Q: iOS 9.3.3 why is credit card required for free apps

the free downloads "require password" is working for me in iOS 9.3.4, you will need to sign in to change the setting and the one above it to "require after 15 minutes"

If that is not working restart your device.

you can set up an ID that is not associated with a credit card

Create an iTunes Store, App Store, or iBooks Store account without a credit card or other payment method - Apple Suppor…

For 1, do you have anything selected for 'always' / '15 minutes' ?

Whether you will be asked for payment details the first time that you try to download something will depend upon how you created the account i.e. whether you used these instructions : Create an iTunes Store, App Store, or iBooks Store account without a credit card or other payment method  - Apple Support

You can see if this post by mountgoatgirl lets you review the account without entering payment details : Re: What do I do if I do not have a credit card

If not you will either have to enter valid payment details (you should be able to remove the card after entering it), or create a new account using the above instructions

Hello Ashibashi,

1) Do you have a Profile installed? Check Settings > General > Profiles. If so, you profile may be preventing you from changing the require password setting.

2) You can't buy stuff without money, and in the Apple world, that means a credit or debit card. It's unfortunate that free apps are treated the same, but they are. And the way in-app purchases work, they're basically automatic, so you need the payment mechanism when you download the free app.