Can I use family sharing without a credit card

I can't really understand this being a requirement. If proof of identity is required, it is required for all the purchases on the Net. However, if the gift card is accepted even the kids can get it from any store and top it up themselves, there is no way to say that by law, proof of identity is required for any purchases done by the junior.

I agree there could be some other legal considerations or even business consideration, i just don't see it being used for the Proof of Identity on the NET.

Hi KiltedTim,

I would like to react on your comments if you do not mind.

First of all, your assumptions - because i doubt you are a lawyer :-) - are only valid in the US.

Apple set this rule of family sharing for the world 190 countries in the world. There are therefore 190 laws or legal obligations.

When saying that Apple set it for legal reason, you are partly right but also partly wrong - depends where you are.

In the France a credit card is not an ID proof. So here your point is not valid, so the question remains :

Why do Apple force its customer to use his credit card?

The answer is simple : Because they can. David Vs Goliath. They are a very profitable company and use everything in there power to make it even more profitable. Getting the credit cards of all its customer is a way to do it. NO anonymity. But i presume Apple user do not care about this :-)

Have a good day Tim.

ha, even in Australia?? this is an interesting situation where the rules of one country are being imposed on the citizens of another, and I'm VERY SURE that Americans wouldn't stand for that! In order to obtain a Visa debit card we go through the same bank hoops as you do for a credit card. This is ludicrous. I don't want a credit card, and for all internet use I only use a visa debit card. It's so patronising: "in order to prove you're an adult you need a credit card". Seriously?

ha, even in Australia?? this is an interesting situation where the rules of one country are being imposed on the citizens of another, and I'm VERY SURE that Americans wouldn't stand for that! In order to obtain a Visa debit card you go through the same bank hoops as you do for a credit card. This is ludicrous. I don't want a credit card, and for all internet use I only use a visa debit card. It's so patronising: "in order to prove you're an adult you need a credit card". Seriously?

wife.mum.girl.au wrote:

ha, even in Australia?? this is an interesting situation where the rules of one country are being imposed on the citizens of another,

Nonsense, it's the rules of one company being imposed on everyone equally.

wife.mum.girl.au wrote:

really? Apple only has those "rules" due to USA laws.

I doubt there is any law in the US or anywhere else for that matter, that requires someone to verify the age of a customer using credit card details only.

It should be reasonably clear to anyone who stops and thinks about it for a moment that these are requirements put in place by Apple from choice and nothing to do with US law. You might want to stop and think about it for a moment yourself.

Children as young as 11 can get debit cards, debit cards would be a ridiculous method of verification.

I'm not trying to be argumentative. (but the whole "can't register for Facebook etc until 13" is certainly a US law that is applied globally.)

A debit card is not the same as a VISA debit card, which, AFAIK, children cannot apply for. For me personally, we only have a business CC, which won't work. So the whole "you can switch back to a debit card" just doesn't apply. They need another option.

I think you are wrong about debit cards but that is really quite irrelevant in the matter of whether its a US law imposed on an Australian or not (which is what you claimed was happening, there is no US law that states you can only use a credit card to verify a persons age, a driving license is used regularly to verify someones age for the purchase of alcohol. So the decision to only accept credit cards is Apple's decision it's not something they have done because of the law.

And by the way a business credit card worked just fine for me.

Guys, the question is: why prooving age only from a card? The debate is not with credit card vs bank card vs business card...

Why could not we simply go to an apple store to validate our age. I like this idea...
I do NOT want to give card details. dot... and nowadays I have no alternatives to have a familiy sharing.

The real reason for the credit card, as we all know, is money. Apple is then linked to your bank account, and therefore can also impose the country appstore - as you know each country as only his own appstore. It is another subject that show that major companies cuts the internet by regions for marketing purpose only... But as i said, it is another subject :-)

Hi I don't have a credit card and I don't want to get me one. I just bought my daughter an Ipod mini and right now I would love to return it if it would not be for the happy face on my daughter. I guess Ill just do what most people probably do and lie regarding the age of my daughter and skip the family sharing part. Big dislike on Apple regarding this. Father.Iceland.man.IS 🙂

Well that's odd... Neither I nor any other member of my family adult or minor could get a debit card without a photo I.D. Also odd because as per Apple you can use a debit card as a secondary form of I.D., the same as you can use a credit card, to purchase an iPhone. https://www.apple.com/retail/iphone/forms-of-id.html

Here you go folks, straight out of the COPPA

"When operators want to disclose a child's personal information to third parties or make it publicly available (for example, through a chat room or message board), the sliding scale requires them to use a more reliable method of consent, including:

• getting a signed form from the parent via postal mail or facsimile;
• accepting and verifying a credit card number in connection with a transaction;
• taking calls from parents, through a toll-free telephone number staffed by trained personnel;
• email accompanied by digital signature;"

Now, while the information you're putting on the kids ID isn't necessarily publicly available, it IS likely going to be shared with third parties for marketing (their buying habits and what-not)

Yer yer I can read previous posts, what about all the other restrictive BS clever dick, Apple impose on us losers 😝

I agree with others, go elsewhere next time, for overall "treated like yr an adult" OS lol

BTW who is our congressman to complain to in the UK, muppet.

Dear Apple... it's not right to trick people into putting their credit card information. I can understand you need to verify that I am an adult when creating a child's apple id. But it said clearly that I could change back the payment method after. Now that I have family sharing it doesn't let me remove the credit card. This is annoying and stupid. I was perfectly fine before using iTunes store credit.

2017 is a few days from now.

Any updates on this issue? I, too, do not want to put my cc since I don't want any unnecessary purchases made by my younger brothers. I use iTunes cards to reload. Have spent over 2,000 usd using this system.