tom169

Also use credit karma and Discover's FICO score.

BE005

Related to this topic, I moved to the US mid-October and have just gotten CreditKarma setup, my score right now is 735 which seems pretty good all things considered (I have 2 credit cards active.)

Noodler

I got an Amex card about 6 months before I moved. They have s global transfer scheme and I got $8k as soon as I arrived in Mid Nov. Nearly maxed the card setting up but dont know if best to pay it all or leave sum or let the statement come in as nearly maxed and pay in full.

I also got a BMW on lease as BMW have their own finance and do global credit checking.

N

London Bill

Tom I just got a Nissan on lease with an $80000 pension they did credit check but all was OK but they did not check on income just took my word

danj26

my UK credit rating is good but I understand you need to “start again” in the US. How difficult will it be to obtain credit? How long would I need to build credit to get a car loan? Mobile/cell contract? rent an apartment? Besides prepaid/ discovery type credit cards can anyone suggest other ways to build credit?

Noodler

I got an Amex card in the UK and used it for 4 months. They have me a US Amex under global transfer with a decent credit limit in one phone call.

I went in to TMobile when I arrived and got the same plan as anyone would get. $145 a month for 3 phones with unlimited calls and text and 50gb of shared data and a years Netflix subscription. All I had to do was give them a $145 deposit which they credit back to my account after 13 months.

Also managed to lease an X5 as BMW have their own finance and do a UK credit check under their exec program.

danj26

Thanks very much. Will try for an AMEX beforehand. It’s good to know getting a phone contract won’t be difficult! X5 nice car! Thanks, Daniel.

Bob

You could read the thread, or the super helpful Wiki entry, above, that covers most of those questions as a good starting point...

Fatbrit's Guide to Credit and Finance : British Expat Wiki

Bob

Though budget anything from $50-600 as a deposit for all utilities.

PetrifiedExPat

I use credit karma as a guide only. Scores were 20-30 points higher when my credit was pulled by our mortgage provider vs the info on credit karma. Not sure why... we got a better rate in any case!

Pulaski

Agreed, Credit Karma uses a different scoring model, and I find that banks/lenders consistently report that my FICO credit score is at least 20-30 points higher than CK reports.

danj26

Thanks Bob. Have read the thread and have learnt some good stuff - thank you. Can you please clarify though as you made my heart sink to my stomach. When you say £50-600 deposit utilities!! trust this was a typo but please confirm for gas, electric, water etc should not usually exceed $100pm in LA? Honestly I hadn’t even considered the energy supply aspect so thank you! Daniel.

danj26

—
May I ask are you from the UK? How long has it taken to establish sufficient credit to secure a mortgage?

danj26

Does it really matter what credit scoring agency your lender use? In my experience from the UK, some use Experian and others Equifax! In the USA can you opt to have your record drawn from the most generous rated agency? Thanks, Daniel.

danj26

Hi! Just curious to know.. assume you are British and married US citizen. How long did it take you to establish sufficient credit in order to take out a mortgage in the US? Is the amount they lend you similar to UK rules? 4 x annual salary? Thanks, Daniel.