19 Credit rating: say bye to  your privacy It is true, particularly for people coming from Europe; the US attitude towards privacy is scary: privacy is fine, but it is not a fundamental right of the individual like in the EU, and you are personal data can be collected by companies for money. Conversely though as you say farewell to your privacy you can say hello to a very advanced financial and banking systems, that rely on the information gathered on you to make decisions. For those who come from countries where you have to put 50% down to get a mortgage, welcome to the 'no money down' land, where you are totally free to get rich or sink into levels of debt similar to those of an African country. Your choice, your call, possibilities are really endless here and you want to exercise wisdom. How does this system work? In the US, some companies like Equifax that collect data from millions of individual transactions every day. Pay your bills on time? Your ratings will go up. Pay them late? The ratings will take a hit. A number summarizes your situation and your creditworthiness. Where is the catch for immigrants? Because this is a US-based system, we have no credit ratings upon our arrival, and this creates a catch 22 kind of situation. You are not in the system, out of reach, invisible to the network. How can we possibly lend you even $10, you do not belong in the Matrix. In this situation, even basic things like obtaining a credit card are exceedingly difficult in a country where even college students with $20 in their pockets are flooded with offers from credit cards companies. It's a situation you want to fix as quickly as possible. How? Here are some tips, not exhaustive but proven: To first thing is to obtain an American Express Card before leaving. I say Amex because all the other credit cards are issued by banks, and they are local. Amex is the only card which is really global, and it is much easier to obtain a transfer than than to have a new card issued. Open a bank account, deposit some money (that you can do without problems, as long as you have a SSN) and then ask for the transfer of the card. To support that request, bring with you and keep handy as many statements as you can to prove that you had paid regularly in the past. When you open a bank account, you can request the bank to issue you a debit card, which is linked to the balance you have in your account. It's useful not only to start getting into the system, but also to move around without carrying a lot of cash all the time. When you feel you are ready to start applying for a card, start with store cards; Walmart and Target are two examples of stores that offer them, but there are cards like that everywhere. They offer you discounts, and they are easier to obtain than a regular credit card. Do not file application upon application, because rejected applications impact adversely on your rating.