ESTABLISHING CREDIT
 

Hi All,

I'm an LPR and have been living in the US (Florida) for a little over a year now. I started my job a month ago and I want to establish credit.

Does anyone have any advice as to how to start out? How did everyone else start out?

Were there any card lenders that gave you your first credit card with absolutely no credit history (I don't show up in the system). Any store cards? Anything?

Just looking for a starting point and would love to know how everyone else did it.

Thanks

Re: ESTABLISHING CREDIT
 

There are many threads on here about credit. Also look at creditkarma.com, quizzle.com, creditsesame.com and credit.com

Re: ESTABLISHING CREDIT
 

I put a grand on a "secured" credit card with Well Fargo when i arrived in March 2015. By November they had given me back my money and switched it to a normal credit card with a higher limit.

Between March and November I had been using the card as my daily method of payment, and cleared the outstanding balance each month well before the due date.

Re: ESTABLISHING CREDIT
 

We have a pretty detailed Wiki Guide on this topic.

Rene

Re: ESTABLISHING CREDIT
 

Thanks. Looking for more personal experiences.

Re: ESTABLISHING CREDIT
 

If you have a bank account already (for several months/ since you arrived) speak to them first as they may give you a regular credit card immediately - but be prepared for it to have a tiny limit for the first few weeks. I got my first US credit card immediately on arrival - I had a job immediately. The bank that I opened my account knew I had a job, and so gave me a Visa card with a $200 limit (no, there is not a zero missing :rolleyes:) I rang customer service a couple of weeks later to tell them that the limit made the card pretty much useless, and they immediately bumped it up, and again after another six months.

Re: ESTABLISHING CREDIT
 

More often than not, the wiki is made up of personal experiences.

Try securing cards are mentioned and also attempt to get a store credit card, i.e. JC Penney, Sears, Kohl's, Target, etc. Any card that you use and pay off within the month or first two months will have a favorable bearing on your credit rating.

Re: ESTABLISHING CREDIT
 

I was able to get an unsecured card at BoA after only having been on the ground a matter of days. I just explained the situation to them and proved that I was employed and had a place to live etc, and the Bank Manager hit over-ride on the system when it initially turned us down for the unsecured cards.

This was back in June and now my credit score is 710.

Re: ESTABLISHING CREDIT
 

Thank you for backing up my post with a more recent example. :)

Re: ESTABLISHING CREDIT
 

Not sure what you mean TBH.

The BE wiki is populated by posts from our very own BE members. It is their personal experiences & know how from having been there, seen it, done that.