Can I use family sharing without a credit card

It isn't legal. It's choice. A credit card in no way proves age. It's easy to get a credit card as a minor. Your argument is incorrect.

Read please. The minor does not enter the card. The parent or guardian does, as a way of complying with COPPA.

Family Sharing and Apple ID for your child - Apple Support

Apple feedback goes here >>> http://www.apple.com/feedback/

As to COPPA's reach around the world... the following language is in the COPPA.

While COPPA is an American law, the Federal Trade Commission has made it clear that the requirements of COPPA will apply to foreign-operated web sites if such sites "are directed to children in the U.S. or knowingly collect information from children in the U.S."^[25]

Since the law is U.S. federal, it's applicable only to websites that are run:^[1][9]

• by websites under U.S. jurisdiction;
• by websites which are hosted on servers in the U.S.;
• by websites with owners headquartered in U.S. territory; or
• by commercial websites.

Family Sharing and Apple ID for your child - Apple Support

Apple feedback goes here >>> http://www.apple.com/feedback/

As to COPPA's reach around the world... the following language is in the COPPA.

While COPPA is an American law, the Federal Trade Commission has made it clear that the requirements of COPPA will apply to foreign-operated web sites if such sites "are directed to children in the U.S. or knowingly collect information from children in the U.S."^[25]

Since the law is U.S. federal, it's applicable only to websites that are run:^[1][9]

• by websites under U.S. jurisdiction;
• by websites which are hosted on servers in the U.S.;
• by websites with owners headquartered in U.S. territory; or
• by commercial websites.

If you are the Organizer of a Family Sharing Plan, then going back to "None" is not an option:

Change your Family Sharing payment information

Only the family organizer can edit payment information for a family. If you're not the organizer, you'll see this message: "The payment method for your Family is managed by [Apple ID]."

If you're the organizer, you can use these payment methods. You can’t set your payment information to None.

This is spelled out in this support article: Change or remove your Apple ID payment information - Apple Support

Cheers,

GB

The law forces your to prove your an adult.

Apple decides to use the credit card for that. Only Apple.

The law requires you to prove you are the child's guardian and are legally consenting to the creation of this account.

Nothing to do with being an adult. Guardians typically are adults, but that's not what you're proving with a credit card..

Not happy? Then exercise your right and go get an Android ID, or Google ID, or Microsoft ID. While you may disagree with how Apple "does this" ... it is their choice to do so.

Move on if you're so inclined.

Many people are not happy with that. Apple is free to hear them or not. That's all :-)

And they have a way to tell Apple. And it isn't moaning about it via this technical Q&A community. Where debating Apple policy and decisions made or not made is not allowed.

Here is where feedback for Apple goes >> http://www.apple.com/feedback/

LACAllen wrote:

Apple feedback goes here >>> http://www.apple.com/feedback/

I find it slightly hilarious that there is no section on the feedback page that would allow you to provide feedback on this very topic. Nothing on App Store or Family Sharing.

As one person here suggests, turning on the 'Ask to Buy' option does prevent abuse of the family payment method but when I get a request to purchase from my kids, it doesn't tell me whether or not the amount will come off their store credit or my credit card.

At least if I knew what their store credit balance was, I could decide whether or not to approve the app.... but it doesn't tell me.

Sorry, but this is the way that Family Sharing currently works. However, you can share your ideas with Apple to let them know how you would like it to work: Apple - Feedback.

The problem is that once it has been sent to you for approval, it is no longer "in" the child's account, so today, there is no way to go back to that account, once the purchase has been approved, and take the money from there.

You could put their iTunes cards on your account, so that their purchases would be taken from their cards. But you would have to keep track of how much each had spent to ensure that the card they gave you had not been exceeded.

Not the most elegant way, but until Apple can find a way to transfer the debiting back to the requestor to see if there are enough funds, and then going back to the Organizer to get the money if there isn't, it's the best that you can do.

Cheers,

GB

gail from maine wrote:

Ask to Buy purchases will always be deducted from the Organizer's account, since the approval to purchase comes from that account.

If Ask to Buy is not on, then any purchase coming from a family member will deduct from that family member's account first until all funds are depleted.

Cheers,

GB

Thank you Gail but I think we're all dancing around the main issue here.

The point of Family Sharing, for me, is so that I can monitor and approve app and in-app purchases on my kid's devices. Locking them down so that they must request approval on any purchase is part of my strategy for keeping them safe. So, turning off Ask to Buy is not an option here.

On the other hand, I want my kids to be able to earn and spend money on things that they want. When I was a kid, it was candy at the corner store and quarters into video games. For my kids, it's iTunes gift cards used to buy more dinosaurs or pokemons or whatever. But, there has to be a limit. They need to understand how much they have and how far it will go. Currently, they request purchases without really knowing whether or not they have enough on their account to pay for it.

And, most importantly, if I approve the purchase without knowing how much they have, I will end up paying for it. Instead, I have to ask them to show me their iTunes Store so I can see how much they have in their account.

If Apple either allowed me to

1. remove the credit card from my account, or
2. allowed me to prevent them from using my credit card, or
3. simply included some sort of indication of whether or not the purchase would be charged to my card when asking for my approval...

This would no longer be an issue.

Sadly, Apple doesn't seem to be interested in fixing this so, I'll just have to find another solution. An alternative parental control app may be the thing.

owning a credit card In no way proves age. You can legally own Credit cards as a minor. And please also read the last line:

"after you create the child's Apple ID, you can change back to a different payment method".....

I wasn't even setting up an id for my child, it was a second ID for me, and it won't allow me to go back to not having a credit card/ debit card on file.

Read please.
The law forces your to prove your an adult.
Apple decides to use the credit card for that. Only Apple.

Have ever been to buy a gun with a credit card arguying you are an adult because you can use this credit card?? :-)

The easiest way would be to go to an apple store and show our ID.
But I presume Apple "policy" does not want that... the law would be OK with that though.

Many people are not happy with that. Apple is free to hear them or not. That's all :-)

I am not a US citizen and dont have a Congressman.

Also, could you proove me that US law needs a proof by credit card? They just need a proof of age.

I feel that you are just kind guessing ehheh ... you are funny.

Ask to Buy purchases will always be deducted from the Organizer's account, since the approval to purchase comes from that account.

If Ask to Buy is not on, then any purchase coming from a family member will deduct from that family member's account first until all funds are depleted.

Cheers,

GB

Actually the iTunes gift cards would need to be put on the other accounts for them to be deducted first. For example: you have the credit card on your device, and your child has family sharing. To have the child be able to purchase without it being deducted from the CC they need a gift card on their account. If you also want your purchases deducted from a gift card you need to add one to your account as well.

So you need the credit card to set it up but you could use gift cards for everyone in the family on their own accounts. But if the purchases go over the gift card amount it will be deducted from the credit card.

Unfortunately, you can't remove a credit card if family sharing is active.

If you add a child you can't remove the child until they are 13 (and can't remove the credit card until you have disabled the family sharing)

Even the support desk cannot remove the child account, or change the age to over 13. (when I called in last month)

I am really disappointed in this. I am tempted to cancel the credit card to get away from this. I like using itunes gift cards because I haven't found a way to avoid accidental "mis click" purchases if the credit card is on the account.

Squilts wrote:

Unfortunately, you can't remove a credit card if family sharing is active.

This is completely false. The Credit card is required to set up family sharing and create a child account. Once the setup is complete, you can change the payment method to something other than a credit card if you like.

I signed up to family sharing with a credit card. I already had over $80 in store credit on my account from Apple iTune cards we had purchased/received as gifts. Now we CANNOT buy anything from the iTunes shop with our store credit - everything is billed to the credit card! $80 wasted! Seriously, it is best to log in to each device with the same account and download that way. Family sharing is a con!