getting credit with ITIN?

mohammadmoghimi · ‎02-22-2017

My wife has been an AU on my amex card for like two years and the line is 4 years old. She just got an ITIN and I added it to her account. We'd like to use her ITIN to apply for a credit card but I'm not sure if her current tcard is reported and she has a credit score. How can I know if she has a credit file? Credit Karma could not find her file based on ITIN name and address.

fltireguy · ‎02-22-2017

Why not use her SSN?

NFCU $60.4k/PenFed $22.5k/Commerce $15K/53 $11K/Synovus $14K/BBT $11K/CapOne $12K/DCU $7.5K/BMO $7.5K/Chase $14.5k/Cabelas $10K/ and many many more!
Total CL $398600, plus car and RV loan.
Ooh. Ooh. Getting closer to that $500K mark!

sponge_gto · ‎02-22-2017

@fltireguy wrote:
Why not use her SSN?

By and large only aliens ineligible for SSN will be given ITIN for tax reporting purposes.

Edit: To answer the OP, Chase was known to issue credit cards to banking customers but I think that special favor is not longer available. One option would be a secured card from Bank of America, Capital One, Discover or other lenders known to offer secured cards. Unfortunately most free credit checking services will not work with ITIN so you might just have to take your chances. If you only just added the ITIN to your wife's account, give it a couple months to have a chance of it showing up on her credit records.

Amex: EDP, Platinum, SPG, Delta Gold; Chase: United no-AF, CSR, FU, IHG, Freedom; US Bank: Club Carlson Premier, Fidelity; Barclay: Rewards, SM; Discover: IT; Cap. One: Quicksilver; BoA: BBR; Consumers CU: Cash Rebates Siggy

mohammadmoghimi · ‎02-22-2017

I'm positive that amex will report the card to her file. I suspect that they already have since the statement is closed and that's when amex reports the balance to credit bureaus. I just don't know how to verify that. I believe if the card is reported she should be good to go.

newhis · ‎02-22-2017

@mohammadmoghimi wrote:
My wife has been an AU on my amex card for like two years and the line is 4 years old. She just got an ITIN and I added it to her account. We'd like to use her ITIN to apply for a credit card but I'm not sure if her current tcard is reported and she has a credit score. How can I know if she has a credit file? Credit Karma could not find her file based on ITIN name and address.

Are you saying that your wife is AU on your Amex since 2 years ago and you were able to add her without SSN or ITIN at that time, right?

You may want to ask Amex if you can add the ITIN to her profile. She may have a credit report but maybe the ITIN is missing.

When the ITIN is on her file, she can create an account with credit.com and they will report the number of account open/closed and even a Vantage score based on EX (not a FICO score).

With ITIN you are limited on the tools you can use. I was able to open only credit.com account. I get TU FICO with Discover (they no longer allow ITIN for new apps) and EX FICO with Amex.

Check Amex and Cap1 pre-qual forms online, they do accept ITIN numbers. As I said before, the main problem at this point is that the ITIN is not on her credit file.

So if I were you:

- chat/talk with Amex and ask them to add the ITIN to her profile

- check pre-qual sites to see if anything show in the future

- if you want a credit card for her soon, open a BofA card. You should do it this in branch and either go for a regular card and if denied get secured offer, or directly ask for a secured card

Once one of her cards (either Amex AU or new BofA secured) start reporting, they will report the ITIN. After a few months she will get pre-quals for Cap1 and Amex. If she opens a Chase checking account she will be able to ask in branch for pre-quals. I'll say wait a year with own card before getting a Chase card, she will get a higher SL.

I'll subscribe to this thread in case you have more questions. Good luck.

mohammadmoghimi · ‎02-22-2017

Yes. She's been AU for more than 2 years I believe and I just added her ITIN to her account. I was assuming that amex will report the statement balance so I should be able to see her credit report. I checked credit.com but they couldn't find her file. Should I ask amex credit department and ask about the situation? After her credit is up and running, does she have better chance at amex?

newhis · ‎02-22-2017

How much time passed since you added her ITIN, to statement close and today?

As sponge_gto wrote, sometimes it takes 2 statements for things to report.

Do you have CK or other tool to confirm that your Amex already hit your reports? Sometimes it takes some time from the statement close date until the day the information is available on your report.

I read someone who said that he was able to get an Amex card without SSN/ITIN. If you don't want to wait to try to get her an Amex card, she can call the app number, tell them she is AU and want her own Amex card, that her ITIN is too new to be on the bureau and she can provide ID and ITIN if needed.

What is your goal for her credit?

EDIT: I don't know if calling the credit department will speed things up. I think is better for her to call and get her own card than you calling so they will report the card. Sometimes AUs are not reported to all bureaus.

Anonymous · ‎02-23-2017

@sponge_gto wrote:
@fltireguy wrote:
Why not use her SSN?
By and large only aliens ineligible for SSN will be given ITIN for tax reporting purposes.

Edit: To answer the OP, Chase was known to issue credit cards to banking customers but I think that special favor is not longer available. One option would be a secured card from Bank of America, Capital One, Discover or other lenders known to offer secured cards. Unfortunately most free credit checking services will not work with ITIN so you might just have to take your chances. If you only just added the ITIN to your wife's account, give it a couple months to have a chance of it showing up on her credit records.

Officially, a banking relationship is no longer a factor in the application decision. When I app'd in-branch for my FU earlier this month, the banker said that changed in January. (And he seemed to know his stuff; he knew what I meant when I mentioned 5/24 haha)

+1 for the secured Disco.

newhis · ‎02-23-2017

@Anonymous wrote:
Officially, a banking relationship is no longer a factor in the application decision. When I app'd in-branch for my FU earlier this month, the banker said that changed in January. (And he seemed to know his stuff; he knew what I meant when I mentioned 5/24 haha)

+1 for the secured Disco.

Got my Discover with ITIN almost 3 years ago, but that changed, you can no longer use ITIN to get a Discover card. You can't even add an AU with ITIN, the online form will say 'bad SSN'.

The cards I know you can apply online with ITIN:

- Cap1

- Amex

- Chase (at least in my case 13 months ago)

The cards I know you can get in branch without ITIN/SSN:

- BofA secured

Cards I read you can get without ITIN/SSN

- BofA

- Amex

- Citi

There are several cards that will let you add AU without ITIN/SSN.