US Currency Credit Card for non US Residents

[mrpackethead]

Does any one know of  US Dollar Credit or Debit card that Non US residents can get?
I want to be able to fund it in US Dollars.

[Neganur]

https://www.usunlocked.com/

idiotic fees etc, but definitely works. Not sure if one of those forwarder addresses is a requirement (I had one with Shipito.com at the time)

[mrpackethead]

SPENDY.  Id' be better off paying the bank to covert money..  US--> NZD -->>USD

[Halcyon]

What are you trying to purchase? (In case we want one.)

[andtfoot]

I have this enabled on one of my airline rewards cards:
http://velocityglobalwallet.com/
It allows conversion to different currencies behind the scenes, and I used it on a USA trip with no worries.
Maybe Air NZ or similar has one like it?

[Neganur]

SPENDY.  Id' be better off paying the bank to covert money..  US--> NZD -->>USD

Well you asked for cards. Ofc any bank can do USD transactions.

[Tony_G]

Is the intent to get around the fact that some sites will only sell to US based cards or is it an attempt to minimize the cost of the transaction in foreign currency?

I ask because in the case of the latter my bank doesn't charge any additional fees for foreign transaction and I get the spot rate for conversion.

It might be worth checking local banks to see if they offer the same.

TonyG

[dzseki]

It might worth to look at TransferWise. This is a middle-man type of bank transfer company, but you can have a bank card with whatever currency you want on it.  I have used their service already and I think the fees are reasonable, although I had no interest in ordering a card, so not 100% sure about that part...

[tooki]

Does any one know of  US Dollar Credit or Debit card that Non US residents can get?
I want to be able to fund it in US Dollars.

X-Y problem going on here... What is the actual problem you’re trying to solve? Website that requires US billing address? Shitty forex terms on your local card? Something else?

[Bud]

Have you talked to your bank? They may have personal US dollar accounts and US dollar credit cards along with it. Then you can transfer/convert local currrncy to the account and pay the US dollar credit card bills from it in US currency. This is what we have in Canada. Sure enough it all comes with bank and credit card currency conversion and monthly service fees.

EDIT: so the fees combined may not worth it compare to just regular credit card transactions with currency conversion fees.

[Howardlong]

Amex offer this service, at least in EMEA.

[boffin]

Most of the Canadian banks offer them; however I suspect it's limited to Canadian residents

https://www.td.com/ca/en/personal-banking/products/credit-cards/us-dollar/us-dollar-visa-card/
https://www.rbcbank.com/cross-border/us-credit-cards.html
https://www.cibc.com/en/personal-banking/credit-cards/all-credit-cards/us-dollar-aventura-gold-visa-card.html
etc etc


I did hold a Bank of America US$ VISA card at one point, but US banks need to be much much much more stringent about who holds them due to FATCA now, so they shut down the ability for a foreign resident to hold their card. Lots of banks globally won't even allow US nationals to hold bank accounts any more as FATCA compliance is too much of a pain in the ass to deal with.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/reaction-to-us-tax-law-european-banks-stop-serving-american-customers-a-803742.html

Your best bet is probably a global bank like HSBC, but I suspect it's difficult down under (you're in NZ?)

[mrpackethead]

Is the intent to get around the fact that some sites will only sell to US based cards or is it an attempt to minimize the cost of the transaction in foreign currency?

Most of my income is in USD.   I live in New Zealand, but i travel to the US frequently and purchase quite a lot in USD, via Credit Card.      So i take USD, convert it to NZD to pay my Credit Card, and then buy things in USD.    The bank ends up collecting twice to the tune of about 6-7% across the FX.     I dont' need credit,  so a debit card is just fine.     

The 'Travel' cards such as the AirNZ one, let you have Forgein Balances, but they only let you pay in the local currency.   

[mrpackethead]

Have you talked to your bank? They may have personal US dollar accounts and US dollar credit cards along with it. Then you can transfer/convert local currrncy to the account and pay the US dollar credit card bills from it in US currency. This is what we have in Canada. Sure enough it all comes with bank and credit card currency conversion and monthly service fees.

Yes, alrady have a NZ based USD account, but they dont' have a  card to go with it.  ( its not a service they offer, and they did'tn even seem to understand why it was a good thing ).

[tooki]

If you’ve already got a USD account, maybe you could just get an AmEx/VISA/MC “gift card” when you’re in USA. They're reloadable for a fee.

[olkipukki]

I ask because in the case of the latter my bank doesn't charge any additional fees for foreign transactio and I get the spot rate for conversion.

It's hard to believe!

I am curious - what is a bank name?

[tooki]

Why is that hard to believe? Lots of credit cards do that. You just have to compare cards and find one that’s optimal for you!

[olkipukki]

Why is that hard to believe? Lots of credit cards do that. You just have to compare cards and find one that’s optimal for you!

Well, that's been highlighted above in bold, thoughts should be enough, sorry for not been clear about that.

In short,
 1) no additional fees
 2) spot FX rate (I mean the market spot FX rate, not bank/card/middle-man/airport "competitive" exchange rates)
for non-local currency transactions

[tooki]

I didn’t ask you to repeat what you don’t believe. I’m asking why you think it’s impossible, when there are cards like that. Just shop around, man!

[IanB]

I ask because in the case of the latter my bank doesn't charge any additional fees for foreign transactio and I get the spot rate for conversion.

It's hard to believe!

I am curious - what is a bank name?

I have a card like that, however it isn't quite "free currency conversion" as there is an annual charge for the card.

If you want a card with no annual fee, and also no foreign currency transaction charges or conversion fees, then yes, you will find very few available.

[bson]

I'm pretty sure Bank of America still allows opening accounts with just a passport and a U.S. address for correspondence.  But it also varies by state, and you need to show up in person at a branch to open it.

[tooki]

I'm pretty sure Bank of America still allows opening accounts with just a passport and a U.S. address for correspondence.  But it also varies by state, and you need to show up in person at a branch to open it.

I'd be very surprised if that's all it took these days. Banking rules since 9/11 have made it even harder. You have to have a SSN, or if not from USA, an ITIN or EIN, depending on the account type.

The only banks worth even trying it with are the truly international ones, like Citibank and Wells Fargo. A local bank is gonna tell you to fuck off, since they won't have a clue how to deal with this.

Moreover, as a foreigner, you don't want to get involved with anything to do with US banking if you can avoid it, because worst case, it might make you tax-liable in USA (or make you ineligible for foreign financial services (!) thanks to FATCA). That's a world of pain you're better off without. (As a US citizen, it's a world of pain I wish I could eliminate, but I can't.)

[EEVblog]

SPENDY.  Id' be better off paying the bank to covert money..  US--> NZD -->>USD

Well you asked for cards. Ofc any bank can do USD transactions.

Just to note that the banks have the worst conversion rates, truly horrible.
I use currencyfair dot com for all my USD transactions.


As for the credit card, why does it matter if it's in USD? I can only presume it's because of the conversion fees? Because any credit card in any currency works anywhere in the world.

[Dubbie]

Our company has a USD bank account alongside our regular NZD ones. We can use that to pay for stuff in the US.

Talk to your bank manager and see what they can do.

[thermistor-guy]

Does any one know of  US Dollar Credit or Debit card that Non US residents can get?
I want to be able to fund it in US Dollars.

Talk to HSBC (business banking division) in NZ. They do a lot of foreign currency account setups (USD, CAD, etc).

Another option is to approach a US bank with passport, proof of address, etc, so that the bank can help you get an ITIN (US tax file number). Talk to the bank beforehand so you know exactly what documentation you need to take with you. Maybe do this in Hawaii, since it is closer. Watch out though - some US banks like Wells Fargo have a reputation for committing blatant fraud on their customers' accounts.

I suggest trying HSBC first.