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Topic international students
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By Betty1
On 02/24/00
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Are there any cards out there for foreign students studying abroad to the United States?
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By gramps
On 02/24/00
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I've never heard of cards specifically targeted at foreign students, but my advice would be to establish credit history and try get a regular student card.
There's a lot of confusion in this area because many people assume you need a "green card" to be eligible for any credit. This is not the case, although issuers are understandably cautious when dealing with foreigners.
What a foreign student needs is an SSN number to be able to even start the process. This is usually not a problem for people on the F-1 visa, if their university wants to employ them (as teaching or lab assistants, for example).
Once you get your SSN, you will need to establish your credit history in the US. Assuming you have a checking account at a US bank, the easiest way to establish credit history is to try to get a store or gasoline card. Another good step is to get "overdraft protection" from your bank - this is a small line of credit ($100-$300) attached to your ATM card. Applying for a student card right away may work too. Be patient, though, because it may take a few weeks for any information to appear on your credit report.
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By crj
On 03/26/00
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I suggest your native American Express office. Thery have offices/card issueer in many countries. One in America, you may find that you are able to access other services unavailable to you in your home country. I have not been a student for a long time (well, student of life perhaps) but during my extensive traveling for business and pleasure, you can not beat the services of American Express. Outside of North America, their extensive network of travel offices provides a lifeline. During an extended 6mth world trip a few years back, I had mail forwarded to offices along my route, translation assistance and useful "on the ground" advice about "safe" regions/hotels (believe me, all tourists are "easy marks" especially in developing countries) plus the normal (but not so normal outside of North America) financial servives.
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your questions are answered by the gromco team and card users like you
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