emmabrigham22

Hi. My husband and I are in the process of moving to the US (Washington DC) on a G4 visa next month (we are both UK citizens). His job is being tranferred from the UK and so we will enter the US with him in full time employment. We currently have a very good credit rating, and an HSBC Mastercard. We has spoken to HSBC however, despite their being a multinational company they have explained they don't have any agreements with US Banks. Obviously we don't want to have to start from scratch and build a new credit rating, nor do we want to have to pay for exchange rate differences by continuing to use our UK credit card. Does anyone know of any banks/ credit card companies who will transfer our credit rating from the UK? For example Bank of America, Citibank, etc.

Also, related question - we will be living in a hotel-apartment when we arrive, will this mean we can't open a bank account?

Many thanks for any advice.

James Box

American Express

effi

Your good UK credit rating counts for nothing over here, you will be back at the end of the line I'm afraid.

fatbrit

Too true. Just look on it as a born again sorta experience.

Chopper-Chris

its great if you leave the UK with a bad rating but it sucks if you've spent years building a good rating...I know it.

Sorry, I have to agree with the others, start with a small credit union, take out a secured credit card and within a few months (or days) you'll be contacted by every credit card company out there, vying for your business...it'll take a while, but you can build you're credit up here too...

fatbrit

Yup -- patience is the key. But if you had a good credit history in the UK, you presumably possess those qualities in your spending habits which will allow you to build an equally impressive one over here. Unless, of course, you catch the dreaded instant gratification virus...

Chopper-Chris

did you have to say those words? Now I'm going to have to go and buy something expensive that I can't afford

fatbrit

No cure, I'm afraid! But think there's a loophole where you can probably file your N400 early providing the disease is rampant and there's little hope of recovery.

NC Penguin

I'm afaid what the other posters have said about having a "blank slate" in terms of a credit history in the US is true when you get here. I had a fantastic credit history in the UK and despite being married to an American (who continued to maintain his US credit history when he lived in the UK for nearly four years), I still moved to the States with a credit history of a newborn.

As for opening a bank account, I should think that you'd need a permanent address as well as other documentation before a bank allows you to open an account with them.





NC Penguin

BritGuyTN

Oooh, I know - I'll go and buy a brand-new car that costs more than my gross annual income and finance it over 5 years

And then get confused why i'm 'upside-down' on it almost immediately

THEN after two years I'll want to change the car - go to to a dealer who tells me he wil take care of the old loan for me and end up owing $22,000 on a $13,000 honda civic! SWEET!

I know god knows how many people over here in similar circumstances to the above.....

justboy

Sorry to tell you this but your UK credit is no use over here. As said in another message, you are able to transfer a UK AMEX card over to the US, and as far as i am aware that the only one........maybe Capital One can do it too??

I have been here for 11months, and i was finally approved for a Credit Card about 10days ago!!

Minty

Check out the recent set of contributions under "How to get a credit history", currently on page 2 for some really useful stuff on credit ratings etc.

I also have a HSBC account and they do have partnership arrangements with some American banks where they "introduce" you to them. They have already sent me all the paperwork to set up a Wells Fargo account and all the original Wells Fargo promo literature too.

Minty

pdxbrit

I second the advice of finding a local credit union, these are the closest thing you'll find to a decent bank out here. The other banks pretty much charge for everything, with a credit union you're more likely to have fewer, or less charges.

At the point you open up an account, bring along a letter from your employer stating your salary and how long they have employed you, or how long your contract will be.

I moved here six years ago, I walked into a Credit Union that large number of my colleagues used with a letter from my employee. I setup a direct deposit checking account, and left with a credit card with a sizeable credit limit, and a $15K car loan, a checking and savings account.

My advice is to not be tempted to apply for any additional credit in the first six months. As you'll not have enough credit history. My personal experience of this was walking into a furniture store (in my first month or so), with enough cash to buy a couch and no intention of applying for interest free credit. The store salesman managed to convince me that I would certainly qualify for a $1000 interest free credit, which of course they denied and ended up on my credit history.

After about six months I started getting lots of credit offers.

Chopper-Chris

what do you do in Portland PDXBrit?

I spent 3 months in 94 and 3 months in 95 in Portland Or. I love it...one of the best cities in the world...got my skateboard 'wings' at Burnside, at Carl's Jr (on 5th Ave) for breakfast every morning, visited OMSI a couple of times and frequented the comedy club listening to Kerry (can't remember his last name) on Friday nights...them were the days...them were.

Memories of Portlands Jazz festival in Riverside Park Summer 1995, where I met my first 'US' girlfriend...things went bad between us, but she is still the one that convinced me that I needed to be in the US on a more permenant basis...and now I'm here on a more permenant basis...so I do owe her something I guess.!

pdxbrit

The Usual for pretty much anyone who's moved to this area, Hi-Tech. ;-)

I spent many a friday night at Harvey's Comedy Club when I first moved here, who can pass up free tickets for you and friends. It has been a few years since I've been though. My haunts now are all on the East Side, The Horse Brass Pub is pretty close, and I hit there everytime I feel like I'm missing an English Pub.

Even after six years I've still not made it to the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival, although over the years I've made it to most of the other festivals. The Oregon Brewers Fest down at the Waterfront was a favorite for few years.

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I still remember when I visited Portland on business a couple of years before moving out here, and I met a girl on the bus between the airport and downtown. We hung out for the two weeks I was here. I really liked Portland anyway, and I thought to myself Wow! If I can meet a girl within 30 mins of getting off the plane, this is the country for me :-)