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How to apply for US credit card - guide for non-resident

Hello everyone,
In this post, I'll tell you about - how to apply for US credit cards without US credit history.
If you are planing to move to USA for educational purposes or any other reason, you may get a credit card this way.
To apply for US credit card, you need-
1. US Address
2. US Bank Account
3. Need Indian Passport
4. US Phone No

5. SSN/ITIN (you can apply for ITIN, if you are ready to pay 300/400$ fees. - SSN/ITIN not required for AMEX credit cards)

Getting US credit cards without US credit history is not that easy, but wait... you can apply for US Amex credit card without US credit history or SSN/ITIN number, using your Indian Credit History.
So... How to apply for US Amex Credit Card Using Indian Credit History?

1. Make sure you have a physical US address & US Mobile no.

Now,
2. Go to this link- Nova Credit [Click Here] (Use This Link & Get $50 Amazon GV After Card Approval)
3. Select India (I recently moved from drop down menu) & Enter your email ID (to receive 50$ amazon GV after card approval, for using our link)

Screenshot 2022-03-17 at 4.42.19 PM.png
4. On the next page, select any Amex credit card you want to apply for & click on "Apply Now"
Screenshot 2022-03-17 at 4.47.34 PM.png
5. On the next page, click on "Got it, take me to American Express"
Screenshot 2022-03-17 at 4.51.51 PM.png
6. You'll be redirected to Amex official website, on that page click on "Apply Now"
Screenshot 2022-03-17 at 4.55.07 PM.png
7. On the next page, enter your details, your income and tick the box- "I don't have a credit history in the US, but have had a credit card or loan in Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Dominican Republic, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria or the United Kingdom. (If you have a Social Security Number, please enter it below.)"
Screenshot 2022-03-17 at 5.00.10 PM.png
8. On the next page, Amex will ask you to provide them access to your home country's credit history.
Select India from the list.
Screenshot 2022-03-17 at 5.10.27 PM.png
9. Enter your details & click on Next
10. Now enter your Indian mobile no and click on Next
Screenshot 2022-03-17 at 5.17.29 PM.png
11. Enter your Indian address and click on Next
12. Now Enter your PAN Card no and click on Next
13. Now Enter your email ID and click on next
14. On the next page, tick both box and click on agree
Screenshot 2022-03-17 at 5.28.43 PM.png
15. You will see a page like this- "Good news! We located a matching record at Transunion CIBIL"
click on Next
Screenshot 2022-03-17 at 5.37.11 PM.png
16. They might ask you some questions, answer them and click on "Transfer my credit history to the U.S."
17. On the next page, Amex will ask you for your ID proof, Select Passport & enter your Indian passport details.
Screenshot 2022-03-17 at 5.44.43 PM.png

Done!
Now Amex might ask you for additional documents or they might approve your application instantly.
If they ask you to call them, you have to call them to review your application.
Good Luck 🤞
 
Last edited:

sagar0sammy

TF Buzz
You can use google fi.
I have read a couple of forum posts here but I am still not entirely sure about the process, can you answer the below 🙏
  1. What address does Google provide on the bill/invoice?
  2. Can a non-CMRA mailbox act as address-proof?
  3. Can Utoppia bank statement act as address-proof?
The address entered while applying is where the card will be shipped and we should have proof of the same address right?
 

moneyMaker

TF Ace
Contributor
RML Group

manish.rdy

TF Buzz
How long after document submission did you hear back from them?
There was an issue with my documents from amex end though on uploading the correct one. There was no response for 3 days. Called customer care and asked them to transfer call to global card transfer team. They instantly approved via call and gave me the confirmation with credit limit & last 5 digits of card.
 

miles_guy

TF Select
RML Group
VIP Lounge
There was an issue with my documents from amex end though on uploading the correct one. There was no response for 3 days. Called customer care and asked them to transfer call to global card transfer team. They instantly approved via call and gave me the confirmation with credit limit & last 5 digits of card.
Thanks for the reply. My card got approved finally. Just wondering if I need to make another Amex account or do things get added to the Indian amex account?
 

nabendu21

TF Buzz
I have an US SSN for L1B work permit and basically u may or may not need a Utility Bill for getting a credit card if you have a USA SSN number. Getting Bank Account setup is easy once you have SSN.

1. Discover Credit Card is easy to get if you have a US SSN Number and Bank Account Number . They do not ask for much details but I find their support pathetic
2. Amex USA you can apply using your Indian CIBIL score but Amex sometimes act weird .Since I was doing it all by myself using no referral link they wanted an address proof and I had to give an utility bill to verify myself . For my friend who used my referral it did not ask for any residential proof though he may have given USA SSN as well but its not mandatory i guess with Amex .
Kindly note in both the cases I had shared my US SSN and I had applied for the cards while I was in USA somewhere in July 2023. Amex Hiltons was exciting as it is free and came with 1 lacs points when spending I guess 1k USD which was not that difficult .

If anyone wants to try applying for Amex or Discover with my referral code feel free to ping me. Kindly note for Discover SSN is required
 
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