You can buy them with just a cash account? I did not know that. Has this been a change in the last 6 years or so?
Ah the imprecision of the English Language!
I’ve purchased many an option without using margin, but I’ve always had a *margin acount*. (which I’ve never intentionally used to borrow with).
You don’t need to borrow money to buy options, but your meaning may be correct - you may need to purchase them from a *margin acount*.
English can really be quite imprecise at times.