US bank account and credit history from zero
Updated: Author: Alina Kanametova
You can open an account in your first days - even before the SSN - and the community builds credit history along one chain: account, secured card, three-six months of tidy spending. By member reports, 2025.
Which bank opens an account for a newcomer
By reports, major banks opened accounts on a passport, visa and two address documents before the SSN - but practice differs even between branches of the same bank, and some members were refused. Simple iteration works: try the next branch or another bank.
The credit-history chain
The community sequence: housing with minimal requirements - a bank account - a secured card against a deposit - three-six months of spending paid in full. A score appears within months; secured-card deposits were, by reports, returned after six-eight months. The accelerator is becoming an authorized user on an established card.
Money from Russia
Direct transfers do not work; in 2025 members routed money via third-country banks and then SWIFT to the US. Schemes change fast and carry fees and risks - check both sides' current restrictions before moving funds.
Community takeaway
The chats' takeaway: do not wait for the SSN to start - and do not expect score miracles: the first months run on deposits and patience, then the system starts working for you.
FAQ
- Can I really open an account without an SSN?
- Yes, by reports - on a passport, visa and address documents; the SSN is added to the profile later. If refused - another branch or bank.
- Why can I not get a regular credit card?
- With no history the bank cannot price the risk - hence nearly everyone starts with a secured card. After months of clean payments the banks start offering regular cards themselves.
- Housing wants credit history, history wants housing. How do I break the loop?
- Members break it with minimal-requirement housing (private landlords, sublets, a larger deposit) - it yields the address documents for the bank, and the chain starts.