The Journey Continues: Getting Our 1st US Credit Card

After spending a couple of months learning about miles and points, and actually now collecting miles and points, I figured it was time to try my hand at getting a US Credit card. The main reason, I realized that the majority of people whom do collect miles and points are Americans, and that they are able to collect a ton of points and do these amazing trips because they get access to way better offers that come with applying and getting US credit cards versus Canadian credit cards.

I mean, just Google all the different credit cards you can apply and access in the United States compared to all the credit cards that you can apply for in Canada. Their are just so many more, and so many more transferable points programs, not just American Express Membership Rewards which we Canadians have, but also Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi Thank You Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Bilt Rewards. Not to mention, the US American Express Membership Reward points transfer to many more partners compared the Canadian American Express Membership Rewards points (see the many transfer partners here).

Then theirs the better welcome bonuses you get when signing up for US credit cards, as well as the better multiples of points you get upon spending on US credit cards, all which are way better then the Canadian credit cards.

So, how do you break into the US credit card game and get your first, and then your 2nd, 3rd, and maybe even your 10th credit card, if you're not a US citizen?

Well, getting your first US credit card isn't that hard, as American Express makes it quite easy to apply, which you can read about here (and this is the process I used). In simplest terms, you can use your Canadian credit history, via Nova Credit, which American Express has partnered with, to help you get approved for your first US credit card, or you can use your existing American Express credit card history (if you have one, which I recommend you get before applying for an US American Express credit card).

Many articles online talk about how easy this is, however, my experience wasn't. I had to jump through some hoops, including get on a call with an Amex representative, where they asked me questions about where I lived in the past in the US. I had gone to school in the US, and they were asking if I ever resided at particular residences, which I had totally forgot the addresses I lived at when I was in school (almost 20 years ago). Luckily, I remembered and they then approved me.

However, to start, you'll need to have 2 things, one a Canadian American Express credit card (as I just mentioned), so this way you have an online login account, so that when you go to apply for a US American Express credit card online, and clicking 'apply' on a specific credit card you want, then clicking 'YES' to the below prompt, you can then login using your Canadian American Express account login and password, which helps Amex identify you.

Second, you'll to have a US mailing address, which I will talk about below on how to get.

Then, you would just proceed to fill out the application.

Make sure to click the box where it asks you 'I don't have a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)', as this then allows you to enter a government-issued ID number,' such as a Canadian Passport or Canadian Driver's License number. (see below application page).

One other thing, you can also fill out an application by selecting 'No' when it asks you 'We would like to access your International Account Data' after logging into your Canadian American Express online account.

You would then proceed to fill out the application, but checkmark the option where it says 'Yes, to help evaluate my application, I would like to share my credit history from one of these countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Dominican Republic, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom', see below actual webpage.

However, I would only choose this way when I applying for your 2nd US American Express credit card, which is what I did, as I had an ITIN number by then, and I could input that where it asks you for a Social Security Number.

Reminder, when filling out the application to apply for a US Credit card, you will need a US mailing address (again, see bottom of this article on how I did it).

Once you do finally fill out the application and click submit, you will most likely not be approved right away, but be told to call a Customer Care representative (see below email received upon completing application), which is what happened to me, and just recently Ashley, as they will want to verify your information, such as your mailing address and other information, before making a decision to approve or not approve your application for a US credit card.

Now, If I had to do it all over again, even for my 1st US credit card, I would do the following first, because you're going to need to do these steps anyways if you're going to be trying to get a 2nd, 3rd or even 10th US credit card.

First step, and this will make it much easier going forward if you're going to be getting more then just one US credit card is to get an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN Number for short).

This is similar to having a Social Security Number if your an American citizen, as it helps the IRS document your US credit history.

But how do you go about getting one?

The easiest way, and how I did it was through Frugal Flyer's in-house ITIN Service.

In a nutshell, they will generate and send you a W-7 ITIN application and 1040-NR tax return pre-filled with your information, where all you need to then do is sign the necessary documents and mail them out.

The one item you will also need to include with these tax documents is a certified true copy (CTC) of your passport, which you can obtain from Service Canada online. To get copies (I got 2 to be safe), you will need to mail your actual passport to Service Canada, so make sure you're not going anywhere for at least a month, as you won't have your passport. I mailed mine out on July 17th, 2023, and got it back along with the Certified True Copies of my passport around the beginning of August.

In the end, the whole process will take close to 3 months to get an ITIN, from the time you get your copies of your passport from Service Canada, to then mailing a copy along with your W-7 ITIN application and 1040-NR tax return that Frugal Flyer prepared for you, to the IRS.

Just to summarize, I started the process by first purchasing the Frugal Flyer ITIN service, which I did on July 12,2023. Upon purchasing the service, I got an email from them like the one below detailing all the steps you need to take to complete the process of obtaining your ITIN.

Upon completing these steps, and getting my certified copies of my passport, I officially got my ITIN number mailed to me in October 2023, which will look like this.

From there, and now armed with an ITIN, it will become much easier to apply for a US Credit Card.

However, their is still 2 more steps that are a must.

The first item, and yes, I'm finally going to tell you, obtain a US mailing address.

Their are services (click here for a list Frugal Flyer compiled) that allow you to set up a mail forwarding US address, such as 24/7 Parcel.

However, the easiest and best way is to use a real residential US mailing address, whether that be your own or a friend or family member who can receive mail on your behalf. If you know of someone whom you trust, consider asking them about this possibility.

I was lucky enough to use my relatives vacation home in Florida as my residential US mailing address.

However, when I applied for my first American Express Green Credit Card, where I began the process of applying online, a follow up call was required after submitting the application (just like what happened with Ashley too), with a customer support rep at American Express, as they had concerns about the US mailing address I had used on my application, which was not a real residential US mailing address at the time (I used the address of Detroit Mailbox which is where I send many shipments to, and it's just across the border, however it's a commercial property)!

Anyways, after sticking to my guns that it was where I resided, and as I mentioned above, answering other questions about where I resided in the past in the US, they chose to approve my application, but it was definitely a very stressful phone call let's just say that.

The second item you'll then need to do before applying for a US credit card; change the billing address on your US Bank statement. If you don't have a US Bank account, I strongly suggest you get one. As a Canadian, we can actually do this through the banks' Cross Border Banking for Canadians service.

TD, RBC and BMO all have operations/branches in the US, where you can open up a US Bank account with their American operation/branch. I myself opened up a US account at RBC Bank years ago, so it was very simple to go into my online banking to change my permanent address to my new US mailing address, so that it would show up on my latest bank statement.

You will need to do this, as American Express, and in the future, American banks, will want to see proof that you 'reside' at this address. I even opened up a GoogleFi account, to get a US phone number, so that I also had extra proof, as banks might want to see more then just a bank statement sometimes, such as a bill, showing you 'reside' at that address.

With all the above completed, your likelihood of being approved for US credit cards will be much much higher.

I will offer one more recommendation, start by applying with American Express vs. any American bank such as Chase, or Citi, or Bank of America. You'll have much better chances of being approved, and once approved, you will begin to then build your US credit history, which will help you in the future for when you do finally apply for a credit card at a US Bank.

What do you think about that!?