Chase and Bank Of America

[VOL 425]

This is exactly what happened to us today at Chase here in CA. I have SSN and EAD but both are considered secondary IDs only. And since I am not US citizen, they said my primary ID is my passport but it's in my maiden name. Since my surname in passport and EAD are different, they cannot accept both as my identification plus I do not have a utility bill under my name So there, we left Chase unable to open personal and joint accounts

If you take your marriage license they should accommodate you.

But anyways Banks are a dime a dozen in my opinion, I am sure if one doesn't want to help you then another one would be glad to help. I was able to set up an account at Chase in Texas my wife only had Pi passport and marriage certificate and SS card......

[loba2000 2]

When my husband first came here to the US in 2011 he had difficulties too finding a bank. His sister works in the entertainment industry and she was able to help him open an account with First Entertainment Credit Union. He was able to open a savings and checking account even without submitting a utility bill, well he didn't have anything to his name coz he's a new immigrant but he has a job already when he applied. He did get an ATM/debit card too.

He also tried applying for a credit card to bigger banks like Citi, Chase and BOA but it was declined. It was only Capital One who approved him. The credit limit was only $500 but really not bad. Every month he pays his dues ahead of the due date coz he really wants to build and maintain a good credit score.

You can do that? Have an account in a different bank and a credit card from a different bank?

I am so sorry i am new to banking stuff.

I thought you can only have the credit card of the same bank where you have your checking account?

[apple21 953]

You can do that? Have an account in a different bank and a credit card from a different bank?

I am so sorry i am new to banking stuff.

I thought you can only have the credit card of the same bank where you have your checking account?

Yup its possible.

[BaronB 42]

Nope, once you have a good credit record the cards start coming at you thick and fast. That's how people get themselves into debt.

[Fan_Dancer 171]

I got rejected by the stores when I tried to open a line with them. After I started working, I got a CapitalOne pre-approved offer in the mail and I went for it. The limit was low, but it was unsecured, so I went for it.

When I first came here, my husband added me on his checking bank account before we married. I also opened one of my own at another bank.

[subwayguy 100]

When I first arrived in the states, it was bank of america, who let me open a student checking account without a social security number. I was also able to get a credit card with a initial credit limit of 3,000.

I tried to open an account from HS*C bank (it is from my home country!) but they simply turned me away and gave me a hard time.

Chase usually do bonuses when opening a checking account. you could make 200 dollars by just opening a checking account and maintain a direct deposit.

If you open a discover checking account with discover bank, now they are offering a 50 dollars bonus ,no conditions

[bookworm123 7]

Hubby and I went to bank of america sometime in september and made me a joint account holder.Bank only wanted my ssn and greencard.I was then added to all of his credit cards as an authorized user (discover,amex,capital one).Using my auth user card's info,I was able to open a store card in my name alone.My credit score is now higher than my hubby's lol.I also now have my very own amex,chase and capital one credit cards and added my husband on all of them (Helps with the utilization rate) Hubby has a decent score so it really helped me build my credit here all in about 6 months time.

[VOL 425]

anybody try a credit union instead of a bank?

They are suppose to give better loans and interest, and generally easier to deal with

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

I don't know if it differs by state, but when we tried to add my husband to my Chase checking account, they said he had to have a bill in his name (he's not even in the states yet, but I was trying to get him on the account when he was last over), or he had to have a check stub since he didn't have a social security number. When I tried to explain that if he had a check stub, that would mean that he had a SSN because it would mean he could work here, the girl just didn't seem to get it and only said, "well that's what the computer says".

Needless to say, we couldn't get him on my account since I couldn't provide a utility bill with his name on it in less than a week.

(Plus the others) we are with Chase and they were also insistent on proof of address - apparently BoA is not.

Anyway, just wanted to throw out there that our utility company was prepared to give us a letter to confirm we had signed up with them at that address, and Chase accepted that so we had proof of address within a couple of days without waiting for a bill. We also used this by the way for getting the kids into the local schools which also wanted a utility bill as proof of address.

Edited April 30, 2015 by SusieQQQ

[jostermacedo 54]

I was able to open a bank account in HSBC USA even before being in the US (we are still in Brazil). I have a brazilian account in HSBC Brasil and they opened one in the US with no issues. I already have an US Credit Card, check book and ATM card, but the credit history will start to be built only when I receive the SSN and reside in the US.

Here in Brazil you can use your local bank relationship to open accounts in Citibank and Banco do Brasil (they have branches in NY and FL).

Joster