For those who have been looking for ways to acquire a US domiciled VISA card, I noticed a thread on another BB that mentioned that Banner Bank (Pacific Northwest States) would open savings and VISA accounts for Canadian citizens. I called the Bellingham office and reached a helpful CSR that verified this.

If you don’t have a US Tax ID, they require a Passport and government issued photo-id (i.e. drivers license) that contains your address. They’ll have you sign a W-8 form which identifies you as a Canadian without a Tax ID. They said that it is fairly simple exercise if all your documentation is in order.

They suggested that the Point Roberts branch might be more convenient, and probably has more experience with accounts like these. I haven’t found any bank in Buffalo that would entertain this, so I guess I’ll do a jaunt to Point Roberts on my next YVR trip.

http://www.bannerbank.com