Strategy to obtain US Amex

[levelnine]

Do you have a quick post on how to perform this?
I was really tryingt o get this done before i travel but seems im kinda doomed now haha

Open a Capital One 360 Checking Account. Wait 30 days until the bank reports your new address to your credit file. You'll probably need an ITIN.

 

[mrsquare]

Does anyone have a contact for getting an ITIN? And what reasons do people give for getting an ITIN? I was digging into it a bit more and it seems the IRS only issues them for the purposes of filing tax?

 

[DC3]

Does anyone have a contact for getting an ITIN? And what reasons do people give for getting an ITIN? I was digging into it a bit more and it seems the IRS only issues them for the purposes of filing tax?

Daniel Hagen. And EIN Express. They have been mentioned. Leave the reason to them. There would be heaps of others that will do it for you as well.

And you can get an ITIN anyway, if you want. Don’t worry too much about what’s on the IRS site. However, you need to renew if no tax filed within 3 years.

Lots of useful information upthread
by the way.

 

[blacksultan]

Daniel Hagen. And EIN Express. They have been mentioned. Leave the reason to them. There would be heaps of others that will do it for you as well.

And you can get an ITIN anyway, if you want. Don’t worry too much about what’s on the IRS site. However, you need to renew if no tax filed within 3 years.

Lots of useful information upthread
by the way.

Is the process for renewal as complex and costly as initial application ? Is it possible to file taxes on expensively ?

Post automatically merged: May 8, 2022

Daniel Hagen. And EIN Express. They have been mentioned. Leave the reason to them. There would be heaps of others that will do it for you as well.

And you can get an ITIN anyway, if you want. Don’t worry too much about what’s on the IRS site. However, you need to renew if no tax filed within 3 years.

Lots of useful information upthread
by the way.

I believe the itin will expire for the purpose of actual tax filing purposes but one can still use it for the purpose of banking and credit card application . Pls correct me if I’m wrong .

 

[blacksultan]

Is it fairly easy to open a capital one transaction account ? Does one need to have any docs / cards forwarded to australia ? Or will they email it ?

 

[tlam]

Is it fairly easy to open a capital one transaction account ? Does one need to have any docs / cards forwarded to australia ? Or will they email it ?

For me, it was pretty easy, I applied using ITIN and they just needed to verify my address and called Citibank to verify while I was on the call. Then the bank account was just opened immediately once the agent hang up.

 

[levelnine]

Does one need to have any docs / cards forwarded to australia ?

They do send you a debit card that you need to activate, so you need to have some way of receiving mail and opening it.

 

[Tiki]

I used to have no problem with USA credit cards while my parents were alive and I was using their address. Since they passed on, I don't have a US address but the old one is still in my profile at B of A and Chase. I have been a customer of B of A for 39 years and Chase for about 15 years.
I just applied for the AirFrance card with B of A and I thought it would be an easy approval, then I call in and get them to expedite it to Australia. I called in and got someone who was concerned about fraud and wanted me to walk into a branch to verify my identity and address. I called again and finally got to someone who approved the card in credit management but it went to a secondary review so worried it might be the address issue again. I used an Aussie IP when I applied. Should I use a USA VPN for future applications to increase the odds of automatic approval? I would like to get one of the Amex cards, preferably with annual fee waived and a Chase CSP, since I have 2 accounts with them already - IHG and Freedom. Then maybe a Citibank Thank You points card after a few months.
I see that some people are having trouble with mail forwarders so reluctant to use these but I don't have anyone trustworthy in the USA to use their address. I am trying to rely on my excellent Fico scores and past history of 100% on time payments to get the banks to auto approve. I am a dual US/Australian with SSN.
Any way around this? I really need Flying Blue for some upcoming trips.

 

[Igreen]

I used to have no problem with USA credit cards while my parents were alive and I was using their address. Since they passed on, I don't have a US address but the old one is still in my profile at B of A and Chase. I have been a customer of B of A for 39 years and Chase for about 15 years.
I just applied for the AirFrance card with B of A and I thought it would be an easy approval, then I call in and get them to expedite it to Australia. I called in and got someone who was concerned about fraud and wanted me to walk into a branch to verify my identity and address. I called again and finally got to someone who approved the card in credit management but it went to a secondary review so worried it might be the address issue again. I used an Aussie IP when I applied. Should I use a USA VPN for future applications to increase the odds of automatic approval? I would like to get one of the Amex cards, preferably with annual fee waived and a Chase CSP, since I have 2 accounts with them already - IHG and Freedom. Then maybe a Citibank Thank You points card after a few months.
I see that some people are having trouble with mail forwarders so reluctant to use these but I don't have anyone trustworthy in the USA to use their address. I am trying to rely on my excellent Fico scores and past history of 100% on time payments to get the banks to auto approve. I am a dual US/Australian with SSN.
Any way around this? I really need Flying Blue for some upcoming trips.

Do u get extra perks with the Flying blue card ...if not, Many US Credit cards reward points can be transfered to Flying blue such as Amex, Chase, Cap1 and Citi to name a few I know. Plus Amex is being generous with the SUB. Furthermore, your card will be easily approved if you just give ur parents address. After 10 days you can give you other address saying u r travelling for work. I have an SSN but Oz Passport. I have cards from the above 4 banks and Amex is by far the easiest and Chase is the next I think.

 

[blacksultan]

They do send you a debit card that you need to activate, so you need to have some way of receiving mail and opening it.

If I don’t want / need the debit card . Can I do without it ? Or is it actually required for account activation ?

 

[Tiki]

Do u get extra perks with the Flying blue card ...if not, Many US Credit cards reward points can be transfered to Flying blue such as Amex, Chase, Cap1 and Citi to name a few I know. Plus Amex is being generous with the SUB. Furthermore, your card will be easily approved if you just give ur parents address. After 10 days you can give you other address saying u r travelling for work. I have an SSN but Oz Passport. I have cards from the above 4 banks and Amex is by far the easiest and Chase is the next I think.

I have both my old parent's address (which hasn't been used by them in 4 years) and my Australian address in my B of A profile. I have no idea who lives there now. My renewal cards are sent automatically to Australia with no issues when they expire every 3 years or so. Been like that for at least 10 years.

The reason I chose this card for getting back in the credit card game is because I am a long standing customer of theirs so I was expecting it to be easy. The card does have some perks like status ponts and an anniversary bonus of 5000 Flying Blue points. I put an expired T Mobile number in the app because it wouldn't take my Aussie number.
Are people using a USA VPN when they apply for USA cards? I didn't, I thought of it too late. I saw something on Doctor of Credit about making a dummy booking on Air France website to get 50k points plus $100 statement credit offer. I was experimenting and just went for it.

 

[Igreen]

I have both my old parent's address (which hasn't been used by them in 4 years) and my Australian address in my B of A profile. The reason I chose this card for getting back in the credit card game is because I am a long standing customer of theirs so I was expecting it to be easy. The card does have some perks like status ponts and an anniversary bonus of 5000 Flying Blue points. I put an expired T Mobile number in the app because it wouldn't take my Aussie number.
Are people using a USA VPN when they apply for USA cards? I didn't, I thought of it too late. I saw something on Doctor of Credit about making a dummy booking on Air France website to get 50k points plus $100 statement credit offer. I was experimenting and just went for it.

I think the Amex charge card beats the B of A card hands down other than the status points for ease of approval and earn rate. I dont have a plan to apply for a B of A card.
You can create a free textnow number and Amex sends the code to that number. If you are looking for a cheaper long term solution, you can order (I got it from Amazon nearly 18 months ago) a T Mobile sim for around $50 and monthly $3 to keep the line. Amex will give you the card if you put a valid address. The question is what happens to the card when it is sent to the old address parents. They usually dont send a brand new card to Oz. You have a risk for 10 days or so and Ask Amex to ship the new card to Australia. The other options is to follow the forum and get a addres. I use my families address.

 

[Tiki]

I think the Amex charge card beats the B of A card hands down other than the status points for ease of approval and earn rate. I dont have a plan to apply for a B of A card.
You can create a free textnow number and Amex sends the code to that number. If you are looking for a cheaper long term solution, you can order (I got it from Amazon nearly 18 months ago) a T Mobile sim for around $50 and monthly $3 to keep the line. Amex will give you the card if you put a valid address. The question is what happens to the card when it is sent to the old address parents. They usually dont send a brand new card to Oz. You have a risk for 10 days or so and Ask Amex to ship the new card to Australia. The other options is to follow the forum and get a addres. I use my families address.

Great advice about Textnow, I had never heard of them! I downloaded the app and choosing a number in the same area code as my former home in California. Can I use it for phone calls?

 

[Igreen]

Great advice about Textnow, I had never heard of them! I downloaded the app and choosing a number in the same area code as my former home in California. Can I use it for phone calls?

Yes you can..please ensure keep it active every month else u will loose the number..U can send some free text or call to US numbers to keep it active. Next time u r in the US ...u can create a Google voice number by linking it to a prepaid card

 

[Tiki]

The plot thickens. Just last night a better offer for the Air France card has been released.

Bank of America Air France/KLM FlyingBlue Credit Card 70,000 Miles Signup Bonus + $100 + 100 XP Bonus - Doctor Of Credit

Bank of America is offering a bonus on the AirFrance/KLM FlyingBlue card of 70,000 miles after $2,000 spend + 100 XP. Plus, get $100 statement credit by applying via dummy booking

www.doctorofcredit.com

I would prefer this new offer but not sure if I should rock the boat given that I am already struggling with being an overseas applicant.
My app is still under review although a credit manager told me he approved it for $15k cl. (Way more than I need).
The Textnow is working fine, I called and texted it from my Aussie number and got alerts both times. So I updated my B of A profile.
Not sure if I still need to do something about the address situation. It seems from some posts above that the banks can flag certain virtual addresses as forwarders and won't accept them.

 

[ithongy]

The plot thickens. Just last night a better offer for the Air France card has been released.

Bank of America Air France/KLM FlyingBlue Credit Card 70,000 Miles Signup Bonus + $100 + 100 XP Bonus - Doctor Of Credit

Bank of America is offering a bonus on the AirFrance/KLM FlyingBlue card of 70,000 miles after $2,000 spend + 100 XP. Plus, get $100 statement credit by applying via dummy booking

www.doctorofcredit.com

I would prefer this new offer but not sure if I should rock the boat given that I am already struggling with being an overseas applicant.
My app is still under review although a credit manager told me he approved it for $15k cl. (Way more than I need).
The Textnow is working fine, I called and texted it from my Aussie number and got alerts both times. So I updated my B of A profile.
Not sure if I still need to do something about the address situation. It seems from some posts above that the banks can flag certain virtual addresses as forwarders and won't accept them.

The larger the credit limit the better. You don’t want to go over 30% of your credit utilisation by end of monthly period. Going over 30% will affect negatively affect your fico score.

 

[Tiki]

If you have a USA SSN and bank account and good Fico score, can you apply normally for an Amex card?

Or do you still have to go through the global transfer route?
My problem is still a USA address. I have a TextNow number.
Are you guys using a USA based VPN to apply?
Are people getting instant approvals on anything?

 

[Igreen]

If you have a USA SSN and bank account and good Fico score, can you apply normally for an Amex card? YES. I apply directly with Amex. Furthermore, you can someones referral (you could get more Sign up bonus and the referree too).

Or do you still have to go through the global transfer route? No
My problem is still a USA address. I have a TextNow number.
Are you guys using a USA based VPN to apply? I used to. Not anymore
Are people getting instant approvals on anything - Yes for me.

My responses are above inline to your questions

 

[Tiki]

My responses are above inline to your questions

Thanks, the main thing I am worried about is the address. People above have said the banks won't ship credit cards to a forwarder anymore. Or new customers of forwarders can't get the card forwarded to Australia.

These are my targets:
BofA Flying Blue (still pending, 39 year customer of BofA have other cards with them...and pending.
If denied for this card, then probably the Delta as I really need Skyteam miles for next year's trip.
Amex fee free card, probably Delta or Green. I have had the gold in the past.
Chase CSP - had in 2012 with bonus, cancelled in 2019. Have to wait to July to apply so I can do a $4000 spend.

Next year:
Citi Premier - had in 2016 with bonus, cancelled early 2020.
Capitol venture - never done business with them.
I prefer no or very low annual fees. I don't care about status or lounges.

These cards would be sufficient for my travel plans over the next 3 years for bucket list trips. I am not getting younger and will probably stop with the long haul overseas after that.
I used to have my mother's address up to 2018 then she passed away. I still have her old address in my BofA and Chase profiles with Aussie address as secondary linked to the profile. My renewed cards and an updated chip card Chase IHG which I have had over 10 years have been sent to Australia automatically.

I am wondering if i should sign up with a forwarder and change the address in the bank profiles?
Or leave it alone and hope I can get automatic approval? My Norton360 has USA VPNs I can use.
Fico 735 in BofA, 821Transunion and 819 Equifax in Credit Karma.
I think my credit history is fine. I would normally get automatic approvals except for being in Australia.

 

[ithongy]

Thanks, the main thing I am worried about is the address. People above have said the banks won't ship credit cards to a forwarder anymore. Or new customers of forwarders can't get the card forwarded to Australia.

These are my targets:
BofA Flying Blue (still pending, 39 year customer of BofA have other cards with them...and pending.
If denied for this card, then probably the Delta as I really need Skyteam miles for next year's trip.
Amex fee free card, probably Delta or Green. I have had the gold in the past.
Chase CSP - had in 2012 with bonus, cancelled in 2019. Have to wait to July to apply so I can do a $4000 spend.

Next year:
Citi Premier - had in 2016 with bonus, cancelled early 2020.
Capitol venture - never done business with them.
I prefer no or very low annual fees. I don't care about status or lounges.

These cards would be sufficient for my travel plans over the next 3 years for bucket list trips. I am not getting younger and will probably stop with the long haul overseas after that.
I used to have my mother's address up to 2018 then she passed away. I still have her old address in my BofA and Chase profiles with Aussie address as secondary linked to the profile. My renewed cards and an updated chip card Chase IHG which I have had over 10 years have been sent to Australia automatically.

I am wondering if i should sign up with a forwarder and change the address in the bank profiles?
Or leave it alone and hope I can get automatic approval? My Norton360 has USA VPNs I can use.
Fico 735 in BofA, 821Transunion and 819 Equifax in Credit Karma.
I think my credit history is fine. I would normally get automatic approvals except for being in Australia.

Believe Credit Karma gives an indication of what your chances of approval are when applying for various credit cards.