Apple ID without a credit card

Your question is not very clear.

Same contacts on Both what?

Not sure if its still possible, but in the past you could create an Apple ID without a payment method by attempting to download a free App from the App Store without having an Apple account signed in on a device.

You can go to Settings ➜ Account ➜ Media & Purchases and sign out, then go to the App Store and try to download a free app. If it still works, it should ask you to create the account and not ask for for a payment method.

Contacts are stored in an email account, be it, iCloud or a 3rd party email. They are not directly tied to your apple Account. You can add the email address that holds the contacts to a device under Settings ➜ Apps ➜ Contacts ➜ Accounts to get the contacts onto that device regardless of what Apple account is signed in in Settings ➜ Account.

You should be able to set up an account without a payment method

How to create a new Apple Account - Apple Support

“Enter your payment method and billing information, then click Continue. You can also choose None. You won’t be charged until you make a purchase.”

but you may find that to do much with the account you will have to show a payment method, at least briefly --> Remove a payment method from your Apple Account - Apple Support

Certain conditions may require you have a payment method on your account:

- What you want to buy cannot be paid for with account balance.

- Sign in with your Apple ID - Sign in to your Apple Account on the web or in your device settings - Apple Support - at the very bottom: "When you sign in to the App Store and other media services for the first time, you might need to add a credit card or other payment information."

Read this about contacts --> I need to recover contacts from earlier u… - Apple Community

1) Many of the top helpers on this web site would easily count as "elderly", so learning technology is not an age-impossible task. ;-)

2) You say somebody purchased a Watch for you. I don't not know to which "he" you are referring. Who set it up? If it is your Watch then you set it up.

Some things require Two Factor Authentication (2FA). Apple strongly recommends setting up 2FA. You do not have to, but if you don't then you are taking on extra responsibility and potential consequences should you have account problems. Since this is your Watch and presumably you are using it (you do not say anything to the contrary) then why does John need codes?

Two factor codes are not needed in the daily course of things. They are needed when making major changes to account settings or when you add a new device to an account.

You can set up an account without a credit card but if you want to use the App Store for anything, Apple will want to see there is one.

I don't want to know John's disabilities, but if they are cognitive then it could affect the advice we provide.