Hi everyone, So, after failures in Chase branches in San Francisco and Washington DC ( System outage in DC ) I finally got a Chase checking account ( The one with the $4.95 monthly fee ) in a Las Vegas branch. Luckily my new BofA checking account generated a statement last week with a workable Anytime Mailbox address. I also applied for the Freedom Unlimited credit card, and despite my banker pushing it to be approved on the spot, the application has gone into review. But my banker is confident that it wilk be approved by next week. He also took copies of my BofA statement, passport, and i had to sign some forms, including the W8 Ben form. I was at the branch for 1 hour and 15mins. The banker was very patient and friendly. ( I have attached a copy of his digital business card, in case anyone is going to Las Vegas lol ) And that's it for my American banking adventure. I think it was a productive trip, as i have signed up with BofA, Wells Fargo and Chase. I know for some nationalities, it is difficult to get a US visa, and USA is an expensive country to visit. But if you have the $$$ and time, and your passport is powerful, i highly recommend that you all come to America and get everything done in a branch. The experience is so much easier and less stressful.

Just pulled my tri-bureau scores this week — actually. My ITIN was issued in December and my first CC with ITIN was 2 month ago in March. Quick note on the numbers: VantageScore 3.0, not FICO 8 or 9 (what most banks actually use). The underlying report is accurate; just a different scoring model. The point of pulling these is knowing where you stand at each bureau so you can apply with intent and avoid unnecessary denials. And being able to pull Experian and TU instantly online is a game changer. Here's the playbook that's actually worked for me: • MyFreeScoreNow — accepts ITIN, refreshes all 3 bureaus daily. Heads-up: $1 non-refundable activation fee for a 7-day trial, then it converts to paid if you don't cancel. Best single tool I've found even with the cost. • Nav.com — how I get my Experian report online with an ITIN (Experian.com doesn't accept ITIN at signup; their only direct route is calling for a paper report). • MyEquifax — pulls all 3, but only Equifax refreshes daily. Experian and TU update once a year there. Pro tip: if equifax.com rejects you online, message them on X — they sort it fast. - Some other tools that pulls Equifax report/score are: Tru, CreditKarma, MyFicoScore (Free plan) What doesn't work: MyFico's 2/3-bureau products (can't authenticate ITIN against Experian or TransUnion), and AnnualCreditReport.com online (mail-in only). Curious what others here are using — has anyone found a way to get Experian or TransUnion online without going through Nav, or MyFreeScoreNow?

There can be hundreds of reasons for account restriction and shutdown. But we may not know all of them. Today, I am talking about a few ways to keep your account safe: - ALWAYS use US IP ( Tello/Proxy/Red Pocket) - Don't spend outside USA in physical store on new cards unless you got it in-person or has NRA status. Online international payment is fine but better not to have in-store tap for first 2-3 statements - Don't change your address for first few statement cycle - Don't give bank staff a reason to look at your account. A manual check means they can find issues with address or id or whatever... People saying Cap1 asking for US ID after system triggered a manual verification. **Most important** - TURN OFF BACKGROUND DATA on your banking apps. ( I think, this is very important. If your background data are on, it means your app can connect to the banking server; it will be sending request on background 24/7 and you wont be using tello data 24/7 ) - Even if you turn of background data, your app may connect. To be completely safe, HIDE & LOCK your apps in iOS. So, you need to unhide/unlock for the app to use internet. Keep on adding more guys...🔥

Most banks are still using the income you told them years ago. That outdated number is quietly capping your credit limits. Here's the full playbook to stack soft pull increases across your cards. Update Your Income First Go into every bank app and refresh your income. If you have household income, include it. You're not lying. You're just not selling yourself short. Banks won't raise what they don't know about. Request the Increase Most banks do credit limit increases with a soft pull. Your score stays exactly where it is. And don't ask for a tiny bump. Ask for 2X to 3X your current limit. They'll either approve or counter-offer. Either way you come out ahead. Get the Timing Right This is where people mess up. Wait at least 3 statement cycles on a new card before requesting. After that, request increases every 30 days. A lot of banks say 6 months, but you'd be surprised how many will approve back-to-back increases if your credit file supports it. Use the Card For the next 2 to 3 months, make that card your workhorse. Gas, groceries, bills, subscriptions. Spend, pay it off, spend again in the same cycle. One or two cycles of heavy usage is enough. Don't carry a balance. Just show activity. Never Accept a Low Limit Quietly If you get approved for a limit that feels low, call in. Give a real reason. A trip, a wedding, a big life event. That one call can take you from USD 5,000 to USD 10,000 or more. Move Limits Between Cards Here's the thing most people don't know about. If you have one card with a high limit you don't fully use, you can shift that limit to a new card at the same bank. That's how people go from USD 5,000 limits to USD 50,000+ on the same accounts. No new application required. For Cloud Residents building credit with an ITIN, these moves matter even more. Soft pulls protect your file from hard inquiries while it's still growing. Strategic limit increases signal trust to other banks. And a thicker profile with higher limits opens doors to better cards down the line.

Has anyone got approved for penfed in the last 60-90 days? I got my penfed account a year ago and they asked for US ID. Thankfully I had a US Visa and they accepted the application with that. Now I have another friend that applied and they are asking again for US ID again and asking weird questions like "how many days did you live in the US last year". etc