Why creating an AWS account is harder than it should be — especially in India

You decided to learn AWS. You went to aws.amazon.com, clicked "Create a Free Account," and ran straight into a wall. Credit card required. Phone verification that never calls back. A mysterious ₹2 charge on your card. Documents that don't match. An account suspended before you ever deployed anything. This is one of the most complained-about onboarding experiences in cloud computing — and if you are in India, there is an entire extra layer of complexity that most guides completely skip. Here's everything AWS requires, why each hurdle exists, what breaks, and how to get past all of it. What AWS Requires Globally 1. A unique email address Cannot be tied to an existing Amazon account. If you shop on Amazon.in, that email is already taken. Use a different one. 2. A valid payment method AWS requires a credit or debit card even for the free tier — used for identity verification and fraud prevention. What happens: AWS places a $1 USD temporary authorization hold (or ₹2 for AISPL accounts in In