Canadians, give me some credit
January 13, 2012 12:24 PM   Subscribe

Is there any Canadian credit card company that will check your US credit history?

I am a Canadian citizen moving back to Canada after seven years in the US. I have Canadian bank accounts and have previously held credit cards in Canada, but any card I had is inactive from non-use and cannot be reactivated. However my credit in the USA in the last seven years is stellar and my credit limit on my American cards is much higher than anything I had in Canada previously. I would like this taken into consideration when I get a Canadian credit card.

Is there any bank or institution in Canada that will check US credit? I tried my bank (TD) which had previously issued me a credit card, no dice. I tried Capital One, where I currently have a US credit card, no dice. I do not have an AmEx. Any other options?

If I have to start over again, what are the best Canadian credit cards on offer right now generally? I am looking for no fee or rewards cards, I don't care about interest rates.
posted by crazycanuck to Work & Money (3 answers total)
 
I would try talking to someone at your Canadian bank in person. At least with banking, I have found that phone support people have limits to what they can do. A personal banker might be able to do more for you and you can show them in person that you have a reliable financial record.
posted by Nightman at 12:45 PM on January 13, 2012


I can't be positive about this, because it was about seven years ago, but I have a vague recollection of bringing a printout of my US credit report into an RBC branch. I met with a branch manager directly. I did end up getting an RBC Visa with a relatively small limit (which increased pretty rapidly with on-time payments). I can't be certain if the credit report factored into their decision, though. I agree with Nightman that you might want to go into some local branches when you return.
posted by mireille at 12:59 PM on January 13, 2012


When I first moved here from the States, the only luck I had was with credit unions. If you're going to Vancouver, try Vancity; Toronto, try Meridian. In both cases I've found them far more willing to work with you about things than the big five, including pulling my US credit when I first got here and helping me get set up with Canadian credit.
posted by criacow at 4:32 PM on January 13, 2012


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