# Credit Card and Kindle Fire



## kkay5

My son is getting a Kindle Fire for Christmas and I am trying to figure out how to make this work.  We don't keep a credit card on our Kindle account at all.  My MIL is on our account and when there is a credit card on the account she buys books accidently ALL the time.  And I know you can return a book for any reason, but I don't want to have to call Amazon 5 times a week to return a book (somehow she always misses the part where you can cancel) and have our account flagged.   When we want to buy a book, we use a different account and gift it to the account we use for our Kindle devices.  So we never have to have a credit or gift card on the account.

I tried to get a free app for the Kindle Fire and it's requiring me to put a credit card in.  I tried doing it over the computer and Amazon still wanted a credit card for a free app.

Is there way to get FREE apps for the Kindle Fire without having a credit card on our account?  Do gift cards work?  Even with gift cards though we have the same problem with my MIL making accidental purchases.  But maybe we could put a gift card on the account with a low amount...

So, does anyone have a Kindle Fire with no credit card on the account funded with gift cards?  Has anyone actually tried it out?  With the eInk Kindles it has never been a requirement.

Thanks!!


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## kdawna

I bought two Fires for my girls and played around with this. I tried the gift card but it wouldn't even work unless there was also a credit card attached. I ended up buying them books and games to use up the gift card amt I put on there.
What I did was to make a separate amazon account with my daughters name. On the address part I put their first name first followed by my First name . They don't know the account info., passwords etc. even for their e-mail and I will keep it this way since they are only 10 and 12 with some special needs.  (I even made them a yahoo e-mail) and  what I have done is gone ahead and preordered them alot of mostly free games and some books and then removed the credit card. There is some parental "lock" on the Fire but it does not keep them from directly buying unless the credit card is totally off the Amazon account. You can just have your son let you know what he would like to buy from time to time and just go on and buy the items with your card and remove it right away.
It's a pain in a way.... but I would rather be safe than sorry. I love the games and books and such. I think as they grow it will still be a really nice device for them to have. 
Brenda B.


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## kisala9906

It says in the appstore help section that you must have a CC on file even for free apps. Hold on let me find the link for you.

Here you go http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200551840


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## kkay5

OK, thanks.  I think I am going to end up returning the Kindle Fire.  I have 5 kids so I want everyone on the same account.  I have already bought many young adult and children novels and it doesn't make sense not to have all of us on the same account.  Maybe Apple will come out with a smaller, less expensive version of the iPad someday.


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## kisala9906

kkay5 said:


> OK, thanks. I think I am going to end up returning the Kindle Fire. I have 5 kids so I want everyone on the same account. I have already bought many young adult and children novels and it doesn't make sense not to have all of us on the same account. Maybe Apple will come out with a smaller, less expensive version of the iPad someday.


Sorry to hear you will have to return it, but I understand why. I did hear that Apple is planning to early next year, you never know.


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## Ann in Arlington

I understand there is a way to lock out app purchases so even though there's a CC on file, apps can't be purchased via the fire with one-click. You basically disable one-click for mobile purchases.

There's also an app that locks down the fire somewhat: .

It's called "Kid's Place".


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## kkay5

Ann in Arlington said:


> I understand there is a way to lock out app purchases so even though there's a CC on file, apps can't be purchased via the fire with one-click. You basically disable one-click for mobile purchases.
> 
> There's also an app that locks down the fire somewhat: .
> 
> It's called "Kid's Place".


My son isn't really the one I am worried about. It's my MIL who doesn't do well with 1 clicking!!!


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## Bob327

List or make your mother in law  a kid... ...

I set up a filter on my e-mail account that filters everything sent to me by amazon into a  completely separate mailbox...  I was ordering a ton of free as well as 99 cent apps..along with a bunch of stuff for my cell phone.

I use my Debit card to pay for purchases from amazon....and I need to know how much to deduct from my checking account... I intend to change the card to a credit card...Tomorrow Naturally lol

Bob G


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## racheldeet

Get a pre-loaded Visa gift card from a gas station, and put $15 or so on it. It can't overdraw, and you have a valid card on file.


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## fuschiahedgehog

Just discovered this today as I was playing around with the Fires we bought for the kids for Christmas.  I set up a new account for them to share, and funded it with a gift card.  Imagine my dismay when I found out that you can't even download a free app without a credit card on the account.  Come on, Amazon, this is ridiculous.  I will be complaining to Customer Service about this.  Yes, I know I can get one of the pre-paid Visa cards for their account, but I really don't want/need one more stupid card to keep track of.  Amazon, you know we're giving these tablets to children - why should we have to hook up a credit card in order for them to get the most use out of it, especially when we can fund their accounts via your own gift cards?  I haven't looked yet, but I'm gonna assume magazine subscriptions will be the same way.


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## Ann in Arlington

Though you have to have a CC registered, I believe there is a way to lock out the one click for app or other purchases.  So it would only work for books.  Check your one-click settings on your account page.


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## fuschiahedgehog

Ann in Arlington said:


> Though you have to have a CC registered, I believe there is a way to lock out the one click for app or other purchases. So it would only work for books. Check your one-click settings on your account page.


If you lock out the CC for one-click, you can't purchase apps even though there's sufficient gift card balance on the account. You can still purchase books, though. Makes no sense.


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## Ann in Arlington

fuschiahedgehog said:


> If you lock out the CC for one-click, you can't purchase apps even though there's sufficient gift card balance on the account. You can still purchase books, though. Makes no sense.


I think the idea is that some of the apps may have 'in app purchases' that you can do. . .like buying pigs for your farmville farm or something. So locking one-click for the apps will prevent that sort of thing by kids who don't realize it's real money they're spending for the virtual pork.

Also, there's a 7 day return period for books but there is no such thing for apps or in-app purchases. . . .what's locked is the part that has no return policy. If a book is bought in error, you'll get an email to let you know and can delete it within the 7 days if you don't want the kid to have it.

There is also an app called "Kids place" which lets you put a few more controls on the thing:


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## fuschiahedgehog

I haven't checked out that app yet, but I will.  As for the in-app purchases, again, the gift card balance should suffice.  I want the boys to have their own account and spend their own money, and I shouldn't have to put the husband's credit card with the huge limit on their account to do so.  Granted, most purchases will just be a couple bucks, but there are some rather pricey books available in the Kindle store.  I trust my children for the most part, but let's face it - they are *children* after all.  I wouldn't turn them loose at the mall with a high-limit credit card.


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## TraceyC/FL

fuschiahedgehog said:


> I haven't checked out that app yet, but I will. As for the in-app purchases, again, the gift card balance should suffice. I want the boys to have their own account and spend their own money, and I shouldn't have to put the husband's credit card with the huge limit on their account to do so. Granted, most purchases will just be a couple bucks, but there are some rather pricey books available in the Kindle store. I trust my children for the most part, but let's face it - they are *children* after all. I wouldn't turn them loose at the mall with a high-limit credit card.


You might check with you bank, but I recently got my 2 youngest pre-paid debit cards from USAA. Their is no monthly fee on them, and you can fund them how ever you want ($10 transfer minimum though - I discovered when the tooth fairy "earnings" of $5 tried to get loaded). There are controls you can put on limiting transaction amounts and how many in a day.

Anyone can now bank with them - USAA.com - and as they are truly free, it might be an option if your bank doesn't offer something similar. My kids know about the cards, know their money is on them, but don't know the pin numbers and I have possession of the cards. They have actually managed to save money and are quite excited! lol!

https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/bank_youth

My teen has the teen checking account, that I can transfer money OUT of her account into mine should she owe me, and that isn't possible to do with the debit cards.

Anyway, it's an inexpensive way to deal with it if it fits your families needs/values/work I can't think of!


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## fuschiahedgehog

Well, I checked out the Kids Place app - I think I'll keep looking.  No organization, no choice of background color, etc... I understand it's still a beta version, but yikes!

As for the debit/prepaid card thing - that's probably what we'll end up doing.  Not happy about it, though.


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## Strapped-4-Cache

We just discovered this frustrating little hitch after purchasing a Fire for our 12 yo daughter.  I've searched the forum and, unless my search-fu has gone kaput, I don't see that Amazon has changed the way this has been set up.  After a bit of thinking I believe I've managed to come up with a solution.

After seeing and playing with my daughter's Fire, I decided to burn through a few gift cards I had acquired over the last few months and get myself a Fire as well.  A bit of digging through the "to be shredded" bin rewarded me with a few now-worthless Visa gift cards.  Still, the account numbers ARE valid and represent a credit card.  I plugged in the information for one of them in her profile and now the system shows it as the card funding one-click purchases.  As long as the gift cards we give her always get used *first*, she shouldn't have a problem with the one-click hurdle.


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## salemboot

http://www.amazon.com/forum/kindle?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1D7SY3BVSESG&cdThread=Tx2G3ZZO9NQQNXL

Fake credit card works but remember to add a billing address and gift card.

The amazon link points to this: http://www.dragonblogger.com/setup-kindle-fire-kids/

had the same issues with my kid's kindle hd.

Pass it on!

peace


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## Ann in Arlington

Holy Zombie thread, Batman! 

FWIW, I have a pre-paid card that my job occasionally puts little 'attaboy' bonus money on.  Right now there's nothing on it, but when I get $10 or $20 I go to Amazon, switch payment to that card, and use it to buy myself an Amazon GC.  Otherwise it's just a valid payment option, albeit one that would be rejected if I actually tried to use it most of the time.  I do have another real card registered a well, but I think I'd be fine with just the one if I wanted to be, as long as I keep my GC balance.

I would NOT suggest trying to just make up a number -- if it's not really a valid number I doubt it will be accepted.  And, there's always the possibility that it IS a real number, for someone else, and in that case you've just committed credit card fraud! 

Salemboot, the link you point to is over a year old and applies to the Fire1 -- there's lots more in the way of parental controls nowadays. I expect a lot of what they suggest is no longer necessary and possibly not even relevant with the new HD Fires.  Parents should look in the parental controls under settings as well as the Kindle Free Time App. . . . . . I'm sure there are more contemporary threads about this issue around here too.


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