Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

Can anyone identify the easiest credit card to get in USA for immigrants.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

Discover -- easiest for anyone.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

I have managed to get a capital one card ($700 limit) orchard bank ($300 limit, this is advertised as a card for people with no/bad credit) bank of america ($500 limit, it was advertised as a partially secured card, i had to pay $100 deposit) and a spirit airlines card ($1000 limit) since moving here.

Orchard bank or Capital one is probably your best bet.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

is it expensive in terms of apr etc

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

I'd avoid Orchard if you're wanting to start a credit history rather than repair a messed up one. You don't want to be shutting down your first card as it will shorten your history. But you'd not want to keep an Orchard card, either.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

So if i cancel a card, it disappears off my history? I didn't know that. Orchard was not the first one i got, anyway.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

so discover is by far the best and reasonable charges

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In general, cards closed in good standing at your request may stay on your credit history for I think 10 years. Closed in bad standing 7 years.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

It'll still be on your history but it won't do your score any favours. This is especially true with young scores.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

how do these credit scores work? especially when you are new and just needing to start.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

Check the wiki:

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Fatbri...it_and_Finance

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

You asked for the easiest card to get - not the best or the one with reasonable rates (if such a thing exists!). The best cards are ones with airmiles, award programs etc. No idea about rates/charges as never held a balance.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

I suppose i should have been a little clearer. In an ideal world, one would want the easiest with the best. Though i know that is too much to hope for.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/...alculator.aspx

You can have a 700+ score in under a year if you play your cards right. But you'll still be refused the best credit for lack of history.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

AmEx, with a global transfer if you already had one.


Other wise a secured card, with who ever, BoA seems extra easy.

Then try local credit unions.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

Someone else mentioned these credit unions could be quite helpful. I have accounts with wachovia for a few years and wonder if that would help.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

If you have a US partner then get them to apply for one and add you as a joint holder....It gives you better rates/rewards plus a higher limit....That's IF you have a US partner....

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

Wachovia is now Wells Fargo. So if you have a Wachovia account, check with Wells Fargo.

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The piggy back jump start doesn't really work these days. It'll get you signed up for their card, but you won't gain any of the credit history/score of the joint signer anymore.

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I thought it got you history which seems to be the main thing. Also we got a car loan in both our names....my credit is over 700 but no lines of credit over a year old.

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I found if I used a paper application it got refused, but if I applied online, it would often say it refused me, but then I would receive the card in the mail a week later. :huh:

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

It used to, which was the loop hole everyone suggested....but that doesn't happen anymore, since people with good credit were making money by charging folks to piggy back off their history.

You get the card, you get the score, but you don't get the history.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

Oh well! We have our auto loans and a credit card with a big enough limit. I guess I will just always use my wives credit.

Thanks for the heads up though.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

While the card's only impacting your wife's credit, if the auto loan is in joint names then this should contribute towards your own I'd have thought. You could accelerate things a bit by getting a secured credit card in your own name. Twelve months from now your credit could be a lot more rosy.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

As Bob's highlighted, having a good score isn't everything. I still get issues with credit due to the length of my history here in the US.
Some store cards can be easy to get and at least get you started. Avoid Macy's - I know half a dozen expats who have been declined Macy's cards with good credit scores.
A secured card is guaranteed. It requires putting money down but is a good way to get started. It's not good to have a lot of credit inquiries on your account in a short time though so pick your applications wisely.
It can be done though - After 2 years here, I now have a mortgage, car loan and credit cards.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

Yeah I have a secure BoA card that I had to put $100 down for and costs me $40 a year but only has a $500 limit, kinda pointless since every time I want to buy something big it doesn't cover it. Hopefully we will have at least 20% to put towards our mortgage when we finally decide to buy something.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

I had the BoA secured card with a $500 limit. Spent one third of the limit each and every month, paying the balance off in full each time. After six months they wrote to say they were unsecuring it. I got my deposit back and transferred the card (including history) to one of their fee free cards.

I still have the card. I never use it, but because average age of credit is important I'm not going to close it. They upped the limit over the years, presumably hoping I was going to start using it again. It now stands at $10,000.

Your BoA card is hardly pointless. It probably provides the best starting point to getting your credit sorted.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

I didn't have to put down 20%. I got an FHA insured loan so only had to put down the 3.5% (as it happens I put down more but my point was I didn't need to). Plus as I bought new the builder covered closing costs etc. Having a UK mortgage helped me immensely. I'm fortunate that I live in Houston where housing is reasonable as I maxed out the FHA loan amount but here it's enough to buy a nice house.

Keep using the secured card it will help. The real pain is waiting to be able to get a long enough history and unfortunately this just takes time.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

now we hit on another point. Mortgages, how easy or difficult are those to get here for expats.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

Did you read the wiki link on finance you were given earlier?

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

Every market, in every state is different, so you'll get different answers.

In MA, in the Boston area, it's hard to get a mortgage even with a solid history, but out in the burbs, where the market is a lot slacker, it is easier to get, but mostly dependent on how much you put down and how much you can show as reserves in your bank account in case of getting laid off.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

I won't have to put 20% down but I would rather put a big chunk down, we won't be getting a house for a few years yet then will look at our options. We got approved for a 100% home loan because of my wives profession that we also didn't have to pay insurance on.....But we may only be in the area we live for a couple of years so we decided to carry on renting for now.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

I am interested in everyones experience and opinion here. That's what i wanted as it seems many individuals find it easier than others. I was also told, your profession plays a major role and how much you will put down. Some have said they ony had a few thousand whist other expats had to put a large chunk down.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

Respectfully, to what end? Other peoples' experiences may or may not be yours. Mortgage info, credit card info, and insurance info (since you'll probably ask about it soon) is largely dependent on where you live... and, quite frankly, in none of your posts have you given any indication of where you're going to be!

Here's a hint... if you want good information, you need to give good information - otherwise, you're JAHV.

Ian

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

apologies i am looking at va.

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i am dipping in and out of the threads when i can get to a wireless connection so apologies if i am not clear enough at times. I am also running about trying to find a car, which is harder than i first thought. I had ideas, i may be able to get a finance deal on one. lol

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

For any future readers who may not already be in the US, if you have a AMEX card in the UK prior to moving here (you have to have been using it for 6 months prior to moving) I think they'll transfer it to the US.
Not sure about the credit limit, but at least you can start building a score immediately you arrive.

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

"Easiest"? In my case it was the credit card from my employers credit union. If you have an employers credit union it has to be the place to start. Easy to get, and a significant credit limit so up and running fast.

Of course, if your employer doesn't have its own credit union then... :(

Re: Easiest Credit Card to Get In US
 

Technically it's 12 months, but they have let people transfer with less than that if they were in good standing.

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I contacted AMEX when I got to the US and told them I had a UK AMEX card and would like to get a US credit card They did some research (e.g. checked my payment history with AMEX UK) and called me back a couple of days later to tell me that I'd been approved for a US card. This wasn't a "transfer" per se. They simply issued a new credit card in the US. I did the same thing with MBNA but they were later acquired by Bank of America.