Hypertweeky

What a name!, she will have trouble remembering that one!! lol
. I can picture the face of the bank employee when she tells him/her I am a Prucol!! , Sorry Mr F that was funny!

britchicknyc

As others have said the best way is to start with a store card such as Macys. Do carry a small balance, but not more than a third of your credit line. Also ENSURE you make your payments on time! Very important!

Then try getting a card from Capital One www.capitalone.com they will give a card much more easily than other establishements.

After nearly three years I have a AAdvantage Mastercard, a car loan and a mortgage pending. I know it seemd like a vicious circle but it is do-able.

katesuiter1

A secured card is like a regular credit card but you have to pay a deposit which is held in a seperate "savings" account. The credit limit is normally the equivalent of the amount you put down as a deposit, but our bank had a special offer and allowed us to put just $99 down, and we got a $500 limit. After a year, they reviewed my payment history, and cuz I been a good girl, () they increased my limit and upgraded me to "unsecured". Yippee!!!

Kate. xxxx

Hypertweeky

Thanks!!
I am glad to hear you have a credit history in this country!

Hypertweeky

Thanks Kate!!, How's the new shiny EAD?
You being a good girl? Let me question it.. how many marshmallows have you eaten lately?
You hit the jackpot with that offer, I will keep in mind your advices, I can't wait to get my SSN!!!
It is quite easy to get a credit card in Spain. Mrs XXX (A friend of the family) is an illegal alien and had no problems getting a credit card, You don't pay to open an account in Spain!.
She also got the "Tarjeta of seguridad social" (Social security card).. the US is certainly different

katesuiter1

No marshmallows. The place I get them from only has them every now and again, and I haven't seen 'em lately.

I never even attempted to get a credit card in the UK. I had a few other loans going on, and I didn't want to drown in debt. I wasn't 100% responsible with money back then either. I feel like a new person since I've been living with Corey, though. The same day the bills come in, they're paid and out of our faces. I feel really proud now, cuz our sensible way of doing things has paid off a lot!

My shiny new EAD is now in force! My old one expired a few days ago, so they timed my approval just right! Just wish they could do that for everyone.

Kate. xxxx

Hypertweeky

I am sorry to hear they don't have your fave marshmallows at this time, But don't lose hope, they might bring more soon!
We struggle to pay our bills, but we ALWAYS pay them on time. I tell him when/how much he has to write the checks for
I am glad to hear your new EAD is in force!!. Let's wish everyone waiting on the EAD tons of good luck!! (That includes me! )

mstracy

Having had good credit in the UK for years, my wife and I are used to having that safety net. Even though I'm not resident yet, my bank in Arizona suggested I start with a secured credit card in my name (UKC) and have my wife (USC) as an authorized user. With only a small amount of use, this should give me a good credit rating by the time we actually get to move there.

Mark

Aliluv

Also to build credit you can add your name and SS# to your husbands cards. Ask the credit company if they will report both ss#'s. We did this for my husband who also had no credit here. Citibank reports both numbers.

Also the more times you apply the worse your score gets. I think the company that gave my husband a card was Fleet.

He only got it after being on my cards for several months. He can now get a card almost anywhere.

It's tough but I promise it will happen.

Good luck to you.

dbark

Thanks Kate, that's exactly what the bank promised me! You are such a supportive person on this forum, don't ever stop!

Debbie

dbark

Thanks Mr F, I think I'll stick with resident alien then, PRUCOL might take a bit of explaining!

Debbie

Brit3964

Another good way to build a credit history is to get your USC spouse to add you as an authorized user to their account. This counts towards your own personal rating as well as giving prove to the dear INS (opps..I mean BCIS ;-) that you have combined finanacial ties (useful for when the AOS/I-751 inteviews etc come around).

Just Jenney

This is not correct. Being an authorized user does NOT help you build credit.

Here's a repost of something I wrote a few weeks ago about this same issue:

If you add someone as a joint cardholder to your account, that means your account history automatically becomes their account history. A joint cardholder is also equally liable financially for the account. Assuming that you have a great history on that account, this is a good way to help your spouse establish credit history.

An authorized user does NOT have any financial liability on the account. By definition they are only authorized to use the account, nothing more. The credit card company can report the account to the authorized user's credit report, but the credit report will reflect that the person is an authorized user by listing an "A" to the left of the account as it's listed on the report. Therefore, because an authorized user has no financial liability for the account, it does NOT help build credit, even though it may be listed on the credit report.

Mark and I have discovered this all first-hand. About six months ago, I added him to my account as an authorized user. After a few months I realized that as such he wasn't building up a credit history; it just meant he could charge to the account. So I requested his status be changed to that of a joint cardholder. That was about 3 months ago. Two days ago we just checked Mark's credit score, and his is now higher than mine (over 750)! So he was able to piggyback off my good credit to establish good credit of his own.

He hasn't yet applied for credit in his name, but probably in the next few months he will. At the rate he's going so far, he shouldn't have any difficulties getting a card.

Also, I know that Mark has received offers from MBNA in the past, but the fine print states that you have to be a PR or USC in order to apply. On the flip side, my employer (a credit card company) doesn't have any limitations on citizenship requirements for applicants, so long as they have an SSN or ITIN. So always be sure to read the fine print.

~ Jenney

leebarton

On the credit front, we added me to my wifes account and got me a card in my name. We had the option of an authorized user or making the account joint. The first my name would be added and Lara was responsible, the second we share the responsibility. We did the 2nd and I have not opened any other cards in my name. Yesterday in the mail i got my first pre-qualified credit card offer That was 6 months and 2 weeks after we put me on her account, and she has an excellent credit rating. Guess that means I do now too =P

edit: basically what the last poster said!! =P

Good luck with everything
Lee

ian-mstm

Just to add to this from my experience, I also thought I'd have a great credit rating after being added to my wife's excellent credit rating, but it wasn't so. For 2 years, my FICO score was okay but not all that good. The main problem was the length of my credit history - that is, the credit rating linked to my SS# was quite short in relation to the average credit history. After 6 years, mind you, it's *now* excellent.

The FICO score is very important when determining credit worthiness. It not only determines how much unsecured credit a company is willing to extend, it determines how low an interest rate the company will give you! I think people don't give credit worthiness the respect it's due.

Ian