is there any way to get dev mode for free

You can't, code begging is specifically against the forum rules

I paid for my gaming doing errands and yard work for the elderly. Even had a paper route for the lean times in winter. Try that to earn the money for the rest

Hi Shaun N! I hope you are well, delighted to be able to offer you my help!

From what you gathered, PayPal and credit cards are the only payment options available for Xbox Development Mode. There are no options for Microsoft or Xbox gift cards.

Check out this link to learn more about Xbox Developer Payment Methods:

https://learn.microsoft.com/partner-center/set-up-your-payout-account

That being said, we highly suggest you contact Xbox Developer Support for further assistance if you can possibly allow a Microsoft gift card from them. You can contact them through this link:

https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/support/?tabs=Contact-us

Let me know if this information is useful to you.

Best regards,
Daniel.

so how can I request a gift card

you cannot run legitimate Xbox programs under dev mode

As a reminder, dev mode is only for creating your own personal software, and in no way is to be used for software piracy or any other purpose or your risk hardware and account bans.

Same issue. Was using dev mode without any issues an hour ago, then updated to the latest OS and now I’m getting blocked with this same message when I try switching to dev mode...