Writer: John Ulzheimer
Editor: Lillian Guevara-Castro
Reviewer: Ashley Fricker
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Articles purporting to explain how people can bring their credit reports and scores with them when they move to the US abound. But the reality is that this simply cannot be done for a variety of reasons.
So how do people who move to the US build their credit, likely for the second time?
Products and Strategies to Build Credit if You’re New to the US
While it’s certainly fun to kick around ideas about removing credit report and credit score borders, there are well-established methods to build credit in the United States. People who are new to the US will have to follow the same credit-building guidelines as every other American.
Secured Credit Cards
A secured credit card is a common tool used to establish or rebuild credit in the US. You make a deposit with a bank or a credit card issuer, and that issuer provides you with a credit card with an equal (or very close to) credit limit.
You can use the card for small purchases, and when you make your payment every month, your payment history appears on your US-based credit reports, thus helping you establish credit reports and credit scores.
Top-Rated Secured Credit Cards
The following secured cards are highly rated by CardRates’ experts:
4.9
- Credit Builder is a secured credit card
- Using Credit Builder can build your credit history
- Limit risk of overspending by setting your own limit with money you move into the secured deposit account.
- Chime Checking Account required to apply for the Credit Builder Card
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Intro (Purchases)
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Intro (Transfers)
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Regular APR
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Annual Fee
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Credit Needed
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|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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No annual fees
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Poor/Fair/Limited/Damaged
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4.9
- The Secured Self Visa® Credit Card* requires no credit check or minimum score.
- Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus to establish and build credit, with free access to your credit score.
- Secure your credit line with a refundable security deposit as low as $100.**
- Deposits are returned upon account closure after settling outstanding balances.
- *The secured Self Visa® Credit Card is issued by Lead Bank, Sunrise Bank, N.A., or First Century Bank, N.A., each Member FDIC.
- **Qualification for the secured Self Visa® Credit Card is based on meeting eligibility requirements, including income and expense requirements and establishment of security interest. Criteria subject to change.
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Intro (Purchases)
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Intro (Transfers)
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Regular APR
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Annual Fee
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Credit Needed
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|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
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N/A
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Variable APR of 28.24%
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$0 annual fee for the first year only, $25 annual fee thereafter
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None, Limited, Poor, Fair
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4.8
- Earn up to 10% cash back on everyday purchases
- No credit check required – 89% approval rate with zero credit risk to apply!
- Boost your credit score fast—2 out of 3 OpenSky® cardholders see an average increase of 47 points after 6 months
- Track your progress with free access to your FICO® score in our mobile app
- Build your credit history with reporting to all three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion
- Seamless payments—add your card to Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay
- Start with just $200—secure your credit line with a refundable deposit
- Fast and easy application—apply in minutes with our mobile-first experience
- Flexible payment options—pick a due date that works for you
- More time to fund—spread your security deposit over 60 days with layaway
- Join 1.6 million+ cardholders who have used OpenSky® to build better credit!
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Intro (Purchases)
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Intro (Transfers)
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Regular APR
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Annual Fee
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Credit Needed
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|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
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N/A
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24.64% (variable)
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$35
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No credit, Poor, Fair
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+ See More Secured Credit Cards
Just be sure the card issuer reports the activity to all three of the major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Otherwise, using the card will not be as effective in building your credit reports and scores.
You can ask the card issuer or do a little online research to find out whether it reports to all three credit bureaus before you apply.
Retail Credit Cards
Retail store cards are issued with a store’s brand, such as the Target Circle Card or Amazon Store Card. They can be used to make purchases only at that chain of stores.
Retail store cards normally have very low credit limits and very high APRs, so they’re structured like subprime credit cards. This means they’re fairly easy to open, even if you have limited or no credit.
As with secured credit cards, be sure the retail card issuer reports the account to all three of the major credit bureaus before applying.
The Authorized User Strategy
This is how I established credit. My father added me as an authorized user on one of his credit cards. The card’s issuer reported the card to my credit reports, thus helping me establish credit reports and scores with all the credit bureaus (although they were Equifax, TransUnion, and TRW at the time).
Think of being an authorized user as having a credit card with training wheels. You’re allowed to use the card, but you’re not responsible for the debt. That’s the primary cardholder’s responsibility.
Other Methods
These three methods of building credit certainly are not an exhaustive list. Some companies will underwrite your applications using cash-flow analysis rather than considering your credit reports and scores. If approved, the resulting new account ends up on your credit reports and helps to establish credit.
And everyone who has or had student loans also has credit reports and scores. Student loan servicers, at least those that service federal student loans, are required by the Department of Education to report the loans to the credit bureaus.
International Credit Reports and Scores Aren’t Transferrable
The idea of global credit reports and credit scores seems to make a lot of sense. You’d have one or more credit reports or credit scores that follow you around the world so they can be considered by lenders, insurance companies, employers, landlords, and others when you apply for things in any country. And you’d never have to worry about your credit starting at square one if you were to move to another country.
The problem with this idea is it’s just that, an idea. As of the date of this publication, there is no such thing as a global credit report or global credit score.
That doesn’t mean “going global” hasn’t already happened. The credit bureaus that exist in the United States (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) also exist in many other countries. And the use of credit scores is not limited to the United States.
FICO, the dominant score brand in the US, has offices that serve clients in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. So all the credit bureaus and scoring systems with which we’re familiar can also be found all over the world.
Why Aren’t Credit Reports and Scores Transferrable?
Your credit reports and credit scores can’t be used internationally for a variety of reasons. Two meaningful reasons involve the law and the availability of data.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act was established in the US in the early 1970s. That Act governs all things having to do with the use of credit reports and credit scores in the United States. While that Act does not apply in other countries, each country has its own set of rules and regulations pertaining to the sharing and use of consumer data, including credit data.
Access to information used by lenders and other creditors doesn’t flow freely between the United States and other countries. US credit reports include data that cannot be legally used or shared in other countries. This issue all but eliminates credit report portability across borders.
Another issue people overlook with respect to global credit reporting is that some countries have negative-only databases, which means you either have no reports, or you have bad reports. So if your credit reports and scores are poor in your former country, do you really want that information to follow you around the world?
We have a similar system in the United States. LexisNexis owns and operates a consumer reporting database for auto and homeowner’s insurance claims. It’s called the C.L.U.E. database.
If you’ve filed a claim in the last seven years, you have a C.L.U.E. report. If you have not, then you don’t have a C.L.U.E. report. Your C.L.U.E. reports and insurance credit scores can influence things such as the pricing of your insurance policies.
Open an Account and Track Your Progress
While there is no such thing as a transferrable credit report or credit score, there are numerous ways to easily establish credit here in the United States. Secured cards are inexpensive and effective. The authorized user strategy is free. And, although retail store cards have high APRs, interest on all credit cards is optional and only applies if you carry balances from month to month.
Whichever method you choose, you’ll want to check the effectiveness from time to time. You can do that easily, and for free, at AnnualCreditReport.com. That’s the federally mandated website where you can procure free credit report disclosures every week.
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