How to get a credit line started in the USA... HELP!

[Lynkali 163]

I have already tried applying for Capital one and got denied.

For the secured loan you need regular income ...

As I posted above, we ran into a similar problem, but here's something you should be aware of: as of this year, the regulations have changed and you absolutely are allowed to claim your SPOUSE'S income on your own credit card application -- it does not have to be a joint account, you can claim your spouse's income as your "household" income and qualify for a solo card. See for example http://boardingarea.com/viewfromthewing/2013/04/29/household-income-will-be-permitted-again-on-credit-card-applications/ and many other articles pointing out this change.

We didn't know that when we first applied for my husband's card, and so he claimed a very minimal "I'll take some money out of my savings every month" income, and was denied. In talking to the agent afterwards to explain the denial, he said if we had claimed my regular income for my husband's solo card, it would have been fine.

So the lack of a job should NOT prevent you from getting a new card, if your spouse has a regular income that you can claim as household.

[GeeH 5]

As I posted above, we ran into a similar problem, but here's something you should be aware of: as of this year, the regulations have changed and you absolutely are allowed to claim your SPOUSE'S income on your own credit card application -- it does not have to be a joint account, you can claim your spouse's income as your "household" income and qualify for a solo card. See for example http://boardingarea.com/viewfromthewing/2013/04/29/household-income-will-be-permitted-again-on-credit-card-applications/ and many other articles pointing out this change.

We didn't know that when we first applied for my husband's card, and so he claimed a very minimal "I'll take some money out of my savings every month" income, and was denied. In talking to the agent afterwards to explain the denial, he said if we had claimed my regular income for my husband's solo card, it would have been fine.

So the lack of a job should NOT prevent you from getting a new card, if your spouse has a regular income that you can claim as household.

When I did the capital one card I had put in both our 'incomes' included his in mine and it still denied me.

At Chase we tried to go with the fact that he had been banking there for a very long time and had a large sum of money with them, they said it had nothing to do with him.

I don't know why but maybe they are not as helpful in the places we have tried...

[Lynkali 163]

When I did the capital one card I had put in both our 'incomes' included his in mine and it still denied me.

At Chase we tried to go with the fact that he had been banking there for a very long time and had a large sum of money with them, they said it had nothing to do with him.

I don't know why but maybe they are not as helpful in the places we have tried...

Well then I'm not sure. We were successful at Wells Fargo (in person), we opened a secured credit card there with no problems. The only minor issue is that my husband's new SSN number couldn't be machine-verified (the new numbers are randomized), so we just had to give them a copy of the physical card and they could approve it. No problems on the secured card at all ($500 deposit/credit line but we could have deposited more if we had wanted to).

[GeeH 5]

Well then I'm not sure. We were successful at Wells Fargo (in person), we opened a secured credit card there with no problems. The only minor issue is that my husband's new SSN number couldn't be machine-verified (the new numbers are randomized), so we just had to give them a copy of the physical card and they could approve it. No problems on the secured card at all ($500 deposit/credit line but we could have deposited more if we had wanted to).

Wells Fargo have opened one for me but as I don't have my ID card yet they wouldn't put my SSN number on to my account, they said I had to go back once I have that and they will put the SSN on to my account. I don't know if the secured card went through or not though, she said it was pending and they would call me if there was an issue. I haven't heard anything so maybe it has.

[Lynkali 163]

What do you mean by ID card?

All we needed, last month in person here in California, was my husband's SSN card, his Finnish passport, and for extra proof we took the printed-out I-94 form. He has no California ID card yet, since we need EAD first before getting that, and we hadn't applied for AOS yet at that point, so there was no other ID or forms possible. There was no problem at all, the agent copied the SSN card, wrote down the I-94 control number on a form, and we were approved a few days later.

[Darnell 8,478]

I have already tried applying for Capital one and got denied.

For the secured loan you need regular income, i don't have a job or work permit yet so they won't give me that.

I have been to my bank chase and they wouldn't approve me for a credit card because I had no regular income/insufficient credit history so I doubt they will give me a loan and I don't think they do secured ones there. I have just opened an account with Wells Fargo, I'll see how that goes.

OK - I'll posit you not do exactly what I've described.

A secured loan not require any income - as its yer own money yer posting as the collateral.

[GeeH 5]

What do you mean by ID card?

All we needed, last month in person here in California, was my husband's SSN card, his Finnish passport, and for extra proof we took the printed-out I-94 form. He has no California ID card yet, since we need EAD first before getting that, and we hadn't applied for AOS yet at that point, so there was no other ID or forms possible. There was no problem at all, the agent copied the SSN card, wrote down the I-94 control number on a form, and we were approved a few days later.

Is this with Wells Fargo?

the woman there was adiment she couldn't put my social security number down without a valid card. To be honest she wasn't very good at explaining herself. Maybe she meant the social security card (i only have the print out from the social security number not the card yet) but she kept saying your Cali ID. I'm going to try another wells Fargo.

Darnell - wouldn't taking out a loan mean you are paying interest monthly? I'll ask the bank about it next time I go in. I've just spent so much time in banks I'm getting tired of sitting there and getting denied for stuff!!

[Darnell 8,478]

is ok - reread what i've written, follow it exactly.

I understand yer frustration, been there, done that.

[Lynkali 163]

Is this with Wells Fargo?

the woman there was adiment she couldn't put my social security number down without a valid card. To be honest she wasn't very good at explaining herself. Maybe she meant the social security card (i only have the print out from the social security number not the card yet) but she kept saying your Cali ID. I'm going to try another wells Fargo.

Darnell - wouldn't taking out a loan mean you are paying interest monthly? I'll ask the bank about it next time I go in. I've just spent so much time in banks I'm getting tired of sitting there and getting denied for stuff!!

Yes, this was at Wells Fargo in Escondido, CA. We did have the actual physical Social Security card, so that may be the difference, the agent did actually need to see that and make a copy of it, to override the system verification problem. But definitely no California ID required: I asked when we first started if we would need a California ID, and the agent said "no, no need -- a foreign passport or any picture ID is plenty".

[Hypnos 6,576]

When I opened a secured credit card account with Merrick a couple of weeks ago I had to fax them a copy of my social security card and a utility bill, that was all.

You will likely need the physical social security card to get any truck with lenders, I doubt an SSA printout will get you anywhere.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Quickest way to build credit with no out of pocket money is to be put on your spouses credit cards as an authorized user. It's called piggybacking. As long as your spouse has good credit, it will help build yours. After about 6 months as an authorized user, you then ask to be added as a joint applicant which means you are now also responsible for that credit card bill. After about 6 months of that, you should have a nice high score.

I did this for my wife on our Bank Of America card and within a year her score was in the high 700's.

[mindthegap 2,590]

I had a US c/card seversal years before even applying for an immigrant visa.

Using Amex global transfer, I had a card- in addition to keeping my UK cards- and a US credit history dated back to when I opened my UK amex cards. All done over the phone and in a matter of minutes.

However, you can only do this if you have held an amex overseas for a specified period of time - I think it is a minimum of 12 months.

[elle13 15]

When they say "Cali ID" they mean your driver's licence.

They don't technically need your California driver's license if you can produce your SSN but in light the high levels of SSN fraud in the US, individual banks might get more comfort from something that looks more official than a printout.

Have you considered getting your California driving licence? It's one of the first things I did when I moved here from the UK. It really is the best form of ID for day to day matters like banking, buying cars, getting mortgages and even flying domestically. No one bats an eyelid when you present your California ID so it makes life so much easier than using green cards/passports.

Is this with Wells Fargo?

the woman there was adiment she couldn't put my social security number down without a valid card. To be honest she wasn't very good at explaining herself. Maybe she meant the social security card (i only have the print out from the social security number not the card yet) but she kept saying your Cali ID. I'm going to try another wells Fargo.

Darnell - wouldn't taking out a loan mean you are paying interest monthly? I'll ask the bank about it next time I go in. I've just spent so much time in banks I'm getting tired of sitting there and getting denied for stuff!!

[Lynkali 163]

Have you considered getting your California driving licence? It's one of the first things I did when I moved here from the UK. It really is the best form of ID for day to day matters like banking, buying cars, getting mortgages and even flying domestically. No one bats an eyelid when you present your California ID so it makes life so much easier than using green cards/passports.

The OP, like my husband, is on a K-1, and K-1's cannot get drivers' licenses in OR state IDs in California until the EAD is approved, about 3 months after filing for AOS. That means, realistically, about 5 months after POE, since there's still things to do before filing AOS. It's a pretty major drawback to the K-1 process.

Therefore, many of us don't have the option of just getting a state ID, which is why I'm anxiously waiting for my husband's EAD approval, as having a state ID really will make a lot of things smoother.

[elle13 15]

The OP, like my husband, is on a K-1, and K-1's cannot get drivers' licenses in OR state IDs in California until the EAD is approved, about 3 months after filing for AOS. That means, realistically, about 5 months after POE, since there's still things to do before filing AOS. It's a pretty major drawback to the K-1 process.

Therefore, many of us don't have the option of just getting a state ID, which is why I'm anxiously waiting for my husband's EAD approval, as having a state ID really will make a lot of things smoother.

I didn't realize OP was a K-1. In the meantime you could keep your credit healthy in preparation for your spouse being added as authorized user / joint user. Not all authorized users are reported by banks to credit reporting agencies, but some are. There are several factors that affect a credit score and the age of the credit line is one factor. What helped in my case was that although I had two new credit lines solely in my name (with very low credit limits of $500 each), my husband added me to his super old capital one card as authorized user. He talked to Capital One to make sure they set it up so that my name and SSN is reported. This led to 3 credit lines appearing on my credit report - two of them are less than 2 months old, and the 3rd is 12 years old!! This led to me having an average credit line age of 5 years, even though I've only been in the country about 5 months. It bumped me up to a score of 750. If I only had the 2 month old credit cards in my name, the score might have hovered around 500. The other factors are within our control: paying off on time, utilization under 20% that sort of thing. The age of the credit line is the hardest to build, so I hope this tip helps you guys out.