is a payment method now mandatory for all newly provisioned E5 Instant Sandboxes?

I have an active Visual Studio Professional subscription and can successfully link it to the Microsoft 365 Developer Program. During E5 Instant Sandbox provisioning, the setup requires creation of a Billing Account and entry of a credit card/payment method. The documentation states the E5 Developer subscription is free and billing is used for verification. Is there an alternative verification process for Visual Studio subscribers that does not require a credit card, or is a payment method now mandatory for all newly provisioned E5 Instant Sandboxes?