Recently moved from Canada to US - How to get a credit card?

[jtur88]

Getting back to my comment above about contacting the Comptroller of Currency, I went to their site and could not find anything very specific.

However, I do believe that a regulated lender may not arbitrarily refuse you credit merely because your credit references are not on their everyday list of sources. If you make a good faith request for credit and can supply evidence of a favorable credit history, I believe a credit card company would be in violation of fair credit regulations if they refused to take that into account.

Write to : Comptroller of the Currency, Washington, DC 20219

or online, www.occ.treas.gov and look for an applicable feedback form.

Have you tried applying for a Discover Card? They have been very aggressive about expanding their credibility in the marketplace, and I bet they would pay attention to your arguments. Also, American Express is a more internationalzed organization, and are probably better equipped to access and explore your credit history in Canada.

[Angelbw]

I recently moved to the US (just a few months ago) and what I found was a Capitol One card that was set up specifically for this kind of situations. It gave me a $500 credit (not much, but enough to get started) and I had it about a week later. It's a free card and has worked very well for me! Just remember not to charge over 30% of the limit and to pay full balance every month to build good credit. I'm not a finance expert but I do know that having a credit card is a necessity and that a lot of cards will charge you an arm and a leg because you don't have a history in the US. Remember that Prepaid cards are for people who don't have bank accounts and don't help your credit history.

[Angelbw]

Just a quick follow up with more details:

Capital One Cash Rewards for Newcomers Credit Card

-A card designed to help those new to the U.S. build credit
-with automatic reporting to three major credit bureaus
-Learn more about U.S. credit with a free online guide provided by MoneyWi$e
-Earn 2% cash back on travel purchases
-and 1% on all other purchases
-No foreign transaction fees
-No annual fee

These were the things that made me decide to go for it since it's geared very much towards me. I imagine that other major credit card companies have their own but I don't trust Citi (friends have had bad experiences) and it's very difficult to find cards that do not have an annual fee.

I hope you find this helpful!

[kayo_michael]

When I moved to the US back in 2003, I bought something and ended up getting in-store financing through a furniture store, after that was paid off everything just fell into place.

[Briolat21]

Store credit cards:
Department stores
Home Depot/Lowes
Gasoline cards
Furniture/Mattress stores

All of those used to be a good way to establish credit.

Authorized user on an existing account.

Rent an apartment (pay 1st and last months up front, have paycheck ready to verify income and have a letter from employer discussing recent immigration from Canada) - that will help credit rating.

Buy a car (same criteria as above, substantial downpayment, show income, have letter to verify recent immigration)

Get utilities (usually for people with no credit (i.e. 18yr olds) this requires a deposit with the utility).

All of these things can establish credit.

Though the options of using a canadian bank with US branches, sounds like it would be the quickest!! Best of luck!