Mabuk dan gila

I'm no authority but I know a couple of people who have ITIN's. I think all they had to do was report some income to the IRS. Like they won a few bucks at a casino or their mom paid them a few bucks from abroad for "consulting" over the phone while they were here, and being good law abiding visitors and all, they wanted to report that income to the IRS, so they needed an ITIN.

Didn't know that. That would be the much larger problem. I know people who have checking accts, car loans and even mortgages with ITIN's but I suppose that isn't the same as a credit card. They must have qualified on collateral and other factors if they have no credit report.

LongviewTX

You're correct - you will get ITIN without further questions if you actually file a tax return. Just a discrepancy in definitions here - for me just to prepare 1040NR (tax form for non-residents) will all its schedules when you actually are not required to file one already is not an "easy" task to start with. Plus you have to get notarized copy of you ID mailed to the IRS and in some states to get a copy notarized is an even bigger challenge than to prepare 1040NR.... Long story short, I agree that getting an ITIN issued is a doable task, just not easy in my opinion.


Those people you talk about probably got approved for their loans and mortgages using a manual approval process (not a mainstream underwriting process). I can assure you that if you have $200,000 sitting in your checking account and verifiable $100,000/yr salary and shop around asking for a $100,000 mortgage, sooner or later you will find someone who will agree to override the fact you have no US credit history....

So if you have good relationship with a loan officer who would agree to override the fact of having no credit history/score on your application, you will get approved for a credit card. You can also get approved for a secured credit card as approval for this type of cards doesn't have a credit score threshold etc.

I just thought the original question was whether you can get a non-secured credit card through the "regular" application process.

levych

venezuela... whats your suggestion for me?

yes nice explanation... i meant to say i dont have ssn. is there any other way to earn miles bonus with those credit cards offers?.. ops

karlmitchell

There are three different definitions of "resident" in the US.

1) In terms of your immigrant status, you are only a resident if you are a U.S. Citizen or have a Green Card (legal permanent residency).

2) In terms of your tax status, there is a test based on the number of days you spend in different countries. If you're here on a work permit or some other visa that requires social security number you can often qualify. H1, J1 and O1 visa holders normally qualify.

3) In terms of your domestic status, it depends on whether you physically have an address. J2 and H4 visa holders, for instance, are permitted to reside in the US contingent on another's presence, but have no legal financial presence or SSN (they may have an ITIN). As a result they have no credit rating.

I currently satisfy 2 and 3, but not 1. I've also been in the US long enough - since 2005 - to have built an excellent credit rating.

In my experience, the tax status is what banks actually mean, and I have never been denied a credit card application on these grounds. Occasionally, however, there are issues regarding international treaties which can cause weirdness, and I found myself in a position of having an application with a stock market trading company once. When applying for credit cards, I assume definition 2 unless they specifically exclude this option. Beware, though, that depending on your specific visa rules there may be some restrictions on "earnings from other sources". Make sure you know what you're doing, just in case your bank starts to submit tax forms for you implying that you have a separate income.

-Karl

pogreen

Would it be possible for non-US citizens to deposit a sum of money with the relevant bank to assure them that we will not default on payments and get them to issue us the credit cards with the bonus points?

johnnie198x

I'm not sure, but I don't think so. Credit cards with bonus (or at least large bonus) require good credit history. The deposit money is for those who don't have credit history yet. However it's the first step towards good credit history.

Amarone

I'm not a US citizen. I've recently opened an account with a US bank - one that provided free banking if a significant balance was left at credit of the account. When I asked about getting a credit card I was told they would consider a CC application after I'd had the account for 6 months - this was for a "standard" card. Consequently I don't think the balance would make a difference - to get the big bonuses I think you need to build up a US credit history over a few years.

pogreen

Hmm are you working in the US currently? I think my scenario is a little bit different because I live and work outside of the US (in fact I only visit the US once a year for holidays) - so I'm really just trying to find a way to take advantage of the bonus points if at all possible.

But point noted - looks like it's not so easy after all!

Amarone

My main residence is in the UK as is my business but I spend the winter in the US. Like you I'm looking to get the big mileage deals. I'll post again if I get something sorted out!

Cphil1

Canuck here,

I just read the whole thread and I got good information regarding getting some sort of status to apply for CC's...

But that just the thing, I'm in the process of getting a rewards card from a bank I opened an account with 3 months ago. I have no status in the US, I just vacation in Florida often.

I guess it's maybe some sort of non-resident program going on. But will the bank account and using my CC card abroad (most of the time) build some sort of credit history in the US so I can get larger rewards cards in the future?

In other sites, as well as FT, people told me it's impossible without the almighty SSN. I'm already ahead, with the card I will get soon. Other sites mentioned that you could get a credit card with a co-signer (US resident), then after a few months all the offers will come pouring in - be it by email or mail. Is there any truth to that?

While people on this thread are stating at least several years of credit history, some others say within 3-6 months. I'm just a bit confused about all this with current events and posting on boards...

Phil

PS - Also, do I need to declare stuff to the IRS because I have bank accounts in the US with small balances? If so, will that alone give me the opportunity to get an ITIN (still don't know exactly what that is)?

pogreen

haha good luck! hopefully we can get in on the action as well

yerffej201

Wait, so if my aunt lives in the States, I can get a supplementary card even though I'm a Canuck? I would apply for family based green card but that takes 10 years O.o

pigx5

If you have ITIN or SSN, you can apply credit card.
If you don't have credit history, you can start from secured credit card.
In my opinion, the easiest one to get and will report your credit is the first progress secured credit card.
I got my secured credit card from BOA since I have checking account with them.
So you may also want to try your local bank which offers secured credit card and will report your credit history.
After you get good credit score, you may switch to the unsecured credit card.

mgo72

This is what it says:

You must be a resident of a US state; however, at present the program is not available in Arkansas, Iowa, New York, or Wisconsin.

redtop43

I can say the following... my wife is a Canadian citizen, just got her US residency a few months ago. She has had Canadian Amex cards for a few years. Last summer she wanted to get an Amex Delta Skymiles card. Amex said she could do it based on her Canadian Amex history but she had to have a USA bank account. My bank added her to my checking account by her just showing her passport. So she got a USA Amex Skymiles card without having USA residency.

However, it's not clear that would work quite so well for other companies. Immediately after the got her SSN she was rejected for a Chase SP card, but a month later (during which time I had verified that she now had a USA credit file) she got a Chase Hyatt card. Her USA credit history was confused with mine, giving her a good credit score; we didn't bother to correct them. My point being that in most cases other than Amex, you probably need to have a USA credit file, which you probably can't do without an SSN.

What I know about an ITIN is that you have to get one if you do not have an SSN but have to file USA taxes. You get it at the time you file your return.