Azure account creation failing before OTP step – SBI MasterCard debit card not getting validated (India)
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Hi everyone,
I’m trying to create my first Microsoft Azure account for learning cloud and DevOps technologies, but I’m stuck at the payment verification step and need some advice from experienced users.
I’m from India, and here’s my exact situation.
Background:
- My personal SBI card is RuPay, so I learned that RuPay cards often do not work properly for international verification on Azure.
- Because of that, I used my relative’s SBI MasterCard debit card instead.
- It is NOT a credit card — it is a debit card.
- International transactions are enabled.
- Online/e-commerce transactions are enabled.
- Sufficient balance is available.
- Card is active and usable for normal online payments.
The problem:
When I enter the card details during Azure signup, I do NOT receive any OTP from the bank.
Instead, Azure immediately shows this error:
“We’re unable to validate the credit card information you provided.”
So the process fails before even reaching the OTP authentication stage.
This made me wonder whether:
- Azure internally rejects some debit cards before bank authorization.
- Microsoft’s risk/fraud system blocks certain account/card combinations.
- Azure prefers credit cards over debit cards in India.
- The issue happens because the Azure account is in my name while the debit card belongs to my relative.
- Multiple failed attempts may have temporarily flagged the account.
Additional details:
- No OTP comes at all.
- No visible transaction attempt occurs.
- I retried several times while troubleshooting.
- I’m using genuine identity/details.
- I’m only trying to create a learning account for Azure/cloud/DevOps practice.
Questions:
Has anyone from India successfully created an Azure account recently using an SBI MasterCard debit card?
Does Azure reject some debit cards before OTP verification?
Does mismatch between account holder and debit card holder matter?
Is Azure significantly more reliable with credit cards only?
Could repeated failed attempts temporarily block verification?
Would waiting 24–48 hours before retrying help?
Should I contact SBI or Microsoft billing support first?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.