If you are a Canada resident who lives, travels or shops in the U.S., you will probably want to have US Credit Cards for purchases and spends in the U.S. In previous post, we listed out different US Bank Account options for Canada residents. In this post, we curate a list of U.S. Credit Cards that Canada residents can easily open using Canada credit history.

RBC Bank – Visa Signature Black

RBC Bank (U.S.) offers 2 U.S. credit cards for Canada residents: Visa Signature Black (No annual fee) and Visa Signature Black Plus (US$75 annual fee). Both cards feature:

• Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty
• Trip cancellation or interruption insurance
• Travel accident insurance
• Auto rental collision damage waiver
• Earn RBC Rewards points that can be transferred to Canada

You need to be a RBC Canada’s client in order to apply for RBC Bank (U.S.) credit cards, and the application process is quick and fully online.

TD Bank N.A. – TD Cash Credit Card

TD Bank N.A. offers several credit cards that Canada residents can open as part of TD cross-border banking. TD Cash is the most popular card, offering:

• No annual fee
• Unlimited 3% and 2% Cash Back for purchases in two Spend Categories of your choice. Unlimited 1% Cash Back on all other purchases

As Canada residents without U.S. Social Security Number, you cannot use the TD Bank N.A. online application to apply for its credit card. Instead, you will need to download the cross border application form here and return the completed form to the email address noted on the application form. TD Bank N.A. will use your credit history from TransUnion Canada to make a decision on your credit card application. You don’t need to be TD Canada Trust’s client to apply for TD Bank N.A. credit cards.

Natbank – Mastercard Platinum Payback

Natbank, U.S. subsidiary of National Bank of Canada, offers a few U.S. credit cards, in which Mastercard Platinum Payback has no annual fee.

Canada residents can apply for Natbank’s U.S. credit cards online. Because the credit card application is handled by a third-party credit card processing center, the application processing time can be be as long as several weeks.

BMO Harris – BMO Mastercard

BMO Harris (U.S.) offers a suite U.S. credit cards, ranging from cashback to travel rewards credit cards. As Canada residents without U.S. Social Security Number, you will need to call BMO Cross-Border Banking Hotline 1-888-214-6720 to apply for BMO Mastercard. Some people reported that BMO Harris does require you to have at least US$1,500 in your account in order to consider you for their U.S. credit cards.

American Express U.S. – Global Transfer

American Express allows you to apply for your first American Express U.S. credit card using your existing American Express credit card history in Canada through a process called Global Transfer. However, Global Transfer requires you to have proof U.S. address, such as a U.S. bank statement, and U.S. phone number.

Although applying for a U.S. credit card through American Express Global Transfer takes more effort compared to through Canadian banks’ U.S. subsidiaries, American Express has a much larger collection of U.S. credit cards, some with very high welcome bonuses. You can follow the Global Transfer process here to apply for your first U.S. American Express credit card.

Approximately after your 6th monthly statement has posted, American Express U.S. will showing your FICO score in the app. You will then be able to apply for additional American Express U.S. credit cards over the phone.

Note: You can also apply for American Express U.S. credit card through Nova Credit, but that process now requires U.S. Social Security Number SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).

Conclusion

Canada residents can apply to some U.S. Credit Cards using Canada credit history. However, U.S. Credit Cards would help you save money on foreign exchange if you intend to build U.S. credit history, have U.S. incomes, or have an effective way to exchange USD-CAD to pay off U.S. Credit Cards balance. Alternatively, you might also consider Canadian Credit Cards with no foreign transaction fee instead.

Note: Building credit history in the US

If you want to build US credit history with these credit cards, you must update your address on file to an US address (A friend’s address would work). Once you obtain a SSN/ITIN, you can update it with your bank and the SSN/ITIN will be attached to your credit history.

If you are interested in applying for an ITIN, check out the ITIN Guide for Canadians and US Banks that accept ITIN.