Credit card with ITIN, set up for non-resident founders

A US credit card with an ITIN is possible without an SSN, and Founders Credit is the service that sets it up end to end for founders who live outside the US: the US LLC, the EIN, the ITIN, the US bank account, and then the cards in the order issuers actually approve them.

American Express, Capital One and Discover accept an ITIN in place of an SSN on many of their applications. The ITIN is not the hard part. The hard part is that an ITIN arrives with an empty US credit file, and a premium card is approved on history, not on the number.

Book a free strategy call and we will tell you which cards you can realistically get, and when.

Which US credit cards accept an ITIN

These are the cards on our ranked list of US cards for non-resident founders that take an ITIN, with the month you can realistically be approved, counted from the day your first card starts reporting. Offers and fees change, so they are on that page rather than here.

Card	Issuer	Realistic approval
Capital One Platinum Secured	Capital One	Month 0
Discover it Secured	Discover	Month 0
Brex Card	Brex (underwrites the company)	Month 0
Capital One Quicksilver Secured	Capital One	Month 3
Capital One Spark Cash Select	Capital One	Month 6–9
Amex Blue Business Plus	American Express	Month 9–12
Amex Business Gold	American Express	Month 12+
Capital One Spark Cash Plus	Capital One	Month 12+
Capital One Venture Rewards / Venture X Business	Capital One	Month 12+
Amex Business Platinum	American Express	Month 15+
American Express Gold Card / Capital One Venture X	Amex / Capital One	Month 15+
The Platinum Card from Amex	American Express	Month 18+

Chase is missing on purpose. Chase underwriting is the hardest door for a non-resident, and on our list the Chase Ink cards start around month 9–12 and Sapphire at 15–18, after the file above is built.

Why people with an ITIN still get declined

Applying for the card they want first. An Amex Platinum application on an empty file is a hard inquiry and a decline. The order in the table exists for a reason.
No US address or phone the issuer accepts. The application asks for both, and they have to match the rest of the file.
No US bank account behind the card. Issuers want to see where the payment comes from, and a foreign account rarely counts.
Mixing up the EIN and the ITIN. The EIN belongs to the company, the ITIN to you. Business cards with a personal guarantee ask for both.

What our credit card with ITIN service does

We run the whole chain remotely, so you never have to fly to the US:

The US LLC and its EIN, formed in the state that suits your case.
The ITIN, with your passport verified by a Certifying Acceptance Agent, so the original is not posted to the IRS.
A US business bank account and the US address and phone the issuers will look at.
The first reporting cards from month 0, then the applications above in order, timed to your file rather than to a calendar.
The Amex and premium cards once the history supports them, which is where the business-class flights and hotels come from.

Formation services such as doola, Firstbase or Stripe Atlas stop at step 1. We start there and carry on to the cards. See US LLC EIN ITIN bank account service for the first three steps in detail.

Who this is for

Founders who live outside the US and run a real business through a US company: e-commerce, agencies, SaaS, consultants. Most of our clients are in Europe. It suits founders who spend $5,000 or more a month on the business, because that spend is what earns the points, cash back and welcome offers.

If you only want a card for personal travel and have no company, the secured cards in the first rows of the table are something you can apply for yourself once you have an ITIN.

What nobody can promise you

An approval. Each issuer decides on its own criteria. We control the order, the documents and the profile it sees.
The ITIN itself. The IRS decides, at its own pace, and you need a qualifying reason to apply.
A credit limit. First limits on an ITIN are low and grow with on-time history.

Questions founders ask

Can I get a US credit card with an ITIN and no SSN?

Yes. American Express, Capital One and Discover accept an ITIN in place of an SSN on many applications, and Brex underwrites on the company rather than on you. What an ITIN does not give you is a credit history, so the first cards are secured or company-underwritten ones.

Which credit card should I apply for first with an ITIN?

A secured card that reports to the US credit bureaus, such as the Capital One Platinum Secured or the Discover it Secured, from month 0. Brex can run alongside on the company side. Amex Blue Business Plus is usually the first Amex, around months 9 to 12.

Do I need to live in the US or visit to get a card with an ITIN?

No visit is needed for the company, the EIN or the ITIN when the passport is verified by a Certifying Acceptance Agent. Issuers do ask for a US address and a US phone number, which is part of what the setup provides.

Can Founders Credit guarantee approval?

No. The IRS decides the ITIN and each issuer decides its own cards. What we control is the order of applications, the documents and the profile the issuer sees, which is what decides most outcomes.

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Sources

Founders Credit is not a law firm, an accounting firm or a bank. State filings are lodged by licensed providers, federal returns are prepared by licensed preparers, and card decisions rest with the issuer. We prepare the applications; we do not promise the outcome.