How to upgrade Macbook Air to High Sierra from Lion (via El Capitan)?

Like many others, I want to upgrade a Macbook Air to High Sierra (the latest available OS given the age of the machine). I know I have to upgrade from the current installed OS (Lion) to El Capitan first. I have found the link to find it in the App Store, but when I try to get it, I am blocked because of a need to update a payment method (which is updated via a family account anyway) which cannot happen unless I upgrade first... Is there any way to get around this, or has Apple blocked the machine from upgrade?