No credit card required
Browse credit cards from a variety of issuers to see if there's a better card for you.
I'm a non-resident alien, 30+ y.o., working professional living aboard, without SSN nor ITIN number, trying to build a credit history from scratch.
Six months ago I have applied for a BofA Travel Rewards card, got approved for $1.5k. Two months ago I have applied for a credit line increase to $10k got rejected because of lack of records from credit bureaus, high intermediate balances (before closing dates), and my couple experiments with cash advances.
Today I applied for a BofA Cash Rewards was, was instantly approved for $3k.
Please advice, what are my next steps? Should I also apply for CL increase on my Travel Rewards or wait 1-2 months? What would be the next card that I can apply for without SSN or ITIN? When to apply for it? Also, after six months from my 2nd card approval? Does American Express still accept applications without SSN over the phone?
Thanks!
My advice you is to not apply for 6 months and let your accounts age. You need 6 months to generate a Fico score.
@Anonymous wrote:I'm a non-resident alien, 36 y.o., without SSN nor ITIN number, trying to build a credit history from scratch.
Six months ago I have applied for a BofA Travel Rewards card, got approved for $1.5k. Two months ago I have applied for a credit line increase to $10k got rejected because of lack of records from credit bureaus, high intermediate balances (before closing dates), and my couple experiments with cash advances.
Today I applied for a BofA Cash Rewards was, was instantly approved for $3k.
Please advice, what are my next steps? Should I also apply for CL increase on my Travel Rewards or wait 1-2 months? What would be the next card that I can apply for without SSN or ITIN? When to apply for it? Also, after six months from my 2nd card approval? Does American Express still accept applications without SSN over the phone?
Thanks!
Amex accepts both on the online application.
If you're a non-resident alien and interested in Amex, it might be easier to apply in your home country then later transfer it here using Global Card Transfer.
With regard to CLI requests on your BoA cards, you can tell when they consider you eligible to apply by logging onto your online account. If you look at each CC under Card Details, if eligible there will be a blue "Request a credit line increase" hyperlink just above "Next closing date:"
Eligibility is not global across all CC, it is managed on a per-CC basis so at any given point you can be eligible on both cards, 1 card, or neither of them. It is possible to get a CLI on 2 cards on the same day.
I haven't heard of "high intermediate balances" as a denial reason before. I suppose it's a reason to consider making more frequent payments or making a payment once your balance reaches a certain point.