US LLC -> US creditcard advice (non resident)

[xxxmb]

So I've had a US LLC for a while now, with a Citi bank account and a debit card. Citibank won't give me a creditcard, is there any other bank/3rd party that provides prepaid/creditcards to a US LLC of which the owner is a non US resident (no social security number)?

I've tried AMEX and several online banks but they won't budge. If possible a card with points would be great.

 

[JustAnotherNomad]

Citibank has a “Citi Global” program that would help you get a US credit card if you’ve had an account with them for at least three months. They can pull your foreign credit report for that. It also works with Amex, they call it Global Transfer.
You might need an ITIN for that to work.
Once you have established personal US credit history, you should be able to co-sign for a business credit card. But it’s going to take at least a year or two, minimum.

 

[justsomeguy]

Im literally in the same situation and exhausted pretty much all options. Basically the only option is what the other user said, having a existing relationship with a bank and then transferring it internationally.

 

[JustAnotherNomad]

And if that doesn’t work, you can get a secured credit card (credit line against a deposit) to build credit, but it will take time.

 

[justsomeguy]

And if that doesn’t work, you can get a secured credit card (credit line against a deposit) to build credit, but it will take time.

Any US banks you would recommend for this? And i suppose none will do remote account opening, basically impossible to travel these days.

 

[JustAnotherNomad]

No idea, but for anything to work without physical presence, you’d need to have an existing customer relationship. They need to verify your identity in person. Once you have an open account with them, you can use that to apply for other products remotely.
Other than that, it shouldn’t really matter. Just google “secured credit card” or “credit builder card”, something like that. The only point with these cards is to build credit.

 

[Tax Cow]

Banks in the U.S. do not issue credit cards to non- residents. They're quite unflexible with this; citizen residents who unexpectedly (for the bank) stay out of the U.S. for just 3 months commonly get their cards blocked until they return home.

Your only realistic option worth pursuing is a prepaid corporate debit card solution. As for remote options, you got some trading platforms, that on-and-off, offer cards to their customers... IBKR, Coinbase. If either option is (or comes) available for a corpration, take it before it's off the table again.

 

[JustAnotherNomad]

Not true. It’s absolutely no problem at all to have US credit cards without spending any time in the US.

 

[ih8socialism]

Banks in the U.S. do not issue credit cards to non- residents. They're quite unflexible with this; citizen residents who unexpectedly (for the bank) stay out of the U.S. for just 3 months commonly get their cards blocked until they return home.

Your only realistic option worth pursuing is a prepaid corporate debit card solution. As for remote options, you got some trading platforms, that on-and-off, offer cards to their customers... IBKR, Coinbase. If either option is (or comes) available for a corpration, take it before it's off the table again.

I know plenty of americans in GCC who still have an american CC which is working despite living in UAE / Saudi / Bahrain for years

 

[Tax Cow]

@JustAnotherNomad @ih8socialism

Cards with a line of credit, or effectively downgraded to debit cards that won't work unless the balance is above 0?

There's plenty of exit fraud in the U.S. with people loading up on debt and then leaving the country. Hence the cards or further credit come unavailable as soon as the bank feels the borrower might not return. Usually an automated solution takes care of that.

I'm of the opinion that those cases you know of are of luck, bank's ignorance because the balance exceeds 0, or extreme comfort with the client. There's no way more than five out of ten average Joes can relocate out of the U.S., tell their bank about it, and still spend on credit for years!

 

[JustAnotherNomad]

I even know lots of Europeans who use American credit cards simply for the better perks and who don’t spend more than a few days per year in the US. Sorry, but it’s simply not true.
I have never heard of a single case of what you mentioned.

 

[Tax Cow]

I even know lots of Europeans who use American credit cards simply for the better perks and who don’t spend more than a few days per year in the US. Sorry, but it’s simply not true.
I have never heard of a single case of what you mentioned.

You know nothing of the matter, sorry. Even after I explained in detail, you argue back with "I know a friend"

Eventough the perks like travel miles can be valid to Europeans, those cards don't allow debt that takes the aggregate account balance below 0, thus they are really debit cards - with an interest burden - regardless if named a "credit card"

Hope a second time makes it clear.

If you still struggle, think about the debt collection nightmares the bank has to go through with international clients. Is it worth it to go after an Italian who owes a thousand, a German who owes a couple hundred; ... of course not!

 

[JustAnotherNomad]

I know what I’m talking about. I’m not talking about debit or charge cards, I’m talking about proper credit cards with credit limits in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Yes, debt collection would be a nightmare, but it’s very easy to be approved for US cards if you can show a US address. Unless you call them and tell them you’ve left the US and will never return, they would cancel your card. Simply staying outside the US for a long time isn’t a reason for them to investigate if you’re a good customer.
There’s a lot of fear mongering in this forum sometimes.

 

[GAC Limited]

@JustAnother, you are VERY incorrect in stating it's very easy to be approved for a US credit card just by showing an address. You do realize they know where you are by where you use your card right? So it is not a matter of you "never returning." A pure credit card is difficult for the average American to ascertain, let alone a foreign national. There are plenty of pre-paid debit cards that can be utilized on US rails, in that regard you are correct. FYI, the fear mongering comment isn't really called for IMHO as people are trying to share information based on person experience not innuendo. The great thing about this forum is people can agree to disagree and ask lots of questions. LOL. Have a great day.

 

[JustAnotherNomad]

You may want to re-read my post. If you have an existing business relationship with Citibank or Amex from another country, it’s extremely easy. There’s also Novacredit which should work for a handful of specific countries like India.
With all those options, it’s extremely easy to open US cards. Amex doesn’t even require an ITIN or SSN. If you can show some proof of a US address, they’ll happily give you a $10k credit line with no prior US credit history.

But as I wrote, it will require a previous business relationship with the bank. You can’t just go “Hi, I’m Carlos from Mexico, can you give me a Centurion card,” we agree on that.

Once you have your US card, I’ve never heard of a bank canceling it, only because you never make physical payments in the US.
In fact, Amex even specifically mentions residents of Guam and certain other places (obviously where there is a strong US military presence) in their card agreement.

And I do have experience with this. This is not just something I heard about.

 

[tomboy]

So I've had a US LLC for a while now, with a Citi bank account and a debit card. Citibank won't give me a creditcard, is there any other bank/3rd party that provides prepaid/creditcards to a US LLC of which the owner is a non US resident (no social security number)?

I've tried AMEX and several online banks but they won't budge. If possible a card with points would be great.

how did you manage to open a citi bank account ? you physically went there or opened remotely ?

 

[GAC Limited]

If you are a foreign national with an existing relationship with Citi or Amex, you do NOT participate in the same network as a US citizen first of all. Those are international companies and where you are located is which rails the card will be issued on. Furthermore, those are multi-currency specialized FI's so global clients are expected. As a US citizen and banking professional I know for a fact of bank's cancelling cards due to residency issues if/when an audit of the cardholders account is conducted. But, I agree there are work arounds to any situation. Oh, btw, Guam is a US Territory

Like any global bank, if you have an existing relationship you can do many things but it is not as easy as it sounds. New and updated rules, the now widespread of AI use in fraud departments make the hoop jumping part of the equation in today's marketplace.

 

[GAC Limited]

Citi will not open accounts virtually for businesses or foreign nationals.

 

[JustAnotherNomad]

Of course, all US banks require an in person visit for KYC purposes, as far as I know.
Amex doesn’t have branches, so they are fine if somebody else has done the work for them. A bank statement from Citi would work for Amex.
I’m not saying this is intended by Amex, but it is definitely possible (and not difficult) to open US credit cards as a non-resident alien. You probably shouldn’t tell Amex you don’t live at the address you give them though.

And yes, like I said, I can absolutely imagine them closing accounts if there is an audit.
But simply using your US-issued card abroad isn’t enough to warrant an audit, at least I’ve never heard of it.
I’m not saying it can’t happen, but I think the risk very low at least, provided that you always pay your bills on time and so forth.

 

[hkohli]

I have a history with Amex but i am not a US resident and trying to get US amex card, and i would love to get a US Amex card, and yeah they would easily approve me if i have a US address, but i don't have that, i have friends and relatives in US where i can receive the card but they require a address proof, which will be utility bill, bank statement or rent agreement for that address which seems to be an impossible task to get. If anyone can suggest how to get that, or way around it, i would really appreciate that.