BofA auto-graduation with CLI

[Anonymous]

Just another data point.

I don't have any kind of credit history in the US before 2017 because I'm a foreigner who never lived in the US.

Last May, I tried to obtain some of the US bank issued credit cards while I was visiting the US with my B1/B2 visa.

Citi granted me a regular credit card and checking account on the spot because I have Citigold Private Client status in my country. Chase refused to give me any account(not even secured credit card or checking/saving account) because I don't have neither SSN/ITIN. BofA was willing to issue a secured credit card to me but not a regular card.

So I made $9k deposit to the newly-made BofA checking account and directed $1k toward the newly-made secured CC. And I've been using the BofA secured CC for my T-mo/Netflix/Xbox/Appstore bill. I always paid the full balance on the statement, and credit utilization ratio was usually lower than 20%.

8 months later(from the first creation of BofA accounts), they credited $1k back to my checking account and my CL became $2.5k. I didn't make any request to BofA but they just did it.

Hope this info is helpful to someone.

[Anonymous]

Congrats on the CLI and on obtaining an unsecured BOA card.  I'm curious; are you now residing in the US?

[Anonymous]

No, I'm not. It was a temporary visit (about 2 months long). I returned to my country in May of 2017 and have never visited the US since.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the response.  I was simply curious about have things have evolved over time.  When I came to the US in the mid-80s to work for the UN I arrived on a B-2 visitor's visa that was later subsequently to a G-4 (diplomatic) visa.  NYC banks like Chemical Bank,Citibank, Manufacturer's Hanover, etc. would routinely mail out unsolicited credit cards with their application forms, and there was no requirement for a Social Security or TIN number.