Sagrada Familia

Their site has so many problems. I have a suggestion- try again turning off wifi and using mobile data. I know, this makes no sense, just try it.

Background- comments have been made on TA by a Barcelona expert that some people have problems purchasing tickets when using hotel wifi but it works when they switch to data.

I had no problem buying my tickets from home on the website but was directed after purchase to download the app, link my ticket and download the audioguide. Error message after error message when trying to download. Deleting tried again, etc. Emailed SF support and they suggested trying data not wifi (this was all still at home). It worked! It makes no sense! Good news is that support did respond to emails.

If I remember correctly, I bought my ticket the same day, at the ticket office. If you'll be in Barcelona for several days, maybe that's a viable option.

My Visa would not work although it has on every other Spanish website (many) that I have used recently. I, personally, had no problem with my MasterCard, although I have read reports of MC's not working for others. Depends on the issuing bank, perhaps.

In my recent readings about problems with various Spanish websites, some have mentioned getting US American Express cards to work - odd since AE is often not accepted in person. I also remember reading that sometimes "gmail.com" emails were accepted, but not "yahoo.com" on some of the Spanish websites.

It is frustrating. I hope you get an answer from the Sagruda Familia staff.

Finally after several frustrating hours I was able to get tickets. This is how I accomplished the feat. I tried turning off data, but that did not work. The site still registered error-try again. So when waiting at the cell phone lot for my husband’s flight, I tried to gain entry. Yippee! Of course on the payment step my credit card with two factor identification was not accepted once again. Upon my return home I phoned the fraud department(as directed by Bank of America) and repeated my story (third time). This was the third agent who assured me it would now work. So I walked outside about half a block to escape our WiFi and tried again. Nope, entrance denied. Walked home, got in the car and drove further away. Pulled over and typed in my personal info and was accepted. Can you guess what’s next? The credit card was denied. I returned to my home and decided to try my husband’s Citi Bank card with two factor Id. But to do that I drove for blocks to get into the site, and then returned home, typed in his credit card, received the code and BINGO! I had read rumblings about Bank of America not working for trains in Spain. Now this happens.
This essay is to give others some possible steps to try if faced with a similar situation.

Congratulations!! Your persistence is laudable! Thanks for sharing your success.

Enjoy your visit!

So glad to see this post. I’m not alone! Attempting to purchase SF tickets with both MasterCard and Visa. MC reps had no idea what further authenticating needed to be done. Visa rep removed any barriers but I was still unable to get through. Have tried on IPad and on SF app. So frustrating! Will attempt using data. Wish me luck!

Note: don't fret about it, as mentioned in many other posts, generally the problem lies with some US-issued cards.

Sagrada Familia's site serves +4 million visitors yearly, most of which pre-book on the website. While it indeed might malfunction from time to time, it is well known, not only with this site but also with others from several European popular attractions, that some US-issued cards have problems going through them. The reasons might vary but they all revolve around certain US banks not fully adhering to international banking security standards, which are the norm in Europe AND whether the site in question uses a high level of protection against fraud or not. The more popular the site, the higher the chances they are more strict with these standards.

What can you do?

• First, obviously, speak to your bank. Sometimes they can assist and "make it work".
• Alternatively, see if the site in question provides alternative methods of payment (ie. Paypal).
• Also, in this day and age is easy to get a virtual card from reputable online banks like Revolut or N26, among many others, just make sure it's based in Europe (1).
• Lastly, check the Barcelona Tourism Office shop (https://bcnshop.barcelonaturisme.com/shopv3/) whether they also sell tickets for this attraction. It's always best to stick to the official sites to avoid scams/overpaying, but the Barcelona Tourism Office is another legit site which can be trusted.

In the case of Sagrada Familia, the Barcelona Tourism Office shop offers three types of tickets to choose from. If anything, note they're more expensive than buying directly from Sagrada Familia's website.

(1) Due to banking restrictions not everybody can apply, it'll depend on the banking license of the bank. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with which of these online banks will issue cards to US citizens/non-EU residents. I am told Wise, operating with a Belgian license (an EU country), might be a candidate but you'll have to investigate yourselves :)

This is response I received from SF customer service:

Support #1020838 ha estat resposta (pot consultar la resposta més a baix).
[Resuelto] Unable to buy tickets on website
Good afternoon,
It is possible that your purchase is not passing the security protocols, try one or more of the following options:
1. First of all, we recommend using a diferent internet connection, i.e. if you are using a WiFi network, we recommend switching to a different WiFi or using mobile data. Also, we advise against using a public network (hotel, restaurant,
B&B, etc.)
2. The next option is to use a different email address. We recommend using the @gmail, @hotmail, @yahoo, or @icloud domains.
3. Use another device (PC or phone).
The only way to buy tickets for the Sagrada Família is from the official website: https://sagradafamilia.org/es/home or on the app.
If you still have problems, you can buy tickets at the Sagrada Familia by asking for help from the staff of "Audioguiarte" accesses and explaining your problems with the website. They have an ATM to buy the entrance and points of sale to get the visit to the towers or the guided tour. Please notice that the tickets and the services are subject to the capacity of the day and only for the same day of purchase.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
Kind regards,
Customer
Àrea de Gestió de Serveis
CLORIAN
Empresa col laboradora Sagrada Família
T.93 198 07 05
customer@ext.sagradafamilia.org
BASILICA DE LA
SAGRADA FAMILIA
Puede responder a este mail directamente o acceder

I’ve tried all the options above without success. Several attempts made with Visa fraud specialist standing by.

One suggestion not included in the email from LSF is to try different credit cards. Try everything you've got. I wonder whether a debit card might work; that's something I almost never think to try, but the security protocols might be different.

Thanks everyone for the assistance. Despite using different cards and alternating using WiFi and cellular, I was unable to order tickets on SF site. Bought tickets through Get Your Guide for $13.00 extra.