Getting Credit

[sassasdave 0]

More than likely the wrong place for this question, if a mod can move it, please do?

Ive been in the USA for around a month now, have received my Social Security Number etc and have started trying to get a few things in my name so we feel more like a family. The problem is I keep getting rejected for credit, I ran a credit check with Equifax UK and I have an impeccible score yet it seems impossible to talk to anyone at any of the 3 Credit Unions (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion).

Does anyone have any experience with getting your score transferred, I cant believe its not possible (ie David Beckham etc being refused Cable Service)

Thanks in advance.

[T and M 1]

More than likely the wrong place for this question, if a mod can move it, please do?

Ive been in the USA for around a month now, have received my Social Security Number etc and have started trying to get a few things in my name so we feel more like a family. The problem is I keep getting rejected for credit, I ran a credit check with Equifax UK and I have an impeccible score yet it seems impossible to talk to anyone at any of the 3 Credit Unions (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion).

Does anyone have any experience with getting your score transferred, I cant believe its not possible (ie David Beckham etc being refused Cable Service)

Thanks in advance.

If you are David Beckham you are definitely in the wrong place. You should be on the phone with a high-dollar immigration lawyer.

From what I understand, a credit score's "impecability" is not the issue. It is the length and amount of credit previously borrowed. If you have a clean but short credit history you are likely to get turned down a lot. The best thing to do is put down deposits for cable and cellphone service, and pay your bill on time every month. Then, you get a pre-paid credit card and you will be shocked at how quickly credit card companies start offering you "free credit" and sending you checks that you can fill out and cash at the liquor store. They will only charge you 19% interest, of course.

Hope that helps. I found it difficult to establish credit in the UK, b/c they base everything on account activity, and I was using a US account. When I learned the system, everything was much better.

US has more privacy laws, I think, so credit bureaus don't share info and they also can't access your bank accounts....only your credit accounts.

[English Muffin 59]

I'm afraid you'll be starting from scratch in the US with your credit score, you can't transfer your UK one over here. There's quite a few threads already about building credit and a quick search will find them for you.

[mkg265 2]

I suggest reading the section on Credit Cards in "An Italian in America" His way to get around it was to call the credit card companies and say you are transferring your British (for him, Italian) credit cards into American credit card accounts. The key word is transferring! The score cannot be transferred, you have to build a new one but the point now is the card, not the score.

Edited November 11, 2008 by mkg265

[T and M 1]

I suggest reading the section on Credit Cards in "An Italian in America" His way to get around it was to call the credit card companies and say you are transferring your British (for him, Italian) credit cards into American credit card accounts. The key word is transferring! The score cannot be transferred, you have to build a new one but the point now is the card, not the score.

Oh, I just realized you were talking about transferring from the UK to the US. This is most definitely NOT possible! I had the same issue in the UK! I couldn't even get a f-ing debit card, despite having numerous credit cards in the US...all in very good standing. I even went to Citibank, which issues me a credit card in the US, but they would do NOTHING in the UK, explaining that the system is different.

You have to start from scratch. It's like you were just born!!!! I'm very sorry! Something that should probably be changed somehow, but I'm not sure a credit treaty with the UK was in Obama's top ten. These days they are giving less, not more credit.

[Stinky Monkey 1]

Never even thought about this till now, over in the Uk credit cards are being thrown at you.

I am going to keep my uk credit card going by leaving funds here and paying for it online now I know, and will have to start from scratch when I get to the US. My other half does not have one he does not believe in them, but I have always had one and would feel weird without it

[Laura+Tom 2]

You can't transfer your credit but you can apply for store cards, even the amazon.com credit card to start building it up. Or do a search for 'poor credit history' cards. I believe HSBC do a good one with no annual fee. This website is quite good to search with http://www.bankrate.com/

[MargotDarko 0]

The first thing to do as long as your spouse has good credit is get added as a joint account holder on one or more of their credit cards. Are you already set up either on a joint checking (current) account with your spouse or have your own checking account? I would ask that bank about getting a secured credit card, which is a low-limit card where you actually put money down to open it. Using it and taking care of it properly will build your credit. The next step would be either a normal credit card from the same bank or a department store credit card as they are more lax because their interest rates are insane.

Unless you have a special cooperative program with a UK bank that has branches in the US (whereby some people have assistance in getting a US credit card to build credit), the normal person's UK credit is just not going to matter here.

[T and M 1]

Never even thought about this till now, over in the Uk credit cards are being thrown at you.

I am going to keep my uk credit card going by leaving funds here and paying for it online now I know, and will have to start from scratch when I get to the US. My other half does not have one he does not believe in them, but I have always had one and would feel weird without it

Beware using your UK card in the US. Aside from cash point charges (all UK banks but Nationwide have them I think and ALL US machines charge to withdraw cash), you have credit card charges for foreign currency (usually 3% on a visa or mastercard).

The main reason, however, to stop using your UK card is that you are delaying the building up of credit in the US. I would use it just for a few days until you get a secured card where you put the money down. Very quickly they will start throwing cards at you but you have to get your name in the system and make a few on-time payments first.

And to reiterate....current accounts do not figure into your credit score in the US. And lines of credit are not given out without first applying and - yes - they check your credit score.

A secure card is the only way to go. I think that's how I started back decades ago...

[Laura+Tom 2]

Never even thought about this till now, over in the Uk credit cards are being thrown at you.

I am going to keep my uk credit card going by leaving funds here and paying for it online now I know, and will have to start from scratch when I get to the US. My other half does not have one he does not believe in them, but I have always had one and would feel weird without it

If you do have to keep a credit card for a little while get an Abbey Zero card. There are no charges for foreign exchange and they to a cash machine is a matter of pence not £2.50 like some cards charge (even though they advertise as free, charge a cash advance fee instead). It also gives you a pretty good exchange rate. I use mine all the time I'm abroad.

Edited November 11, 2008 by Laura+Tom

[sassasdave 0]

Thanks for all the replys, still find it pretty astounding that your credit history counts for nothing - Im sure actors and sports stars dont have this problem. After all, Experian and Equifax are used in both the UK and US.

If I ever get a diff. answer I will post back.

Edited November 11, 2008 by sassasdave

[T and M 1]

Thanks for all the replys, still find it pretty astounding that your credit history counts for nothing - Im sure actors and sports stars dont have this problem. After all, Experian and Equifax are used in both the UK and US.

If I ever get a diff. answer I will post back.

Actors and sports stars have a public record that counts along with their credit history. Banks do a quick google search to find out that this dude is loaded and they give a bunch of credit. If our millions were recorded in the public domain, we would have no problem either.

Even if a bank or cellphone company hassled a sportsstar, they would have no problem handing over a large deposits to get cable or cellphone service. My friends at the World Bank in DC all had to put down deposits when they got to the states...a year (and 12 on-time monthly payments) later they are having cards and contracts thrown at them and their deposits have been returned.

I agree it is ridiculous not to have your credit transferred over...welcome to the world of being an immigrant. Unfortunately, we immigrants have predictably little pull in this world. Sign, ho, hum.

[msu17 0]

It really doesn't take that long to build up credit here. My husband just got added to my credit cards etc. A year later we bought our first house with his credit, which was VERY good. They always have starter cards at banks, just get one of those or a gas card.

[C&P 0]

Open an American Express card while you are still in the UK, then when you get to the US and get a SSN, you can transfer it to a US American Express card. Its incredibly simple, you can do it online. I had my fiance get the Virgin American Express, so we can get mileage points too, hehe! The only down side is not everywhere takes AE since it charges more than Visa or MC. But you are building up your US credit, so it doesnt really matter.

More than likely the wrong place for this question, if a mod can move it, please do?

Ive been in the USA for around a month now, have received my Social Security Number etc and have started trying to get a few things in my name so we feel more like a family. The problem is I keep getting rejected for credit, I ran a credit check with Equifax UK and I have an impeccible score yet it seems impossible to talk to anyone at any of the 3 Credit Unions (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion).

Does anyone have any experience with getting your score transferred, I cant believe its not possible (ie David Beckham etc being refused Cable Service)

Thanks in advance.