A:Answer November 2025
McAfee Total Protection does require new and updating subscription customers to provide a valid credit card in Step 2 of the download process. **Step 1 is to input your activation code and email address. Step 2 is where McAfee requires a new user as well as a renewing subscriber to input a valid credit card into McAfee's database. There is no way to proceed to "Step 3 - Download" without providing McAfee with a credit card in Step 2.
Two technicians tried, and advised that once the credit card information was entered into McAfee's database, it could be deleted in the "My Account" section after the download. However, even if the credit card data has been "removed", the data is still in their database, although it is not visible to the user. The data is still in their records. This is not secure as it should be.
*This applies even if one has purchased a non-renewal version of McAfee Total Protection from a business or Amazon.*
One technician read a company email to me, that as of October 6, 2025, this is now McAfee's new requirement.
