I don't know what MMO's you've played, but every and I mean every MMO i've played has required me to provide my credit card information prior to having access to the intial free 30 days. and I've played quit a bit of MMO's. Everquest, Everquest 2, Starwars Galaxies, Planetside, Vanguard, Dungeons and Dragons online, World of Warcraft, Warhammer, Rift, Startrek Online, and now Starwars The Old Republic. yes the first 30days are free, but to access those free days you are required to have a valid subscription, which in the case of SWTOR requires that you either use a credit card to initiate a subscription, or you purchase a game card and use the code on the game card to start the subscription. for those asking about a refund for game cards, I've never used a game card but I would think no you wont get a refund after having used the code on the card. If you really don't have a credit card, or you can't purchase or don't want to purchase a game card. go to your bank and request a prepaid visa card, or go to Walmart or a similar type of store and ask if they sell prepaid visa cards. you can use those type of cards in place of a real credit card. also, if your bank has atm/debit cards that you can use like a credit card to draw off your checking account. those cards work also. IF this is your first MMO, I'm sorry for all the people that were uninformed, but you really should of asked more questions. many of us with more experience in the MMO community would of gladly answered questions about MMO's. for those of you who have decided to push past the obstacles and join the community, we welcome you. and Merry Christmas to all of ya'll, or happy holidays for those that don't celebrate Christmas.