Jericho79

Morning all - quick question. How difficult is it to get credit finance on a work visa? Here in Canada, the bank are very conservative, but some will have new comer deals etc.

What's the situation in the US. Will banks consider a UK or Canadian credit score? Is a car lease realistic, with proof of employment, etc?

Thanks for your help.

Pulaski

Credit scores from outside the US rarely carry any weight.

Contact International Autosource about vehicle finance or a lease - I bought my first car through them (you must sign the purchase contract and pay a deposit while still outside the US). Volkswagen Audi also runs an expat finance program.

Search here for other threads on vehicle purchase & leasing, of which there are many. <Autosource> should be a good search term as it will find no false positives.

Jericho79

Thanks. What about credit cards or overdrafts with banks? Do the banks consider foreign credit histories, or would we be starting from scratch?

AdobePinon

As Pulaski said, "Credit scores from outside the US rarely carry any weight."

You don't want an overdraft here. Never. It'll really cost you.

Pulaski

If you have an Amex card outside the US for at least 12 months they can be persuaded to issue a US card based on the history. Otherwise you are more or less starting from scratch. Worse you're going to be caught in a "no credit history - no credit, no credit - no credit history" trap, so it can make sense to take an Autosource or Volkswagen credit deal just to help build a credit history.

FWIW A true bank overdraft is illegal in the US and what you might (eventually) be offered is effectively a linked credit card to cover "insufficient funds" issues ..... for which you may be hit for a "cash advance fee" as well as substantial interest.