I'd like to build up my credit score

[Del A. 44]

Hi all! I came here on K1, been married since October, and now thinking about establishing myself financially as early and as quickly as possible. So I'm posting here to get tips from you guys: what are the best ways for me to build my credit, considering I cannot work yet (pending EAD) and might not have to work in the future anyways? (such is my arrangement with my husband)

I did a bit of research and the first things (also the easiest) that came up are 1) Get a secured credit card; and 2) Get my name onto my husband's bank account as an authorized user (not sure how this works in the technical sense). I'm not exactly finance-savvy so I was hoping you guys could give me your two cents worth, if you be so kind. Also, if anyone here has been in my situation, perhaps you could share your experience and takeaways.

Thanks in advance and everyone stay safe and healthy in these times of uncertainty. ❤️

- Del

[Liam2021 547]

Well, from my personal experiences adding yourself as an authorized user on your husband credit card is the best way. When my wife come to USA with CR1 visa, I'm adding her as an authorized user on one of my CC, and after two month she apply and approved with Chase Freedom. Well, my jaw is actually dropping since i have to build my credit score in 2 years to get approved with Chase Freedom, and she only took 2 months. So, do yourself a favor and ask your husband add you as an authorized user on his older credit card. Also, check with your bank since they maybe require your SSN.

[RT&MB 25]

5 hours ago, Del A. said:

Hi all! I came here on K1, been married since October, and now thinking about establishing myself financially as early and as quickly as possible. So I'm posting here to get tips from you guys: what are the best ways for me to build my credit, considering I cannot work yet (pending EAD) and might not have to work in the future anyways? (such is my arrangement with my husband)

I did a bit of research and the first things (also the easiest) that came up are 1) Get a secured credit card; and 2) Get my name onto my husband's bank account as an authorized user (not sure how this works in the technical sense). I'm not exactly finance-savvy so I was hoping you guys could give me your two cents worth, if you be so kind. Also, if anyone here has been in my situation, perhaps you could share your experience and takeaways.

Thanks in advance and everyone stay safe and healthy in these times of uncertainty. ❤️

- Del

Your credit score is based on a number of factors.  The first and foremost factor is payment history.  Get a small credit card with a low limit to start that can be increased over time because the 2nd factor is credit utilization.  But always pay your bills on time.  Pay it off every month if you can so that you're credit utilization is at a minimum.  Meaning that if you have a $1,000 credit card and your balance is $900 your utilization is 90% which is bad but if you pay it off it's at 0% which is good.  But you have to use the card too so you're making payments.  Then it becomes length of time, credit mix and credit inquiries from lenders is a factor.  

 

It'll take time to build up a credit score so be patient.  

[Just Paul 4,591]

I put Mary on a Capital One Venture Credit Card (25k limit) prior to marriage without her ssn. Right after marriage I was added her to a more including Chase Sapphire.  She got her SSN and applied for a Capital One card of her own and got a small limit.  She made little charges and paid everything in full when the statement came. She now has a $2500 limit.  But since I put her on the Chase (and AMEX, Target, Exxon) we noticed her score went way up.  Up to 780.  Apparently the creditors reported my payment histories as if she had been in the US for years.  In fact my Exxon went back to 1985.   I use my cards for work and travel and sometime carry a big balance.   She now makes fun of me whenever my score is less than hers.

 

[Sarge2155 4,565]

On 4/24/2020 at 1:40 PM, Del A. said:

Hi all! I came here on K1, been married since October, and now thinking about establishing myself financially as early and as quickly as possible. So I'm posting here to get tips from you guys: what are the best ways for me to build my credit, considering I cannot work yet (pending EAD) and might not have to work in the future anyways? (such is my arrangement with my husband)

I did a bit of research and the first things (also the easiest) that came up are 1) Get a secured credit card; and 2) Get my name onto my husband's bank account as an authorized user (not sure how this works in the technical sense). I'm not exactly finance-savvy so I was hoping you guys could give me your two cents worth, if you be so kind. Also, if anyone here has been in my situation, perhaps you could share your experience and takeaways.

Thanks in advance and everyone stay safe and healthy in these times of uncertainty. ❤️

- Del

Your husband adding you as an authorized user on some of his cards is the fastest way. You will build a score piggy backed onto his credit provided he has good credit. Beware though that some secured credit cards will still ask you about employment, also if you have a SSN in your maiden name you could run into problems there to trying to get approved. For now I would just have him add me to a few cards then continue to pay them on time and in no time about 3 months you'll have a score. It worked for us!

[Ali&Ed 113]

I was curious as well about this topic. Do I have to be married to my fiancé, for him to be able to add me to his cards or this can work as well as fiancée? 
 

we are on K1 still processing so we are not married yet. 

Edited April 26, 2020 by Ali&Ed

[Just Paul 4,591]

1 hour ago, Ali&Ed said:

I was curious as well about this topic. Do I have to be married to my fiancé, for him to be able to add me to his cards or this can work as well as fiancée? 
 

we are on K1 still processing so we are not married yet. 

No you do not need to be married for credit cards. I added Mary before we married.   Since then I added her sister so she add access incase of an emergency.

[Ali&Ed 113]

On 4/26/2020 at 10:16 PM, Paul & Mary said:

No you do not need to be married for credit cards. I added Mary before we married.   Since then I added her sister so she add access incase of an emergency.

I followed your advice and my fiancé add me to his credit cards. He needed to call Amex and they allowed him to put my passport info instead of SSN, for Chase and Bank of America they didn’t asked for SSN, yet. He already received them and activated them. 
 

Thank you for all your informations!!🙏🏼

[onek 306]

On 5/6/2020 at 7:27 PM, Ali&Ed said:

I followed your advice and my fiancé add me to his credit cards. He needed to call Amex and they allowed him to put my passport info instead of SSN, for Chase and Bank of America they didn’t asked for SSN, yet. He already received them and activated them. 
 

Thank you for all your informations!!🙏🏼

Good luck 

[darlooz 0]

Hi! I am on the same situation and just got my Discover IT Credit card, it was pretty easy and customer service is pretty good! I got accepted with no credit history and am starting small by putting our Netflix bill on it every month and paying that off every month to help build my credit  

[onek 306]

On 10/5/2020 at 7:43 PM, darlooz said:

Hi! I am on the same situation and just got my Discover IT Credit card, it was pretty easy and customer service is pretty good! I got accepted with no credit history and am starting small by putting our Netflix bill on it every month and paying that off every month to help build my credit  

You are doing just fine. You will notice your creidt score going up every month. Make sure to keep making the payments on time and don’t exceed your credit limit 👍

[Letspaintcookies 2,196]

Another thing you could ask your bank for is a credit building loan. You basically take a small loan but instead of getting the money, the bank will place it on a separate account from which the loan will get paid off every month. So you have a different type of credit in your mix and the bank reports a positive payment every month. Two good things for your score at once without a hassle.