Is it not still possible to set up an AppleID with gift cards you paid cash for? As far as I know it used to be. I still have an AppleID I set up in another cou

Is it not still possible to set up an AppleID with gift cards you paid cash for? As far as I know it used to be. I still have an AppleID I set up in another country using a free iTunes download code I got from a bottle of soda iirc, never used a credit card and downloaded a free apps that weren't available in the country of my main AppleID.