How to create a US iTunes account? (credit card not required)

The best things in life are free

- Janet Jackson & Luther Vandross

Remember i blogged apps that could tickle the wild side of imagination? and i put a notice at the end of the article that although these apps are free, they are selective to which country you're in, that is, the app may be available for download Only in the U.S. and not possible to download anywhere else amongst the countries that are supported.

When i was new to iTunes, i originally set up my account to my default country which was Philippines, but when i try purchasing FREE apps, i couldn't buy it unless i have to configure my credit card info (which i don't wanna do ). So with the help of blogs, google and Chester, i decided to undo my jailbreak to my iPhone (right after the advent of iOS 4.0.2) and now enjoying the benefits of having a US Itunes account

The two most gorgeous benefits of having a US iTunes account are:

1. More and more and more free applications are available

2. Credit card is optional! meaning, you can buy those free apps without being asked for a credit card. (say your iTunes account was created in a country other than U.S. and you wanna download those free applications for your iPad or iPhone or iPod, it requires you to have a credit card, this is insane right? - the app is free, how come it's asking for a credit card?. Relax, cuz  all these strains on the neck are bypassed when you have a US iTunes account. Read on to know more...)

What you will need:

1. Gmail email address (it's a must, click here to get one)

2. You must have your latest iTunes software downloaded (ready to fire up)

How to do it:

1. Open up iTunes. (make sure to sign out if you have an existing account signed it alreay)

2. If your current location is other than United States, (say, you are in Stockholm Sweden). Scroll down all the way down to the bottom of iTunes and you will see a flag at the bottom right corner, make sure that United States is selected.

3. Now, click on the AppStore (all the way up, along the headings tab) and select one free application of your choice. (make sure it's the free one)

4. After you clicked on the FREE link, it will take you to the sign in dialog box. Click the Create New Account.

5. Fill in the necessary info until you get into this page (the critical part, so that it will not ask you to enter credit card info later):

- make sure to put a +1 from your email address you have entered (this works only with gmail)

on the example below, the original email is john.doe@gmail.com; but i added a +1 after the john.doe, so it now appears as john.doe+1@gmail.com

- don't forget to plug in your year of birth.

(click image to view larger)

6. The next screen should look like the one below. Hooray!, there is an option for NONE beside the Credit Card info.

Tick on None and fill in the address slots. Make sure to use a U.S. address. If you don't know any address from the US. Check google :)

(click image to view larger)

7. Click Continue and you're almost done. The wizard will send the verification email to your inputted email. Make sure to verify it by clicking the link and you're set.

8. After verifying, log in to iTunes and you can now purchase apps from the US iTunes Store.

Happy shopping.

~mAc