Amex Global Transfer 2026: Get a US Amex Card With No SSN

When you move to the US, your credit history does not come with you. The years of on-time payments you built at home count for almost nothing here, and that single fact quietly blocks an apartment lease, a phone plan, a car loan, and the everyday US credit card you assumed would be easy to get.

The Amex Global Transfer program (American Express renamed it Global Card Relationship, though almost everyone still searches for the old name) is the one real shortcut around that wall. If you already hold an American Express card in an eligible country, you can use that relationship to get a US Amex card with no Social Security Number, no ITIN, and no US credit file. I run the r/ITIN community and a private US-credit group, and this is one of the three questions I get asked most.

Here is the part most guides get wrong, and the part that matters most if your real goal is a US credit score: a US card you open this way reports to American Express only, not to the three US credit bureaus, and you cannot add an ITIN to that card later. So Global Transfer is step one, not the finish line. I will walk you through the whole process for 2026, then show you how to sequence it with an ITIN so it actually builds credit.

What Is the Amex Global Transfer Program?#

Amex Global Transfer is a program that lets you carry your American Express relationship across borders, so an existing cardholder in an eligible country can apply for a US card without a US credit history. Instead of pulling a blank US credit report, Amex looks at how you have handled your card with them at home. American Express now calls it the Global Card Relationship (American Express), but the mechanics are the same one people have used for years.

Think of it as a side door. The front door to US credit, a normal card application, checks your US credit file, finds nothing, and turns you away. Global Transfer skips that check entirely because Amex already knows you. You keep your original “Member Since” date too, which carries over to the new US account and quietly signals loyalty.

Why does this even exist? Because being new to the US credit system is incredibly common. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimates that around 1 in 10 US adults are “credit invisible,” meaning they have no record at the national bureaus at all (CFPB). The US foreign-born population was more than 46 million people as of recent Census data, about 1 in 7 residents (US Census Bureau). If you arrive without a US file, Global Transfer is one of the few ways to skip the blank-slate problem, as long as you were already an Amex customer somewhere else.

Can You Really Get a US Amex Card With No SSN or Credit History?#

Yes. A no-SSN, no-ITIN US Amex card is exactly what Global Transfer is built to deliver, and it is the single most powerful reason to use it. In the US application you check a box that says, in effect, “I don’t have a credit history in the US, but I have had a credit card in [eligible country],” and you verify your identity with a passport instead of a Social Security Number (Prince of Travel).

So where is the catch? It is not in getting the card. It is in what the card does for you afterward. Multiple applicants and points researchers confirm that a US card opened without a tax ID builds history with American Express internally, but it does not report to Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion, and Amex will not let you bolt an ITIN onto that account later. If you stop here, you have a great rewards card and still no US credit score.

I want you to sit with that, because it reframes the whole project. The card is the easy win. The credit score is the real prize, and the score needs an ITIN. We will get to the exact sequence below.

Who Is Eligible for Amex Global Transfer?#

Eligibility comes down to three things: the card you hold, how long you have held it, and which country it is from. The official rule is that you must be the primary cardholder on an American Express card that has been open and in good standing for at least three months (American Express). In practice, applicants and credit sites recommend six to twelve months of clean history for better approval odds, which is community guidance rather than an Amex requirement.

A few rules trip people up. Your card has to be issued directly by American Express, so Amex-branded cards issued by a partner bank do not count, and Corporate Cards are excluded too (American Express). You also generally get one card through this no-credit-history path. After that, any further US cards are judged against your US credit profile, which is the whole reason the ITIN step matters.

The broader Global Card Relationship network spans 20+ countries (including Argentina, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Singapore), but eligibility depends on both your origin country and your destination. The US no-credit-history checkbox has historically recognized the shorter list above, and Amex changes it over time, so always reconfirm in the live application or by phone. Mainland China is excluded due to local regulations.

Global Transfer vs Nova Credit vs a Secured Card: Which Path Fits You?#

Global Transfer is not the only way into US credit without an SSN, and the right path depends on whether you already bank with Amex and whether you have an ITIN yet. There are three realistic routes, and they report to very different places, which is the detail that decides your long-term outcome.

Global Transfer uses your internal Amex history and needs no tax ID, but its card may not report to the bureaus. Amex’s Nova Credit “Credit Passport” reads your home-country bureau file, and as of 2025 it generally requires an SSN or ITIN first (American Express). A secured or starter card opened with an ITIN reports to all three US bureaus from day one. Here is how they compare.

The honest takeaway: if you want a strong rewards card and you already hold Amex abroad, Global Transfer is the best opening move. If you want a credit score above all else, you want an ITIN attached to a card that actually reports. Most people in my community end up doing both, in that order.

Before You Apply: Your Prerequisites Checklist#

Your approval odds are mostly decided before you ever contact Amex, so the prep work is the real work. You need a genuine US address, a US phone number, your passport, your existing Amex details, and a way to pay a US bill. Gather all of it first, because the agent will ask for each item in turn and a missing piece can stall the whole thing.

• A real US residential address. This is where the card ships, and it must be a physical address. PO boxes and many mail-forwarding services get rejected under US identity rules, and Amex will generally not send your first transferred card to a foreign address (Frugal Flyer). A friend or family member’s home is the cleanest option.
• A US phone number. You need one for the application and for verification calls. If you do not have one yet, here is how to get a US phone number from abroad.
• Your existing Amex card details. The full card number, the billing address on that account, and roughly how long it has been open.
• Your passport. It stands in for the SSN as your identity document.
• A way to pay the US bill. A US bank account is ideal. If you cannot open one yet, applicants often use a USD account through a service like Wise to make manual payments.

Get this stage right and the rest is mostly reading answers off your own notes.

How to Apply for Amex Global Transfer: Online and by Phone#

You can apply two ways, and most people end up finishing by phone. The online route starts on the US Amex site, where you check the international-credit-history box and sign in with your home-country Amex credentials to trigger the Global Transfer flow (Frugal Flyer). The phone route puts a specialist on the line who handles these applications all day. Roughly speaking, online can produce an instant decision while phone applications more often go to a short review.

The online method#

Start a US card application, and when it asks for your SSN, look for the option that says you do not have a US credit history but have held a card in an eligible country. Selecting it lets you sign in with your existing Amex login so the system can read your relationship. You then complete a short, passport-based application with your US address and phone number. If you are a long-standing Amex customer, approval can be close to instant.

The phone method#

Call the Amex Global Card Relationship new-accounts line at 1-877-621-2639 (the general apply-by-phone line, 1-866-929-5160, also works for this). Reconfirm the number on Amex’s official contact page before you call, since Amex updates them. When the agent picks up, lead with one clear sentence:

That phrasing puts the agent on the right path immediately. From there they walk you through the same details you prepared. Be patient, answer plainly, and have your passport and foreign card in front of you. After approval, expect the physical card within about ten business days, and up to two weeks, mailed to your US address (American Express).

Which US Amex Card Should You Get First?#

Pick your first card around your goal, not the flashiest welcome offer. If your priority is a long-term, low-cost account that you can keep open forever, a no-annual-fee card like the Hilton Honors American Express Card is a common starter pick. If you spend enough to clear a big welcome bonus, the premium cards are where US Amex genuinely outclasses what you get abroad.

How much better? US Amex welcome offers have run as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards points on The Platinum Card (The Points Guy), and up to 100,000 on the Amex Gold (The Points Guy), worth very roughly $3,500 and $2,000 at typical point valuations. Offers change constantly and welcome bonuses are never guaranteed, so confirm the live offer inside your application. There is also the everyday saving: a US card with no foreign transaction fee wipes out the surcharge most cards add abroad, where Amex charges 2.7% and most major issuers charge 3% (Bankrate).

One caution on charge cards. The Platinum and Gold have no preset spending limit rather than a fixed credit line, which is fine for spending but means they behave differently from a normal limit-based card while you are establishing a profile.

The ITIN Catch: Why Your First Card Might Not Build US Credit#

This is the section the travel blogs skip, and it is the one that decides whether any of this was worth it. A US Amex card opened through Global Transfer without a tax ID builds history with American Express, but it does not report to Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion, and you cannot attach an ITIN to that card after the fact (Prince of Travel). Generic SEO pages that promise this card “instantly builds your US credit score” are simply wrong.

I built my own US credit the slower, sturdier way, on an ITIN rather than a Global Transfer shortcut. Every US card in my own wallet, a Chase Sapphire Preferred, a Chase Ink Business card, Capital One Spark and Platinum, and two Amex cards, was opened on an ITIN, not an SSN. That ITIN is the thread that ties all of them to one credit file the bureaus actually track. Without it, each card would be an island.

So the move is not “get the Amex and you are done.” The move is to treat the Global Transfer card as your foot in the door, then get an ITIN and apply for a second card with it, so your payments finally start landing on a real US credit report.

How to Get an ITIN and Sequence It Correctly#

An ITIN, or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, is the tax ID the IRS issues to people who need to file or be reported in the US system but cannot get a Social Security Number. It is also the key the bureaus and most lenders use to find and build your credit file. This is not a niche document: the IRS has issued roughly 26 million ITINs since 1996, with about 5.8 million active, and ITIN filers reported around $14.4 billion in taxable income in tax year 2022 alone (TIGTA).

The sequence that actually works looks like this:

1. Use Global Transfer to get your first US Amex. This gives you a US account and something to do while the rest catches up.
2. Apply for your ITIN. You can do this online through a Certifying Acceptance Agent without mailing your original passport to the IRS. See how to get an ITIN, or start directly with Taxsym’s ITIN service.
3. Apply for a second US card using your ITIN. This is the card that reports to all three bureaus and starts your real score.

Timing matters here. Plan for the IRS to take several weeks to issue an ITIN, then remember that it takes at least six months of activity before you even have a FICO score (myFICO). From what I have seen across my community, reaching a “good” score around 700 usually takes a year or more of on-time payments after that. The sooner you start the ITIN, the sooner that clock begins.

How Do You Build a US Credit Portfolio From Here?#

Once an ITIN is attached to cards that report, the rest of the US credit market slowly opens up, and the order you apply in starts to matter. The big issuers that rejected you at the start, Chase, Citi, Capital One, will pull your US file and decide from there. After roughly a year of clean reporting, doors that were locked begin to swing.

From everything I have done and watched across the community, a realistic arc is something like this: months 0 to 6, your first reporting card establishes a file; months 6 to 12, a second card and perfect payment history thicken it; after 12 to 18 months, mainstream issuers like Chase (mind its 5/24 rule) and Capital One become realistic. You can read more on checking your credit score with an ITIN as you go, and eventually an ITIN also lets you invest in US stocks and open more banking products.

The point is that Global Transfer is the ignition, not the engine. The engine is an ITIN plus time plus on-time payments.

What Are the Most Common Global Transfer Pitfalls?#

Most Global Transfer problems come from a handful of avoidable mistakes, and knowing them in advance is worth more than any single tip. Applicants get tripped up by addresses, by applying too early, and by Amex’s own application rules, all of which are fixable with preparation.

• A weak address. PO boxes and flagged mail-forwarders are the most common rejection reason. Use a real residential address.
• Applying too soon. Three months is the floor, but a brand-new foreign card is a frequent cause of denial or review. Give it six months if you can.
• The wrong card type. Corporate and partner-bank-issued cards are not eligible, full stop.
• The 2/90 rule. Amex limits you to roughly two new personal cards in any 90-day window, and a “pop-up” can block an application. If you are denied, the reconsideration line is worth a calm, polite call.
• The verification call. Amex sometimes runs a three-party call to confirm your US phone or address. Be reachable, and make sure whoever owns the address knows it might come up.

None of these are dealbreakers. They are just the difference between an instant approval and a frustrating week of back-and-forth.

What Happens to Your Points and Member Since Date?#

Two things move with you, and one thing does not, so it helps to know which is which before you apply. Your Membership Rewards points do not automatically transfer to the new US card; they stay in the account where you earned them and are redeemed from there (American Express). Your existing foreign card also stays open and unaffected unless you specifically ask to close it.

What does carry over is your “Member Since” date, which lands on the new US account and reflects your full Amex tenure. Amex does separately offer a way to move points between your own accounts in different countries by phone, and points researchers confirmed it still worked as of late December 2025 (Loyalty Lobby), but that is a manual process, subject to a currency conversion, and entirely separate from the card application.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Can I get a US Amex card with no SSN and no credit history?#

Yes. That is the entire purpose of Global Transfer. You check a box stating you have no US credit history but hold a card in an eligible country, and you verify with a passport instead of an SSN. The trade-off is that a card opened without a tax ID typically reports to Amex only, not to the US credit bureaus.

Do I need an ITIN for Amex Global Transfer?#

No, not to get the card. You can apply with just a passport. But you almost certainly want an ITIN afterward, because the no-tax-ID card may not build a US credit score, and you cannot add an ITIN to it later. The fix is to get an ITIN and open a second card with it.

Which countries are eligible for Amex Global Transfer?#

The US no-credit-history path has recently recognized Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Dominican Republic, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom. The wider Global Card Relationship network covers 20+ countries, but the exact list shifts over time, so reconfirm in the live application or by phone.

What is the Amex Global Transfer phone number?#

The Global Card Relationship new-accounts line is documented as 1-877-621-2639, and the general apply-by-phone line, 1-866-929-5160, is also reported to work. Confirm the current number on Amex’s official contact page before calling, since these change.

Does the first Global Transfer card build my US credit score?#

Usually not on its own. Without an ITIN, the account builds history with American Express but does not report to Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion. To build a bureau-tracked score, you need an ITIN attached to a card that reports, which means a second application.

How long must my foreign Amex card be open?#

The official minimum is three months as the primary cardholder, with the account open and in good standing. Applicants and credit sites recommend six to twelve months for stronger approval odds, though that is community best practice rather than an Amex rule.

Can I transfer my Membership Rewards points to the US card?#

Not automatically. Points stay in the account where you earned them. You keep your “Member Since” date on the new card, and Amex separately allows phone-based point transfers between your own accounts in different countries, subject to a currency conversion.

How long does it take to get the card?#

Online applications can be approved instantly, while phone applications often go to a short review. After approval, Amex aims to deliver the physical card within about ten business days, up to two weeks, to your US address.

Will a mail-forwarding service or PO box work as my US address?#

Usually not. PO boxes are rejected, and many mail-forwarding addresses get flagged under US identity rules. A real residential address, like a friend or family member’s home, is the reliable choice.