ManuCH From Switzerland, joined Jun 2005, 2971 posts, RR: 51 Posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 5 days 12 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
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OK, I'm yet another person who wants to use the US iTunes Music Store from abroad.
Disclaimer: yes, I know the iTunes Music Store terms don't allow that. But I don't care, as long as they don't lock foreign IPs down with geolocation.
My question: is there any chance to get a US-based credit card if living outside of the US? I have a US mailing address I could use, but I'm not physically there, and I don't have a US SSN.
Doable, or not a snowball's chance in hell a US bank will issue a card to a non-resident?
I know of the gift card trick, but you have to order them on eBay and have them shipped physically. A good alternative would be an online store where you pay, then get the gift card code "live", without having to wait for it being shipped. Or a person in the US willing to act as a "proxy" issuing the gift certificates online through iTunes. Anyone?
Virgin744 From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 903 posts, RR: 5 Reply 1, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Can't you buy a gift card once, then top it up online and keep the card going?
ManuCH From Switzerland, joined Jun 2005, 2971 posts, RR: 51 Reply 2, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
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Apparently not: to top it up you need a credit card with a US address. I have already opened the account with a gift card, but I am unable to top it up if not by purchasing more gift cards.
AznMadSci From United States of America, joined Dec 2007, 3542 posts, RR: 5 Reply 3, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Quoting ManuCH (Thread starter): I know of the gift card trick, but you have to order them on eBay and have them shipped physically. A good alternative would be an online store where you pay, then get the gift card code "live", without having to wait for it being shipped. Or a person in the US willing to act as a "proxy" issuing the gift certificates online through iTunes. Anyone?
Really? I didn't know of this trick and I wonder if I can order French, Italian, or Spanish iTunes gift cards and use them on my US account.
The journey of life is not based on the accomplishments, but the experience.
ManuCH From Switzerland, joined Jun 2005, 2971 posts, RR: 51 Reply 4, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 5 days 1 hour ago) and read 32767 times:
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Quoting AznMadSci (Reply 3): Really? I didn't know of this trick and I wonder if I can order French, Italian, or Spanish iTunes gift cards and use them on my US account.
No, you need to open a French, Italian or Spanish iTunes account, using a gift card from one of those countries. To top up any account, you need a gift card from the specific country that account is "located" in.
LTU932 From Germany, joined Jan 2006, 13864 posts, RR: 51 Reply 5, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Quoting ManuCH (Thread starter): OK, I'm yet another person who wants to use the US iTunes Music Store from abroad.
Switzerland doesn't have the iTunes store neither, or is it just to access the US store instead of the Swiss one? If the first is the case, welcome to my world.
To be honest, Apple should become more liberal with this by opening the iTunes store to everyone in the world, instead of geoblocking it or requiring a US credit card to access it in countries, where the iTunes store only exists as the App Store. Apple should open up the iTunes Store (both App Store and Music Store) to everyone in the world. After all, this could equal more customers and thus more revenue for them. It's a good deal for Apple, and it's a good deal for everybody else.
I'm still in Costa Rica and I only get the App Store here as well. And even if I do change my location to Germany once I'm there, I'd still need a matching credit card, because my Costa Rican credit card will be cancelled before the flight. With the restrictions in place by Apple, the whole experience with the iTunes Store can become a royal PITA because for the few unlucky people not located in the US, Germany, Canada, France, etc., the iTunes Store won't allow you to buy music at all.
AznMadSci From United States of America, joined Dec 2007, 3542 posts, RR: 5 Reply 7, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Quoting ManuCH (Reply 4): No, you need to open a French, Italian or Spanish iTunes account, using a gift card from one of those countries. To top up any account, you need a gift card from the specific country that account is "located" in.
Neat! Wish I knew that so I could have tried opening an Italian account. Maybe I could try it when I head to France.
The journey of life is not based on the accomplishments, but the experience.
LTU932 From Germany, joined Jan 2006, 13864 posts, RR: 51 Reply 8, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Quoting FLY2HMO (Reply 6): Which is why you could just use Limewire
That would defeat the purpose of getting more MP3s legally, wouldn't it?
Besides, Limewire is no good anymore anyway, most of the stuff I search for on Limewire isn't there, or it has DRM, which makes it impossible to use. And quite frankly, I'm in no mood of trying to crack DRMed MP3s when I should have the possibility of using the iTunes store to buy MP3s without DRM. I'd gladly pay extra for no DRM for the music I want.
Czbbflier From Canada, joined Jul 2006, 933 posts, RR: 2 Reply 9, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Quoting LTU932 (Reply 5): Apple should become more liberal with this by opening the iTunes store to everyone in the world, instead of geoblocking it or requiring a US credit card to access it in countries, where the iTunes store only exists as the App Store. Apple should open up the iTunes Store (both App Store and Music Store) to everyone in the world. After all, this could equal more customers and thus more revenue for them. It's a good deal for Apple, and it's a good deal for everybody else.
The restriction doesn't lie with Apple.
Believe me... if Apple could make a buck (or Swiss Franc) they would. It's just that copyright laws in the countries Apple doesn't sell into do not sufficiently protect the rights of the artists and labels.
Apple is only a distributor and if they started to sell product in countries that don't protect its suppliers, well, the tap could be turned off entirely and the entire Apple iTunes shootin' match would be down the flamin' iTubes with nothing to sell at all.
The iTunes store was not launched in Canada until there were changes to the copyright laws here, IIRC.
(So... write your local Federal Député and contact the Minister of Culture to initiate a change.)
ManuCH From Switzerland, joined Jun 2005, 2971 posts, RR: 51 Reply 10, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
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Quoting LTU932 (Reply 5): Switzerland doesn't have the iTunes store neither, or is it just to access the US store instead of the Swiss one? If the first is the case, welcome to my world.
Switzerland has an iTunes store - but it doesn't sell or rent movies. And that's exactly what I want. Even if it did, the US always shows the best movies before Switzerland, and I'm trying to find a way around it
It's not Apple's fault, as Czbbflier pointed out. It's the recording labels.
Columba From Germany, joined Dec 2004, 6799 posts, RR: 5 Reply 12, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Buy American Gift Certificates for the ITunes Store, this works........you can get them on Ebay or ask a friend in the US to send them (you only need the code so he does not have to send them via mail)
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Ohthedrama747 From UK - Scotland, joined Jan 2005, 291 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Czbbflier From Canada, joined Jul 2006, 933 posts, RR: 2 Reply 14, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Quoting ManuCH (Reply 10): It's not Apple's fault, as Czbbflier pointed out. It's the recording labels.
No, it's not the recording labels either: it's the copyright laws that protect the recording labels- and all other electronic 'proprietary information'.
Pyrex From Portugal, joined Aug 2005, 3538 posts, RR: 28 Reply 15, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Quoting Czbbflier (Reply 14): No, it's not the recording labels either: it's the copyright laws that protect the recording labels- and all other electronic 'proprietary information'.
Actually, it is the recording labels as well - regardless of copyright laws, they want to keep geographical "protections" so they can do price discrimination. You can find the same songs available on the French iTunes store and the U.S. iTunes store at different prices.
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From Switzerland, joined Jun 2005, 2971 posts, 
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