Your first US credit card, with no SSN and no credit history
Which cards say in writing that they take applicants without an SSN, what a secured card actually costs, and the one correction most guides get wrong. Last updated 2026-09-05.
"Build credit fast" has a floor, and it is six months
FICO publishes its minimum scoring criteria: a credit report needs "at least one account opened for six months or more", "at least one account that has been reported to the credit bureau within the past six months", and no deceased indicator. Until that is true, there is no score to improve. So the first goal is not a good score — it is one reporting account, opened as early as possible.
myFICO, minimum requirements for a FICO Score, read 2026-09-05.
Cards that state they take applicants without an SSN
- Zolve. Their page: "Get your zero annual fee Credit Card even without SSN today." No annual fee. We do not print a credit limit: the figures that circulate for this card have no matching sentence in the page text we fetched, so we leave the number to their site.
- Firstcard. Their page: "Firstcard is a great credit card for international students because no SSN is required in order to get approved." Apply with a passport and a student visa, or an ITIN.
- Bank of America credit card. Firsthand, not an official statement: applied for and approved without an SSN in San Francisco in August 2026, for the account holder and their child. Note the split inside one bank — BofA's online debit flow asked for an SSN while the card did not. Do not give up on the card because the deposit account blocked you.
- Amex Global Transfer converts an American Express card you already hold abroad into a US one without an SSN. Without an existing overseas Amex, this path does not exist for you. Firsthand.
Secured cards: the real numbers, and one correction
- Capital One Platinum Secured. "A $49, $99, or $200 minimum deposit opens your account with an initial credit line of at least $200." $0 annual fee. You can raise the line by depositing more, up to a maximum of $1,000. Deposits must be at least $20, in whole dollars, funded by electronic transfer from a bank account.
- Discover it Secured. "Deposit amount will be $49, $99, or $200 based on creditworthiness" — the tier is assigned, not chosen. "A deposit as low as $49 will unlock a credit line of at least $200." No annual fee. To get a bigger line you must deposit more within 35 days of approval and before activating the card; after that the page offers no route.
- OpenSky — the correction. OpenSky is not a no-SSN path, and we had this wrong ourselves until we read footnote 7: an application may be rejected if "You are a non-United States resident; the social security number you provide is invalid or we are unable to verify your identity under federal law". Their prominent "No credit check to apply" is a different claim from "no SSN needed". Those two things are not the same and most guides blur them.
"Your deposit equals your credit limit" is not a general rule. It holds at OpenSky, whose page pairs a $150 deposit with a $150 line. At Capital One and Discover a $49 deposit can open a line of at least $200. Budgeting on the wrong rule means setting aside several times the cash you need.
Sources: Capital One Platinum Secured · Discover it Secured · OpenSky, all fetched 2026-08-31 · Zolve · Firstcard · Nova Credit, fetched 2026-08-29 to 2026-08-30. The Bank of America and Amex Global Transfer notes are firsthand, San Francisco, August 2026.
Two dead ends worth naming
- Nova Credit's Credit Passport does not cover mainland China. Their supported-countries list does not include it, so if your credit history is from mainland China you cannot carry it over this way. Their Greater China line is corporate KYC and background checks, not personal credit portability.
- Deserve EDU was discontinued in April 2026. It still appears in older guides for international students. Do not spend time on it.
Common questions
How do I get my first US credit card with no credit history?
Two routes, and you can run both. Cards written for newcomers state the policy openly: Zolve advertises a zero-annual-fee card "even without SSN", and Firstcard says no SSN is required for approval, applying with a passport and a student visa or an ITIN. Or take a secured card: Capital One and Discover both open a line of at least $200 on a deposit as low as $49, with no annual fee. Whichever you choose, the clock matters more than the card, because FICO needs an account that is at least six months old before a score exists.
Which credit cards can I get without an SSN or US credit history?
Zolve and Firstcard both say so on their own pages. Bank of America approved a card without an SSN in our own case in August 2026, which is firsthand experience rather than published policy. If you already hold an American Express abroad, Global Transfer converts it to a US card. What does not work is OpenSky, despite its reputation: its terms require a verifiable Social Security number and list non-US residents among the rejection conditions.
How do I build US credit fast as a new immigrant?
Open one account that reports to the bureaus as early as you can, then wait out the six months FICO requires before any score exists. A secured card is the usual instrument because approval does not depend on a history you do not have. If you want a larger limit on a Discover secured card, add the deposit within 35 days of approval and before you activate it — after that their page offers no way to raise it.
Does a secured card deposit equal the credit limit?
Not generally, and assuming it does is expensive. OpenSky pairs a $150 deposit with a $150 line. Capital One states that a $49, $99 or $200 deposit opens a line of at least $200, and Discover says a deposit as low as $49 unlocks at least $200. Read the specific issuer's page before you set money aside.
Every line here is in our no-SSN index with its source and check date, including entries we marked uncertain. First get the account and the number: bank accounts without an SSN.