Strategy to obtain US Amex

albyd said:
I've had an update to my situation:
Chase:
  • My Chase CSP was approved on Saturday morning AEST. I took a punt and called them this morning after the banker at the branch called me.
    • They unlocked my online banking - they claim I'd entered the wrong password 3x.
    • iPhone app works, website still asks me to call in - I think I'll wait until I get my card - wasn't using VPN for either app or website.
  • Was told my initial deposit from my AMEX checking wasn't going to unlock the $300 bonus. It needs to be a govt benefit or payroll payment and apparently, they can tell. Interested if there are experiences of it working otherwise here and how you did it.
  • I was impressed; I was able to add my new CSP to ApplePay. Is it best to use it for a US purchase in the first instance and then for AU purchases while I'm "travelling"? What challenges like fraud blocks have others come across with Chase? This is my first experience with them so want it to go smoothly.

Citi:
  • Have resent my ATM card but to AU as I told them I'm traveling to visit relatives and they will send it there. FedEx refused to deliver it to my US address as they said it was a commercial facility. I'm assuming future cards will be delivered by Mail so I think all should be ok.
  • I think they might have the wrong number for me which is why I'm not getting the security codes so I'll try again to register for online banking and otherwise contact them to check on this. Could just be TextNow but I did get a code to authorise a purchase on CC I completed over the weekend.
  • I've been looking into Tello as suggested to me here. I've built up a reasonable credit with my $3/month T-Mobile plan. My Googling reveals prepaid credit is not refundable so I might need to write that off - I can get security codes of all types to it having said that.
  • Just checking Tello is ok to receive automated as well as call center-initiated security text and I can use it on Wi-Fi calling in AU? This is my only issue with TextNow - automated texts go through (eg Chase is fine though not for when the call center does it) but not those initiated from call center agents.
I'll stop here - this post has become longer than I'd first intended - I hope my experiences will help others.
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When I get a new credit card or dealing with a new bank, I always start with small purchases from USA for a month. I find that small charity donations to American NGOs are the best.

With regards to Tello, you can join the Tello Reddit group. It has lots of useful info there and a Tello customer rep is usually there to answer questions too. My current Tello plan costs about USD$5 per month ( No data, just text)

And congrats on getting the CSP !
 
olorinn said:
Chase seem to block their verification team sending texts to any pre-paid number, they've never been able to send one to my T-mobile number even though other Chase notification texts work. No such issue with Amex. Usually they'll use the challenge questions or lately send a code to the app to complete verification.
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This is correct. The other thing is that if they can't verify your number belongs to you e.g. it's not on some database they check, they can't send you the text as well.
 
Has anyone successfully been added to a US relative’s card as an additional user, and then benefited from the relative’s credit history to expedite card approval ?

I understand that there is a market for this (‘Tradelines’), but it requires an SSN

Would be interested to hear if anyone here has successfully done this before I ask my relatives !
 
georgie23 said:
8882134286 is number to call to get card sent to Australia - can't get a card sent to Australia (according to Amex) via chat.
I did it on weekend and they did usual verification questions including a phone call to my number while I was on it - had to answer - and then they went back to first phone call
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Called number, they said I needed to do a Notary Cam to get card sent to Australia. Wouldn't accept ITIN or AU passport, needed SSN and US ID. Gave them US phone number not enough.

Any experience with this? Any experience with calling to get a replacement card, not actually getting one, and using the original card triggering fraud alert?
 
georgie23 said:
Have you ever done a notary cam with Amex - I believe most of us (myself) had to do that the first time and then they can send to Australia - if havent done notary - do it - easy and will solve issues
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Dawn. Long wait time for meeting. Calendar to make an appointment doesn't show availability so I'm just clicking on every date LOL.

Might need to sit in queue for a few hundred hours.

Edit: waited only like 20 minutes. TBH a scary process (I'm not cut out for this) but a helpful notary and I think it's all good now?
 
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Been reading lots of the posts on here and just wondering if there is a post I have missed that has the steps (current - not page 1) of obtaining a US card?

Have a trip to USA from 1st Apri - 12th May of this year and have family based in Chicago or NYC that I will be visiting when I'm over there.

This may be my last trip to USA for a few years so if I can make the most out of the trip and get a card too, that would be a bonus .
 
goosh said:
Been reading lots of the posts on here and just wondering if there is a post I have missed that has the steps (current - not page 1) of obtaining a US card?

Have a trip to USA from 1st Apri - 12th May of this year and have family based in Chicago or NYC that I will be visiting when I'm over there.

This may be my last trip to USA for a few years so if I can make the most out of the trip and get a card too, that would be a bonus .
Click to expand...

There isn't a post because most of us who are involved have taken a fight club approach. Happy to help if you have specific questions but we would like to see effort taken to understand the game.

Plus, everyone's experience differs across the years and there hasn't been any consistency. Every day we get the some variations of DPs with some people being requested for things that others haven't been requested for and similarly some docs were accepted but they aren't by other CS agents.

I vaguely remember I had a post with a few quick dot points stating what is needed to get you started but I think the game has changed since Amex tightened things up.
 
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A simple version you need
  1. Bank account - HSBC seems to work for most
  2. Address - most use a forwarding company but family in US is better solution in long run
  3. Proof of address - either a utility bill in your name (if have family in US that you can use) or a bank statement
  4. Most start with Amex and then branch out
  5. If planning on opening accounts may look into ITIN
please read the whole thread - its not a waste of time - so much great information and can solve so many questions
 
georgie23 said:
A simple version you need
  1. Bank account - HSBC seems to work for most
  2. Address - most use a forwarding company but family in US is better solution in long run
  3. Proof of address - either a utility bill in your name (if have family in US that you can use) or a bank statement
  4. Most start with Amex and then branch out
  5. If planning on opening accounts may look into ITIN
please read the whole thread - its not a waste of time - so much great information and can solve so many questions
Click to expand...

I also think the most important thing is it really demonstrates to you the ups and downs and the stressful situations you're expected go through.
 
goosh said:
Been reading lots of the posts on here and just wondering if there is a post I have missed that has the steps (current - not page 1) of obtaining a US card?

Have a trip to USA from 1st Apri - 12th May of this year and have family based in Chicago or NYC that I will be visiting when I'm over there.

This may be my last trip to USA for a few years so if I can make the most out of the trip and get a card too, that would be a bonus .
Click to expand...
If it was easy, then everyone would do it and the opportunity wouldn't exist.

This is a marathon and not a sprint.
 
I’m likely about to lose access to the friends address I’ve used for last 6 months for accounts and cards. At this stage - it appears I don’t have any info reported to the bureaus (from either HSBC or Amex).

Does anyone foresee any problems if i switch addresses now? I’m gonna wait it out until probably July to apply for anything outside of Amex anyway.

And if I am needing to use a mail forwarder - anything i shoudl be aware of - i know for future Amex’s I’ll probably be ok with any address - but i would like to get on the Chase bandwagon from July so don’t want to do something now that will potentially cause me issues in 6 months time….
 
goosh said:
Been reading lots of the posts on here and just wondering if there is a post I have missed that has the steps (current - not page 1) of obtaining a US card?

Have a trip to USA from 1st Apri - 12th May of this year and have family based in Chicago or NYC that I will be visiting when I'm over there.
Click to expand...
As you ‘already’ have a US address, that’s a handy start. Get a relationship going with Amex AU if you want to go down the GT path.
 

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