Opening a U.S. Bank account from abroad/ Building Credit

[Katientsm 16]

I (USC) am living with my husband in Slovenia while we wait for the spousal visa process/green card. I want to improve my credit score before we move so I recently opened a new credit card, but Im not sure how I will pay it from abroad. 

 

I have transferwise, but from what Ive read, its not a good option for paying a credit card bill and I know that using my EU bank card would be very expensive.

 

Has anyone had success opening a U.S. checking account online from abroad? 

 

Related to this, is there any way for my husband to start building credit before he gets a green card/SS number? 

 

Thanks!

[randy32 165]

Open a checking account at a US bank or credit union.

Fund it via which wire transfers.

 

Pay your credit card from the bank account.

 

I don't know how paying a US credit card via transfer works

[seekingthetruth 1,246]

25 minutes ago, Wanderlust2490 said:

Has anyone had success opening a U.S. checking account online from abroad? 

I opened a State Department Federal Credit Union from overseas.  They cater to people living overseas.  You have to be a member of one of their affiliate organizations to join.  I joined Americans Abroad for $75 so I could become a member.

 

My original goal was to refinance my rental property with them because they had great rates.  Ended up finding out that they only offer 15 year mortgage for investment property so I didn't push through.  Still have the savings and checking accounts but not using them much.  Customer service seems very responsive.  They have all the online tools like bill pay, so you could pay the CC bill that way.

[Sparkle Sparkle 914]

You should try N26 Bank (https://n26.com/en-us)...they offer 100% banking online so far you have SSN. They have a strong presence in europe and they work well with Transferwise (Fund transfer +Grate rates) in seconds

[aznhouston 130]

You can add him to your credit cards later once you move back to the US. He will get a credit boost that way. Once his credit is established, he can start applying for his own credit cards. You can look in to Chime, a debit card that helps build credit.

[Katientsm 16]

Update: I was able to open an online checking account with Capital one with the help of a family member in the states. You need to have a U.S. address and phone number to open and maintain an account but you dont need to go in person to a branch. I tried State Department Federal Credit Union but they wanted me to show a mortage or utility bill to verify my foreign address which I dont have because I live in my inlaws house.