Kindle Fire devices are amazing but do first ask you to register an Amazon account. If you haven’t already got one, you may not be too happy about needing to provide a credit card with the account as well. So how do you get free apps on a Kindle Fire without a credit card?
You can create an Amazon account without a credit card by using a prepaid gift card, setting up 1-click payments or by using an United States checking account to get free apps on a Kindle Fire.
Let’s go through the steps needed to install apps and use a Kindle Fire without needing to register a credit card, as well as some tips and tricks to setup your Amazon account so that you get full access without needing a credit card.
How to Install Apps on Kindle Fire Without Credit Card?
Installing apps is done via the Amazon ecosystem which is very similar to the one offered in the Google Play Store as it runs via Android. You can create an Amazon account which will allow you to get the apps.
However, your Amazon account needs to have a payment method linked to it.
These are Visa, Amazon Store Card, Amazon Secured Card, MasterCard/EuroCard, Discover Network, American Express, Diner’s Club, JCB, NYCE, STAR, China UnionPay, and Visa, MasterCard, or American Express prepaid credit or gift cards. [1]
As most of these are credit cards, one of the best options is to pick up a prepaid credit card and link that as a payment method. You can get these from a variety of stores and just load a few dollars on them.
Open your Account page, click the Apply a Gift Card to Your Account option that you’ll find in the Amazon Wallet section. Once you’ve redeemed the code and applied the balance that will count as a payment method.
Open up the Appstore on the Kindle, it will have the typical black and yellow coloring of Amazon, and from here it is just a matter of browsing the categories or using the search function to find what you want.
Can You Use a Fire Tablet Without a Credit Card?
A Kindle Fire Tablet can easily be used without an Amazon account and thus a credit card, although you will be limited in what you can do.
Amazon accounts offer more than just access to the Appstore, because you also won’t be able to get into all the Amazon content such as the library of books, music, movies, TV shows and much more.
You can’t even save the progress of anything you’ve done to the cloud.
So while you can technically do this, it is a bit of a pain and you won’t be getting much out of your device. The better solution is to link it to an Amazon account that doesn’t have a credit card as a payment method, but instead has something else you trust.
When setting it up for the first time, you will be prompted to create or login to your Amazon account, although you can skip this.
You’ll then be prompted to connect to the internet, so tap Add a Network and then hit cancel and skip on the registration screen, and then you should be dropped to the home screen of the tablet.
If you have a SD card plugged in, you could watch media offline with this method.
Can You Have an Amazon Account Without a Credit Card?
Amazon accounts need to have an accepted payment method to be registered. As listed above, this means you don’t have many options but a prepaid gift card will still be recognized as a credit card.
However you can also try using the 1-Click settings workaround, a checking account or the gift card method as dealt with above.
As the 1-Click settings workaround doesn’t have a payment method connected, you won’t be able to purchase anything so you may have issues when trying to get apps but at least you can access many of the free Amazon services.
For the 1-Click method, first get into your Amazon account or create a new one, then from Accounts & Lists on the right-hand side, select Your Account and then hit Ordering and Shopping Preferences. Tap 1-Click settings and then open Your Amazon Address Book.
Add a physical address by clicking on the gray plus sign, then click the yellow Add Address button, set it as default. It will then prompt you to put card details in, but you can close the prompt and you’re done with the setup.
You’ll need to use a real address and may also need to put in a phone number. If you’re having errors pop up while trying this, the fields which have an issue will be tinged with red, so just redo them until Amazon is satisfied with the information.
Another method is to add a United States checking account, this method doesn’t work with a savings, corporate, or business bank account. After you’ve followed the usual Amazon account setup, go into your account settings and look in the Amazon wallet.
Click the Manage Payment Options and then find the Add a personal checking account option.
Fill in the required information and then submit the form. This may take some time to fully process as Amazon has to verify all the information including the government-issued ID that you would have to have uploaded. Until it has verified it can’t be used as a payment method.
