One of my beefs with Apple has been that you have to give them your credit card details when setting up an iTunes account. For the uninitiated, the independent of mind majority, you need to sign up to iTunes to be able to download apps onto your iPad/Pod/Phone, even if the apps themselves are free.
The signup process involves filling in payment method details which I have always objected to.
Last weekend my dad acquired an iPad at the tender age of 78. He understandably didn’t trust Apple with his credit card details. We set him up without iTunes but it was clear that he would need to install some apps to make full use of the device – Facebook, Google+ and Skype in particular.
The www told me it should be possible to not to have to provide the card details but none of the instructions seemed to match what I could see on the sign up screen.
In the end I signed him up and just left the fields for the credit card info free and hey presto it worked! Apple don’t make this obvious. Dad now looks at his grandchildren’s pictures posted on Facebook and has Skype video call with them. Result.
The moral of this tale is that it’s never too late for an old dog to learn new tricks and it is possible to sign up for iTunes without Apple having you by the b@!!5.
That’s all folks…
PS I thought I had a photo of Dad using his iPad but I didn’t so this one is of Peel Castle from Fenella Beach as the sun is rising.
One reply on “How to avoid giving Apple credit card details for iTunes setup”
I occasionally buy a track or two from iTunes to load on my iPod.
I add my card details during the purchase, then access the account section where you can select none as the payment card so presumably its only then their payment processor that has the info.