For a guide to playing with US credit cards, just divide it into international students (no SSN/ITIN) and SSN/ITIN users. I won’t go into too much detail here about the cards, all from theUS Credit Card Guide。
International students (no SSN/ITIN)
首卡 – Bank of America 321
For international students who have just arrived in the US and do not have an SSN/ITIN, they can apply for this card directly to build up their credit history after opening a checking account at a BoA branch and depositing a few thousand dollars. Please refer to the following link for the advantages of this card:
There’s also a Deserve EDU, which is a card specifically for international students but has a relatively low opening bonus, but the website shows upgrades and hasn’t been open for applications for a few years now.
第二张卡 – Amex Blue Cash Everyday
After three months of credit history, we recommend applying for the Amex line of cards. We recommend the BCE, which has a good recent opening bonus, and Amex will give you a relatively good credit limit. (No SSN/ITIN, you need to call customer service to apply)
Third Card – Amex Hilton Honors
This card and the BCE above you can choose which one to open first depending on your situation. The advantage of this card over the BCE is that there is no FTF, so you can use it when traveling outside of the US. (Since there is no SSN/ITIN, you need to call customer service to apply)
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Since international students don’t have SSN/ITIN, there are relatively few cards that they can play, and after that, they can basically only play Amex’s Charge Cards, such as Green, Gold, Platinum, and so on.
ITIN users
ITIN can apply for a relatively large number of cards, and can basically play most of the cards on the market.
首卡 – Capital One Quicksilver 押金卡
With no credit history at all, a deposit card for C1 is pretty much the only option.
第二张卡 – Amex Blue Cash Preferred
After about three months of use, you can apply for Amex BCE directly, and personally, I think you can skip Amex Everyday.
第三张卡 – Chase Freedom Unlimited
There is a strict 5/24 rule for Chase, so it is recommended to apply to the Chase Sapphire line before you have 5 cards under your belt.
第四张卡 – Chase Sapphire Preferred
The CSP is quite strict and you can’t apply for it until you have $5000 in CFUs. So you may need to use CFUs for a long time before you can qualify for a CSP (you can skip Chase if you don’t want to graduate from it).
Fifth Card – Amex Hilton Honors
Sixth Card – Apple Card
Apple Card’s review is also rather esoteric, and the exact requirements for approval are not very clear. It’s recommended that you have at least six months of credit history, don’t have too many cards, and try applying once a month.
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Follow up by playing with some of Amex’s higher-end cards, such as the Charge Card and so on. However, it is not recommended to reapply for a Capital One card as it will leave you with three Hard Pulls, which will directly lower your credit score.
SSN user
SSN users can basically play most cards on the market, so there are basically no limitations.
首卡 – Chase Freedom Unlimited
After you open a Checking Account and deposit a few thousand dollars, you can apply for CFU directly and you will be approved.
Second Card – Discover It
This card and CFUs can be submitted at the same time and are basically guaranteed to be approved.
第三张卡 – Amex Blue Cash Preferred
After 2-3 months of applying for the above two cards, you can basically apply for the Amex BCP.
Fourth Card – Amex Hilton Honors
I won’t explain this card, personally I think the opening bonus is great and it’s a must apply for. Of course, since Discover also has no FTF, you can consider not applying for this card if it’s just for no FTF.
第五张卡 – Chase Sapphire Preferred
You can get your CSP by 5/24 if you are willing to wait.
Sixth Card – Apple Card
Apple Card’s review is also rather esoteric, and the exact requirements for approval are not very clear. It’s recommended that you have at least six months of credit history, don’t have too many cards, and try applying once a month.
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The follow up is to apply for whatever you want, but it’s not recommended to apply for Capital One’s card because it leaves three Hard Pulls that will directly lower your credit score.
Cards I currently hold
In order of application:
- Bank of America 321
- Chase Freedom Rise (已关闭账户)
- Chase Freedom Unlimited
- Discover It
- Amex Blue Cash Preferred
- Amex Hilton Honors
- HSBC Premier Mastercard
- Apple Card
summarize
The above order of card application is for reference only. Personally, I highly recommend Amex’s BCE and Hilton, which are good choices for no annual fee cards. It is a good choice for no annual fee card. Also, we suggest you to ask your friends to refer you when you apply for the card so that both of you can get the card opening bonus. If you are an SSN user, it is not recommended to apply for the 321 to take up the 5/24 slot, but of course the 3% Cash Back is fine. If you are not an ITIN user, it is not recommended to apply for any Capital One card.