Strategy to obtain US Amex

[nomad2000]

Has anyone here tried to open a Citi or Wells Fargo online checking account from Australia with their ITIN?

(I am sure that Cap 1 and BoA require you to open an account at a branch if you apply it with an ITIN)

And how do people get around the proof of address / Utility bill requirement ?

I think the main issue is being a non-resident alien when opening a US bank account online and the tax implications. That's why I believe most if not all banks would require you to fill out another form which would be done in a branch.

Unless you're a US resident in which case you should be able to open an account online.

another US bank account statement or something of that sort should be OK as a proof of address.

 

[desafinado74]

I think the main issue is being a non-resident alien when opening a US bank account online and the tax implications. That's why I believe most if not all banks would require you to fill out another form which would be done in a branch.
Unless you're a US resident in which case you should be able to open an account online.

Thanks for the reply Nomad. Have you open a bank account in the US before ?

 

[nomad2000]

Thanks for the reply Nomad. Have you open a bank account in the US before ?

I've got a HSBC US account which I opened through my AU premier relationship with them, that's been working well for me so far with no issues. I may open a new account once I'm in the US on a trip or something someday.

 

[desafinado74]

Yes, Amex report to all three agencies. New cards can take a few months to show up on your credit file, but they will eventually appear.

Thanks for the reply Levelnine. Do you use sites such as credit.com and myequifax.com to check your credit history too ? (Apart from the AMEX Fico score)

 

[Martin999]

Has anyone here tried to open a Citi or Wells Fargo online checking account from Australia with their ITIN?

(I am sure that Cap 1 and BoA require you to open an account at a branch if you apply it with an ITIN)

And how do people get around the proof of address / Utility bill requirement ?

I've managed to open Cap 1 checking account entirely online. (I used another shipping forwarder address instead of myUS.)
Was prompted to call in, the nice CSO sent me an email to upload my passport and I was transferred to another CSO who assisted me on account creation.

All settled in 20 minutes.

 

[desafinado74]

Is there any chance someone knows a mail forwarder from Canada that will forward credit cards? I am looking to do a global transfer for a Canadian card but I can't find much information on the internet. Nearly all the articles are about a US mail forwarder, not Canada.

Hi Glasszon,

I have used this Canadian forwarder before for shipping online purchases back to Australia. But according to their site, shipping credit cards from Canada is not allowed.

Canada Parcel Forwarder - ShipByMail

ShipByMail is an affordable Canadian Parcel Forwarder which gives you a free Canadian Address to shop your favourite Canadian merchant. Sign up now and start shipping from Canada to the USA and internationally.Pay the merchant yourself or use our BuyForMe Service

www.shipbymail.com

 

[desafinado74]

I've managed to open Cap 1 checking account entirely online. (I used another shipping forwarder address instead of myUS.)
Was prompted to call in, the nice CSO sent me an email to upload my passport and I was transferred to another CSO who assisted me on account creation.

All settled in 20 minutes.

That is great to hear Martin !

What sort of questions did they ask you?
And did you use a VPN when you applied for the account ?
Finally, may i ask which mail forwarder do you use ? (I have a MyUS account and i think most banks don't consider them as a commercial mail forwarder, but none the less i am considering another new mail forwarding company)

 

[Martin999]

That is great to hear Martin !

Did they ask you many questions ?
And which US time zone is the Cap 1 call centre in ?
Finally, may i ask which mail forwarder do you use ? (I have a MyUS account and i think most banks don't consider them as a commercial mail forwarder, but none the less i am considering another new mail forwarding company)

1) no, just some verification details such as SSN (I gave ITIN), DOB, last and given name
2) It was Eastern time in the U.S (I called in at approx. 1am Perth time zone)
3) I used Comgateway address (finger crossed they accept cap 1 debit card envelope as parcel though!)

 

[desafinado74]

1) no, just some verification details such as SSN (I gave ITIN), DOB, last and given name
2) It was Eastern time in the U.S (I called in at approx. 1am Perth time zone)
3) I used Comgateway address (finger crossed they accept cap 1 debit card envelope as parcel though!)

Thank you for the reply. Did you use a VPN while applying for the 360 checking account ?
I will have to give it a shot now and see what happens.
If Comgateway accepts mail, i am pretty sure your Cap 1 debit card will be ok.

 

[levelnine]

Do you use sites such as credit.com and myequifax.com to check your credit history too ?

I have an account with the three major credit agencies. They allow me to check my credit report/history. You need to be on a VPN to access one of them — Experian maybe?

 

[desafinado74]

I have an account with the three major credit agencies. They allow me to check my credit report/history. You need to be on a VPN to access one of them — Experian maybe?

Thanks Levelnine for the reply. I will research more into this.

 

[prozac]

Found this online bank that provides cost effective credit building tools. www.chime.com/credit-builder/

 

[Martin999]

Thank you for the reply. Did you use a VPN while applying for the 360 checking account ?
I will have to give it a shot now and see what happens.
If Comgateway accepts mail, i am pretty sure your Cap 1 debit card will be ok.

No VPN was used.
I'm sure your case will be fine as well!

 

[desafinado74]

No VPN was used.
I'm sure your case will be fine as well!

Thanks Martin! I will try and sign up for the 360 checking account and will report my experiences here.

 

[nj12]

Has anyone else here been stuck in Amex "pop up jail" not eligible for welcome bonuses? I suspect my decision to close my Hilton Surpass account contributed to this situation but I thought since I had it for 20 months when I closed it I would be safe. In hindsight I should have tried to downgrade to Hilton No Annual Fee card even though I already have one. Since January I have tried applying for Aspire and Amex Gold a number of times but keep getting the dreaded pop up. I have continued to put minimal spend on my remaining 3 Amex cards.

 

[_TheTraveller_]

What should one put when asked about resident for tax purposes whe applying for a card?

I was looking at C1 card and this came up:

What's your U.S. residency status?

Resident or Non-Resident?

I have an account with the three major credit agencies. They allow me to check my credit report/history. You need to be on a VPN to access one of them — Experian maybe?

Do you have an SSN or ITIN? I've been having troubles trying to get access to my credit report with Experian and Transunion as they can't verify my ID. Equifax has no issues though.

Although I do know that Amex reports to Experian so they definitely have my file since i have a EX fico score so that is a bit odd. I can't even get access to credit.com. I'm guessing my ITIN is too fresh.

 

[TheAccountant]

Hi all

New to the forum and need some help

I live in Australia with no intention of moving to the US, however, been contemplating getting a US AMEX Platinum so applied for it directly, I called AMEX US and they confirmed I have been approved pending address confirmation.

The address I used on the application was MYUS address (which in hindsight wasn't a great idea) and the AMEX lady on the phone said if I have a US Bank Account, they will do a three-way call to confirm the address.

I am travelling to LA next week, and have booked an appointment with Bank of America to open an account.

My questions:
1. Can I open a checking account without SSN or ITIN and with an Australian address? If I can, does the bank post the US Debit card to Aus?
2. Once the account is open, at what point do I change the address and do 3 way AMEX call?
3. MYUS confirmed they do not accept mail/letters or forward Debit/Credit cards to Aus, so how do I get my US AMEX here in Australia?
4. Do I need to do anything else? or is there another company I can use for address?

Cheers

Update - I managed to open a BoA Cheque and Secured Credit Account.

1. Address - I used MyUS address however they have declined to forward bank cards. So, I spoke to a mate who lives in San Jose, CA and is okay with me using her address for BoA and later for AMEX. Does anyone see any problem with this?

2. Phone - I used OpenPhone and paid their annual USD$120 only to find out I can't receive Bank OTPs, arrgghhh - I have read about T-mobile E-Sim is that something we can legally obtain from Australia? Any other recommendations?

3. AMEX - had to cancel my application as they requested for a Form 4506-T, the lady did say Platinum is their most prestigious card. So, have i blown my chances of a US AMEX card? or can i apply for another one?

I suspect the reason for form 4506-T request is perhaps because I applied for it whilst overseas and i closed my AU AMEX before US AMEX being issued.

 

[desafinado74]

Update - I managed to open a BoA Cheque and Secured Credit Account.

1. Address - I used MyUS address however they have declined to forward bank cards. So, I spoke to a mate who lives in San Jose, CA and is okay with me using her address for BoA and later for AMEX. Does anyone see any problem with this?

2. Phone - I used OpenPhone and paid their annual USD$120 only to find out I can't receive Bank OTPs, arrgghhh - I have read about T-mobile E-Sim is that something we can legally obtain from Australia? Any other recommendations?

3. AMEX - had to cancel my application as they requested for a Form 4506-T, the lady did say Platinum is their most prestigious card. So, have i blown my chances of a US AMEX card? or can i apply for another one?

I suspect the reason for form 4506-T request is perhaps because I applied for it whilst overseas and i closed my AU AMEX before US AMEX being issued.

I managed to get my Aspire card shipped by MyUS last year (June 2022) and also a Remitly Passbook debit card in August. I also had a look at their prohibited and restricted items lists and i did not see credit/debit cards being listed. I think that MyUS rep is wrong. (Or maybe because i have been with MyUS since 2007, so that might help. I also remembered chatting with a MyUS rep last year and he said they do accept debit/credit cards) Anyway, i am expecting my AMEX Everyday card to be delivered by this Friday or next Monday. Let's see what happens.

 

[levelnine]

I have continued to put minimal spend on my remaining 3 Amex cards.

No one knows what causes a person to enter pop-up jail, but my guess is the cancellation wasn't the big issue. It is the drop off in spend on the other cards. When you are meeting the minimum spend on an Amex card, you are putting $2-5K per month of spending on the card for 3-6 months. When that suddenly drops to 0, Amex knows you have shifted your spend to other card issuers, deem you a 'churner' and then deny you further sign-up bonuses.

If you are determined to get out of jail, I'd put regular spend on one or two Amex cards for a couple of months and try again.

I've been having troubles trying to get access to my credit report with Experian and Transunion as they can't verify my ID

Did you try calling them? For one of them, I couldn't verify my ID online and had to call. After answering a bunch of ID questions, they set up an account for me.

Post automatically merged: Mar 20, 2023

3. AMEX - had to cancel my application as they requested for a Form 4506-T, the lady did say Platinum is their most prestigious card. So, have i blown my chances of a US AMEX card? or can i apply for another one?

Not necessarily. Call back and say the majority of your income is international, and ask if you can send them your Australian pay slips instead. May work.

 

[Franko Costa]

I managed to get my Aspire card shipped by MyUS last year (June 2022) and also a Remitly Passbook debit card in August. I also had a look at their prohibited and restricted items lists and i did not see credit/debit cards being listed. I think that MyUS rep is wrong. (Or maybe because i have been with MyUS since 2007, so that might help. I also remembered chatting with a MyUS rep last year and he said they do accept debit/credit cards) Anyway, i am expecting my AMEX Everyday card to be delivered by this Friday or next Monday. Let's see what happens.

What is the upside of getting a Remitly Passbook debit card? I thought it didn't help your fico score...