When you sign up, even when you're 19 and do not have a credit card, why do they insist on credit card #s?

Question

When you sign up, even when you're 19 and do not have a credit card, why do you have to include your credit card number and don't care even if you don't have a credit card at all? When I sign up for iTunes or whatsoever, they ask for my credit card number. These people are pushing us to far. Aren't they pushing us to far? Why do they ask us for credit card info if you don't have one?

Answer 1

This is marketing. Sooner or later you'll be in a position to decide whether to buy something from that site and then they'll give you an offer you cannot refuse... and they've already got your card #, how convenient, eh? Any "30 day trial" will end after... well 30 days and if you gave them the number they'll just charge you, you do nothing. See the psychology - at the time they ask you for the cc # you're already on their site, they've already paid the acquisition price - be it the Yahoo click or any other kind of advertising. So when they have your attention, they'll get the card number, then they're set. If on the other hand they did not get your card #, after 30 days they will NOT have your attention and that's loss of revenue.

I personally never give away the card # unless I'm pretty sure that I want to spend my money there anyway, I don't fall for 30 day trials. And I can get very annoyed at those free trials - if it's free, it means free, not "give me a credit card number".

There, you have it all explained now.

Answer 2

They assume you have one, FYI debit cards also work on those sites

Answer 3

They try to do an age and credit check as well as making it (too) easy to get lured into buying their stuff "by accident".

Answer 4

Any site that wants your credit card number  is dangerous you have to check if it has a little green padlock lower right corner and is secured by Verisign as there are bogus sites out there that pretend to be one thing but are false

I am from Australia a young lad lost $2500 on a fake ebay site so be very careful and if in doubt DONT