How To Apply For A Credit Card With An ITIN Number Bankrate Caret RightMain Menu Mortgage Mortgages Financing a home purchase Refinancing your existing loan Finding the right lender Additional Resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Bank Banking Compare Accounts Use calculators Get advice Bank reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Credit Card Credit cards Compare by category Compare by credit needed Compare by issuer Get advice Looking for the perfect credit card? Narrow your search with CardMatch Caret RightMain Menu Loan Loans Personal Loans Student Loans Auto Loans Loan calculators Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Invest Investing Best of Brokerages and robo-advisors Learn the basics Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Home Equity Home equity Get the best rates Lender reviews Use calculators Knowledge base Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Loan Home Improvement Real estate Selling a home Buying a home Finding the right agent Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Insurance Insurance Car insurance Homeowners insurance Other insurance Company reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Retirement Retirement Retirement plans & accounts Learn the basics Retirement calculators Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Advertiser Disclosure

Advertiser Disclosure

We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. SHARE: Ferrantraite/Getty Images January 25, 2022 Checkmark Bankrate logo How is this page expert verified? At Bankrate, we take the accuracy of our content seriously. "Expert verified" means that our Financial Review Board thoroughly evaluated the article for accuracy and clarity. The Review Board comprises a panel of financial experts whose objective is to ensure that our content is always objective and balanced. Their reviews hold us accountable for publishing high-quality and trustworthy content. Steve Bucci has been helping people decode and master personal finance issues for more than 20 years. He is the author of “Credit Management Kit For Dummies,” “Credit Repair Kit For Dummies,” “Barnes and Noble Debt Management,” co-author of “Managing Your Money All-In-One For Dummies” and “Debt Repair Kit For Dummies” (Australia). Steve is an experienced expert witness in identity theft, credit scoring, and debt-related cases. He has been a presenter at the FICO InterACT Global Conference, the Federal Reserve and the International Credit Symposium at Cambridge University in the UK. Mariah Ackary is a personal finance editor who joined the Bankrate team in 2019, excited by the opportunity to help people make good financial decisions. Send your questions to Poonkulali Thangavelu is a senior writer and columnist at CreditCards.com and Bankrate, addressing debt and credit card-related legal and regulatory issues. Bankrate logo

The Bankrate promise

At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Bankrate logo

The Bankrate promise

At Bankrate, we have a mission to demystify the credit cards industry — regardless or where you are in your journey — and make it one you can navigate with confidence. Our team is full of a diverse range of experts from credit card pros to data analysts and, most importantly, people who shop for credit cards just like you. With this combination of expertise and perspectives, we keep close tabs on the credit card industry year-round to: Meet you wherever you are in your credit card journey to guide your information search and help you understand your options. Consistently provide up-to-date, reliable market information so you're well-equipped to make confident decisions. Reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible, so you can make the right decision for you. At Bankrate, we focus on the points consumers care about most: rewards, welcome offers and bonuses, APR, and overall customer experience. Any issuers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide to consumers at each of these levels. At each step of the way, we fact-check ourselves to prioritize accuracy so we can continue to be here for your every next. Bankrate logo

Editorial integrity

Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions.

Key Principles

We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.

Editorial Independence

Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information. Bankrate logo

How we make money

You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. Having credit history is crucial for many of life’s milestones: buying a car, getting a mortgage, applying to rent an apartment and more. One of the easiest ways to start building credit is by getting a credit card. However, most credit card applications ask for a Social Security number (SSN). This poses a problem for those who don’t have one, such as international students, nonresidents and some immigrants. If you don’t have an SSN, can you still get a credit card or open a bank account to fund a secured credit card? Yes, but you’ll need to provide something in place of the SSN. Enter the , short for Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, which may be the key you need to open that elusive credit door.

What is an ITIN

According to the : “An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is a tax processing number issued by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS issues ITINs to individuals who are required to have a U.S. taxpayer identification number but who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain, a Social Security number (SSN) from the Social Security Administration (SSA).” You can get an ITIN by filing . The website says the number is only for tax purposes, but the good news is that many lenders will accept an ITIN in place of an SSN. More good news is that the government does not use ITIN to track undocumented individuals. The IRS does not share this information with immigration enforcement because of Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code, which prohibits the release of tax information. One of the main differences between an ITIN and an SSN is that a Social Security number follows you from the cradle to the grave. No action is needed from you to keep your number. On the other hand, ITINs must be used to file a federal tax return at least once every three years to remain active. However, just like the SSN, the number will usually stay the same (even if it expires and is later renewed).

Can you get a credit card with an ITIN

Yes, the ITIN can be used in place of an SSN to obtain a credit card from many of the major issuers. Of course, each lender has different criteria. Here is a rundown of the major credit card issuers’ policies. Issuer Accepts ITIN in place of SSN? American Express Yes; also accepts passport number Bank of America Yes; also accepts passport number Barclays No Capital One Yes Chase Yes Citi Yes Discover No Synchrony Yes TD Bank Yes, but only for select secured cards U.S. Bank Yes, but only for select secured cards Wells Fargo Yes, but only for select secured cards

Submitting your application with an ITIN

The application process for those with an ITIN instead of an SSN is essentially the same. In place of a nine-digit SSN, you will use the nine-digit ITIN. But before you apply, you need to choose a card. Applying and getting turned down will hurt your score, so you will want to be reasonably sure you will be approved before submitting your application. If you need some help deciding which card to apply for, consider the following recommendations.

Consider secured cards

require you to give a deposit to the lender upfront. Most times, your credit limit is equal to the amount of this deposit. This allows the lender to reduce its risk while still offering you a credit line, so these cards are usually easier to qualify for. Plus, the deposit is usually refundable, and you can often graduate to an unsecured card after your score improves. For this reason, a secured card is a good choice for getting started and adding positive data to your credit file.

Consider student cards

There are also that have looser credit requirements. Again, many will also accept an ITIN in place of a SSN. There are even , and many student cards offer rewards like cash back.

What happens next

You should know that applying for any credit card will cause a slight dip in your credit score. But if you’re approved, that is usually offset in a few months by the new credit line you now have. Once you have the card, be sure to use it responsibly. Most importantly, pay your bill on time. And not just your credit card bill—all of your bills. Also, make sure to keep your balances as low as possible. This impacts your credit utilization ratio, which is second only to on-time payments. Keeping a low balance is good in more ways than one, though; you may reduce or avoid interest charges. And your card may not have the best rate, especially if this is your first one. But the rate won’t matter if you don’t carry a balance.

The bottom line

Credit cards are available for those with ITINs. By researching your options before you apply, you will increase your chances of qualifying and can start the process of building your score well-informed. Good luck! SHARE: Steve Bucci has been helping people decode and master personal finance issues for more than 20 years. He is the author of “Credit Management Kit For Dummies,” “Credit Repair Kit For Dummies,” “Barnes and Noble Debt Management,” co-author of “Managing Your Money All-In-One For Dummies” and “Debt Repair Kit For Dummies” (Australia). Steve is an experienced expert witness in identity theft, credit scoring, and debt-related cases. He has been a presenter at the FICO InterACT Global Conference, the Federal Reserve and the International Credit Symposium at Cambridge University in the UK. Mariah Ackary is a personal finance editor who joined the Bankrate team in 2019, excited by the opportunity to help people make good financial decisions. Send your questions to Poonkulali Thangavelu is a senior writer and columnist at CreditCards.com and Bankrate, addressing debt and credit card-related legal and regulatory issues.

Related Articles