How to create a iTunes/AppStore US account without a credit card

This article is addressed to those of you with iTunes/AppStore accounts in other countries than the US.

Why would you need a secondary, additional US AppStore account:

1. to download free content from iTunes US (occasionally free episodes or free songs become available on iTunes US)
2. to use a promotional code to get a free sample of a paid iPhone app (there are lots of forums where developers will post promotional codes for their paid apps, asking in return for reviews or feedback; I’ll list some of them at the end) – accounts from other countries than the US will not work

You don’t need a credit card to create a US iTunes App Store Account

How to create an account:
Follow the steps illustrated step by step by Apple, on their website, at this address:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2534

In case the above link doesn’t work, or if it’s not clear enough, here’s a walkthrough:

1. open up iTunes on your computer
2. go to the iTunesStore.
3. sign out from your current account: the rightmost of the top iTunes Store menu says the name of your current account. Clicking on it gives you the option to log out.
4. go to the AppStore by selecting the option from the menu. If you are not in the US AppStore, change the AppStore to it. To do so, you’ll need to click on the round flag in the bottom-right corner of the AppStore page. A list of all possible country-specific AppStores will appear. Chose the United States of America one.
5. chose a Free app to download; any one will do. For instance, you can try Tilt Or Die
6. since you are logged out, you’ll be asked to either log in or create a new account. You’ll obviously want to create a new account.
7. in the list of credit cards options, chose ’NONE’ (the rightmost)
8. fill out other credentials; for email address you’ll need to enter a valid email address that you own, OTHER than the one(s) you have already registered with Apple. If you don’t have another, go ahead and create a new email address; Gmail is free and good.
9. for the address, chose US as country and a valid-looking US address. There are countless options to it; for instance One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399, USA ; or 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014. Or a fictive address, as long as the state and zip codes are valid.

Now that wasn’t hard, was it?

You know I promised to let you know where to find promo codes to get paid iPhone apps for FREE? Here’s a couple of links:
http://forums.toucharcade.com/forumdisplay.php?f=22 http://promoappcodes.com/

Most importantly, right here, on this blog, I’ll be posting promo codes for my best selling paid apps. One promo code per post, one post every couple of days. Since it’s only one code per post, using it is on a first come, first served basis, so you’ll need to be really quick. Make sure you subscribe and come back often, to be the first one to get the code and use it.