arizzy

Is it worth getting a credit worthiness report from the UK before coming to the USA? Also how do you get access to such a report in the UK.

Kite Chick

Hi arizzy

I came out to the US with my credit report from Experian and it doesn't really stand for much - I have been told it will be useful if/when we come to buy a house but apart from that any credit report from the UK is not really worth the paper it's printed on!

You can obtain your credit report from Experian in the UK via their web site and costs £2 or so;

http://www.experian.com

Hope this helps!

Kite

Duncan Roberts

its pretty much uesless. US companies score you where UK ones dont therfore no matter how good your credit is, you wont have a score for them to look at

rogerpenycate

Hi,
UK credit is useless over here.
I had an Amex Gold card in the UK for about 15 years and they wouldn't even switch my credit to a US Amex card.
There's loads of previous threads on her about credit, unfortunately I even got turned down at Sears for a pair of socks (read he threads and you'll see what I mean)
The only way of getting on the "credit ratings list" was buying a car through Ford, who ran a check on me in the UK.
Trouble was it cost me 23% !!
In another 3/4 months I'll be able to re-finance it with the bak at 7/8 %

RoB1833

I got really lucky......

I went to see a financial advisor a few weeks back about my pension and they offered me a credit card, I applied and it actually came through yesterday. Not bad considering I have no credit rating whatsoever!!!

rogerpenycate

I forgot to mention, beware of credit card scams.
Against my advice, my 18 years old daughter, had $237 taken out of her account by a credit card company to secure the card.
She never received the card and despite my best effort trying to track down where the money went (the bank were useless and I'm now chasing their complaints dept) we never tracked the company down.
Beware of GLOBAL FINANCE CO. (and I'm sure there are many more)

Duncan Roberts

so far, in 6 months i have managed a credit card ($1000) and 2 store cards ($450 and $1600) so its fairly easy to get good credit as long as you pay your bills and dont spend more that 75% of your limit. try looking into your bank for a credit card, also department stores are good too if you have some form of US ID

dunroving

I tried getting a credit card without success for 6 years (I was a student at the time, which didn't help). Even my bank wouldn't give me one - and I'd been banking with them for 4 years!

When I went to TN, I banked with SunTrust. My personal banker told me "I'll make it my job to get you a credit card" - and she did. At the time she said this, all she knew was that I was a new employee at the local university; she had not run a credit check on me, just heard what I had to say about my personal attitudes towards money. The card only had a $1,000 limit, but after 6 months I upped it to $2,000, and 6 months later I upped it again to $4,000.

I think sometimes what makes the difference is who you talk to. Some people just couldn't be arsed to think outside the box. Others take a pride in using common sense, and doing a good job. They see the bigger picture - if you have a decent salary and they help you out when you first get here, the bank potentially has a good customer for life.

Sometimes it's just who you ask...

p.s. I too was turned down by Sears. Do you think I'll EVER apply for a Sears card? Nope. Their loss.

Manc

Why on earth do you need a credit card?
I don't have a credit card
Bought a car on finance to build my credit up, then bought a house.

Why is there this perpetual myth that you need to get into debt via credit cards to get credit?

This country runs on debt. 54% of Americans still haven't paid off last christmas for ****s sake.

Before you are allowed a credit card you should have to take a course on fiscal responsibility.

get a debit card and be done.

Pimpbot

Very true Manc. When I paid off my credit card debts when I left the UK it was a wonderfull feeling to be complete debt free. I dont plan on getting one ever again. Cars and houses are the only things I want to be paying off in the future.

RoB1833

Considering my UK credit history, which was excellent is useless I see it as a fast way of building up some sort of credit history, I have no intention of maxing it out! Some day I might need to make a larger purchase.......

Yosser

I thought the same Pimp, but it seems that in the states its almost fashion to be upto your eyes in debt.

I'm just a straight up tight arse, and every penney is accounted for, but to build decent credit in your own name you have to push the boundries a little its almost scary at first and its a right pisser to start off with stupid interest rates again, but with time it gets better.

dunroving

I always thought that there are advantages of using a credit card over a debit card. For me, for example, I can pay for business expenses without draining my own checking account - before the credit card bill is due, I receive reimbursement from the university.

Don't credit cards also carry extra protections (compared to a debit card)? I'm thinking of things such as car insurance when you rent a car, travel insurance when you book a flight, etc.

I don't think there is a myth that you have to build up credit card debt in order to get a credit record. In fact, when I was trying to get a credit card, I was told the same thing by every bank (except one): get a loan to build up a credit history, then you'll be able to get a credit card.

I wholeheartedly agree with you regarding the high-interest debt problem in the US - especially when it underpins the consumerism that is driving the "healthy" US economy. Also, as per your comment, it completely amazes me that personal finance classes are not required in high school or university.

Credit cards are not the problem - it's the way people use them that's the problem.