that's the thing, it is not an option. The only option is credit card, that is what drove me nuts. If it had other options, it would still be bad, but I'd have a way to solve it even if made me angry. Now, the only way to solve this is literally to order a credit card from my bank and then use it. Which is bonkers.

I haven't tested this myself, but verifying with a driver's license should be supported [1]. Anecdotally, I've heard you have to fail the automatic Apple Wallet credit card verification, get to the screen where you're asked to input a credit card manually, and there should be something hidden in a corner that you can click to verify by uploading an ID.

[1]: https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/1s2n1yc/psa_apple_h...

It’s definitely an option in the UK, as I’ve just used it, though it’s not particularly prominent.

If you choose the option to verify with a credit card and scroll down the form, there’s an option to verify another way, which allows you to use your driving license.

Ah, I assumed from this page that it was an option: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/125662