How To Set Up a Free Apple ID Without a Credit Card on iPhone in 2025

How to Create an Apple ID Without Giving Away Your Credit or Debit Card – Tried and True

So, I recently needed a new Apple ID without linking my credit card — and let me tell you, it’s kind of a adventure if you’re doing it on an iPhone or even an iPad. Apple’s whole thing is to ask for payment info pretty much every time, probably to make sure you’re not just creating endless free accounts. But there’s a way around that, and honestly, once you find the ‘None’ option, it’s pretty straightforward. Still, it took me a couple of tries to find where that sneaky ‘None’ option shows up and what to do if it’s not there right away.

Starting Point: Opening the Settings

First step — open up the Settings app. Sounds simple enough, but if you’re like me, sometimes it’s buried a little deeper than expected. Scroll down a bit until you see your Apple ID, iCloud, Media & Purchases section. Sometimes, depending on your iOS version, it’s under Sign in to your iPhone at the top of Settings. If it’s not right there, poke around because Apple updates the interface every so often. Finding the right menu is usually the trickiest part.

Navigating to Add Account

Inside that section, find Passwords & Accounts or maybe just Accounts & Passwords. Tap on that, then look for Add Account. Depending on what iOS you’re running — me on iOS 16, but I’ve heard some older versions hide things even more — it could show up under Mail or Contact & Calendar. It’s a bit of a scavenger hunt, but hang in there. If you’re not seeing it immediately, it might be hidden behind a different menu or something that’s less obvious.

Choosing iCloud and Creating the Account

When you get to the point where you can pick what kind of account to add, select iCloud. Yep, even if it seems mainly used for syncing your stuff, selecting it will push you into creating a brand-new Apple ID. The prompts will ask for your basic info — your name, date of birth, etc. Don’t overthink it. Use a real-ish date if you can, because sometimes entering an obviously fake date might trigger a flag, but generally, Apple’s pretty chill about small discrepancies. It might also want your phone number, which you can enter as a real or fake number — doesn’t matter too much at this stage.

Moving Through the Setup

After you fill in the basic info, tap Continue or Next. Now, Apple asks for an email—use one you have access to—because you’ll need to verify it later. Then, set a password. Security questions come up too; feel free to fill those out honestly or make up answers if you’re just testing stuff out. The main thing is to remember what you put, in case you need to recover the account later.

The Payment Stage — Here’s the Key

The part where most people get stuck — Apple asks for payment info. That’s where the important secret comes in: look for the ‘None’ option. It’ll be on the payment screen, usually at the bottom of the list, sometimes grayed out but selectable. Sometimes Apple makes you scroll or tap a few things before it appears. For me, if I didn’t see it right away, I found that just starting the process, then canceling and restarting kind of jump-started the menu. Once you see ‘None,’ select it. That basically tells Apple, “Hey, I’m not adding a card right now.”

Finishing Up Your Apple ID

With None selected, you can continue filling out any remaining info — address, phone, etc. — usually needed for things like Find My. You can use fake info here if you want, but be aware that if the data doesn’t match your region or other details, it might cause some issues down the line. After you hit Done or Next, you should get a confirmation that your Apple ID is ready to go. And bam, you’re good to log in on your device without handing over your credit card details.

Extra Tips & What to Watch Out For

Real talk — sometimes, the ‘None’ option isn’t there at all. That can depend on your region, device, or iOS version. When that happens, I found that creating the account via Apple’s web page or through iCloud.com sometimes bypasses the problem. Also, remember that if you plan to purchase or subscribe later on, you’ll need to add payment info at some point, but for just exploring or free services, this approach works great.

One last thing — fiddling with your region (in Settings > General > Language & Region) or using a VPN can sometimes reveal the ‘None’ option if it’s not showing up in regular setup. It’s a sneaky workaround, and yes, it took me a few tries — sometimes, I’d start the process, cancel, switch regions, then try again. It’s annoying but doable.

Hope this helped — it took me way longer than it should’ve to get it right. Anyway, sharing this because maybe someone else won’t have to spend a whole day figuring it out. Good luck, and don’t get discouraged if it’s a bit fiddly at first.