I was able to get the Alhambra tickets on my third attempt. The VPN maybe the culprit on the Sagrada Familia. I will try from my phone.

Good to hear!

I tried to buy the Sagrada Familia tickets using my phone and this time I got an error message that says: "Your Card issuer requires owner authentication for this operation and the merchant/web where you try does not have this function activated. Contact that merchant for more information".
Is this something new? The site doesn't accept PayPal of ApplePay.
Any other ideas?

Did you try the iOS or Android app?

In the FAQ: "If you have any problems purchasing tickets and/or downloading the app, contact the Booking Management Centre by phone on 931 980 705 or email at reserves@ext.sagradafamilia.org."

Good luck.

We were able to get tickets to SF after trying different credit cards and saying a prayer ;-))). It was just sheer luck and persistence. It is finicky buying tickets and just trial and error. I don’t like using the third party sites like “get your guide” and the numerous others out there so it required a little extra work.
We just got back yesterday and we didn’t have any problems with credit cards and ticket purchases once we were there. But, please buy the tickets ahead of time! I wanted to go back to SF for a follow up visit when the sun was out and the tickets were sold out for the rest of the week.