How I Got My AWS Startup Credit After SMS OTP Verification Kept Failing

If you're signing up for AWS and stuck on the phone/SMS verification step — the OTP never arrives, or you get a vague "Sorry, there was an error processing your request" message — this post is for you. It took me almost two weeks and roughly 20 back-and-forth emails with AWS Support, but I eventually got my account fully verified and successfully received my AWS Activate/Startup credit. Here's exactly what happened and what finally fixed it.

The Problem

I was trying to sign up for the AWS Startups program. I could already log in to the AWS Console just fine — this was never a sign-in issue. The trouble started at the billing/registration step:

1. I entered my billing details and paid the temporary $1 verification charge.
2. I moved to phone number verification and entered my number.
3. The page said an SMS OTP would be sent — but it never arrived, no matter how many times I retried.
4. After a few attempts, the flow changed: instead of getting to the OTP screen at all, I started getting an outright error, and the "Continue" button became disabled — my phone number was no longer being accepted.

Out of curiosity, I opened the browser dev tools and inspected the failing API calls. The response body showed this:

{
  "message": "Failed to start DIVA SMS PIN verification",
  "type": "ValidationException",
  "errorCode": "DIVA_VERIFICATION_FAILED",
  "contextMap": {}
}

"DIVA" turns out to be the internal name for AWS's phone/SMS identity verification system. So this wasn't a typo in my number or a carrier issue on my end — it was a verification-system-level failure.

Troubleshooting I Tried (That Didn't Work)

Over the following days, I tried just about everything a normal user reasonably could:

• Cleared browser cache/cookies and retried in incognito mode and a different browser
• Waited 24–72 hours in case it was a temporary rate limit
• Tried multiple phone numbers across different mobile carriers
• Checked and disabled Do Not Disturb (DND) settings on my number
• Confirmed with my carrier that international SMS wasn't being blocked

None of it worked. Every attempt ended the same way: no OTP, and eventually the same DIVA_VERIFICATION_FAILED error.

The Support Conversation

I opened a case with AWS Billing and Account Support and went through several rounds of email replies. Roughly, it went like this:

• Me: Explained I was stuck on SMS OTP verification during signup — never received the code.
• AWS: Suggested a generic troubleshooting doc and asked if I was signed in as root, pointing me toward password/MFA docs.
• Me: Clarified — I could sign in fine. Shared a screenshot of the actual page and error.
• AWS: Explained the error usually means SMS requests were temporarily blocked after multiple attempts (up to 72 hours), and suggested clearing cache, waiting, or trying a different number.
• Me: Replied with the exact DIVA_VERIFICATION_FAILED error from the browser logs, since the block clearly wasn't lifting.
• AWS: Suggested it might be a carrier-side issue with international SMS delivery, and to check DND settings or try another carrier.
• Me: Confirmed I'd already tried multiple numbers across different carriers with the same result, and asked if there was another way to verify.
• AWS: Sent sign-in troubleshooting docs again (a bit of a mismatch, since sign-in was never the problem).
• Me: Clarified again, firmly — this is not a sign-in issue, it's specifically the SMS verification step blocking my Startups application. Asked directly whether I should escalate.
• AWS: Acknowledged the mix-up, confirmed this was a genuine "system-level SMS delivery failure" based on the DIVA error, and asked me to raise a fresh support case.
• Me: Submitted a new case, pasting in the entire email history so the next agent had full context.
• AWS: Escalated internally and arranged a manual phone verification call.
• A support agent called me directly, asked a couple of identity-confirmation questions (account details, associated email), and completed the verification manually on the call.
• AWS: Confirmed the verification was complete and pointed me to finish the final registration step.

Shortly after that, I resubmitted my AWS Startups application — and this time it went through. My AWS credit was approved and applied to my account.

What Actually Fixed It

The self-serve troubleshooting steps (clearing cache, switching carriers, waiting out rate limits) are worth trying first since they're quick and sometimes genuinely solve the problem. But if you're seeing a DIVA_VERIFICATION_FAILED error specifically, in my experience that's a sign of a backend SMS delivery issue rather than anything on your end — no amount of retrying, switching browsers, or trying new phone numbers will fix it.

The real fix was:

1. Persistence — being clear and specific in every reply about exactly what was and wasn't happening, and not letting the conversation drift toward generic sign-in troubleshooting.
2. Escalation — opening a fresh support case with the full email history attached so the issue wasn't retold from scratch each time.
3. Manual verification call — this is the part that actually solved it. AWS support arranged a live phone call, confirmed my identity, and manually verified my account outside of the broken automated SMS flow.

If You're Stuck on the Same Thing

• Check your browser's Network tab during the verification step. If you see a DIVA_VERIFICATION_FAILED error, save that — it's useful evidence for support and shows this isn't a carrier/device issue.
• Do the basic troubleshooting once (cache, incognito, different number) so you can rule it out.
• If it doesn't resolve within a day, open a support case and be specific and consistent about the exact error — restate it if the agent's reply doesn't match your actual issue.
• Ask directly for manual/live phone verification if automated SMS keeps failing. It's not always offered upfront, but it is available.
• Expect this to take some back-and-forth. My case ran across roughly two weeks and about 20 messages before it was resolved.

It was a frustrating process, but AWS support did eventually get it sorted, and I was able to complete my Startups enrollment and receive the credit. Hopefully this saves someone else a bit of time.

Stuck on the Same Issue? We're Happy to Help

If you're going through this same OTP/DIVA verification headache and could use a hand, feel free to reach out to us at MarginTop Solutions. We've been through this exact process and are happy to assist you free of charge — no strings attached.