Unable to download free apps, despite providing card info.

So apparently it’s not enough that I provide valid card info. The card must have money on it, is that right? I am prohibited from downloading a FREE app because of a zero balance on my card. The card itself is valid, but I live paycheck to paycheck like most Americans and believe it or not, it’s normal for me to have a zero balance before payday.

Please tell me how a card with 0.01 is valid, but a card with 0.00 is not. Am I correct to assume this means that Apple considers a zero balance as “a “safety risk”?

The only reason Apple gives for requiring “valid payment info” for downloading apps is due to “safety purposes”, so therefore if my card with a zero balance registers as invalid, Apples algorithm considers a zero balance to be an “error”.

That’s insane. It didn’t used to be like this.