1. Why Apply for a U.S. Credit Card?
Many people may ask why anyone would spend so much money and energy to get a U.S. bank card. Leaving aside services like OpenAI that restrict domestic Chinese card payments, and the shopping benefits on U.S. websites, the welcome bonuses alone can already cover the cost.
2. What Do You Need?
1. U.S. physical mobile number
During the card application process, you may need to receive SMS verification messages. Virtual numbers such as Google Voice usually cannot receive bank verification codes. The linked article is my summary of overseas SIM cards and can be used as a reference.
This is required, and you may need to keep it long term.
Not strictly required, but it may be the lowest-cost path, especially if you want to fully enjoy U.S. card benefits and apply for other credit cards. An ITIN is very important.
[4. SSN](“Do not click. There is nothing here.”) - If you already have an SSN, you do not need to mix with us cloud residents.
3. How to Apply
Below is a summary of several paths for applying for U.S. credit cards. You can zoom in to view it.
U.S. Credit Cards?] P --> B[Have an ITIN
(click to learn)] P --> C[No ITIN] C --> D[Other Country
AMEX GT] D --> G[AMEX HK GT] D --> H[AMEX DE GT] D --> I[AMEX UK GT] C --> E[HSBC Premier
(RMB 500,000 deposit)] C --> F[Authorized User Card
(ask an acquaintance or
buy eligibility)] G --> |+ Private Address|J[Get an
AMEX US credit card] H --> |+ Private Address|J I --> |+ Private Address|J K[Build Credit] E -->|+ Private Address|L[Apply for HSBC US] F -->|+ Private Address|M[Your Own
U.S. Credit Card] J -->N[Build U.S. Credit] L -->N M -->N B -->|+ Private Address|K[Apply for a
C1 Secured Card with ITIN] K -->N B -->|+ Private Address|O[Use ITIN and credit history to apply for other cards
and earn generous welcome bonuses] N -->|+ Private Address|O click B "https://mutou.men/posts/2023-11-17-%E5%8A%9E%E7%90%86itin%E4%B8%8D%E8%BF%87%E9%80%80%E8%B4%B9/" A --> P[U.S. Private Address
(click to learn)] click P "https://mutou.men/posts/2024-02-01-%E5%A6%82%E4%BD%95%E8%8E%B7%E5%BE%97%E4%B8%80%E4%B8%AA%E7%BE%8E%E5%9B%BD%E7%A7%81%E4%BA%BA%E5%9C%B0%E5%9D%80/"
If you want to play the U.S. credit card game and you have an SSN, you are already in a winning position. As a cloud resident, if you want to apply for more credit cards and get more benefits, having an ITIN saves many detours. In the end, you will probably still need one.
I hope everyone can get approved directly on the first try, with no phone call and no ID verification.
- According to feedback from user
fyh1157fyh:
“A data point: U.S. HSBC credit card applications are now being rejected on a large scale.”
This information can be used as a reference when applying for U.S. credit cards and filling in income.
In the United States, middle-income households typically have annual income between USD 47,625 and USD 141,568. This range represents a large portion of the middle of the income distribution, meaning families that are neither low-income nor high-income. This definition helps explain the economic distribution and socioeconomic status in the United States.
