Welcome to the states, mate

Use your Australian credit history to apply for U.S. credit cards and more

We’ve partnered with Equifax Australia to locate and translate your Australian file into a U.S.-equivalent score that Nova Credit's partners can use to evaluate your application for the following products:

Credit cards
Phone Plans
Apartment Rentals
Student Loans
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Here are your options

U.S. credit cards you can apply for with Australian credit history

15 credit cards available

American Express has partnered with Nova Credit to help you use your Australian credit history to apply for a credit card. Here are some of our editors' top picks at American Express for Australian newcomers. Need help choosing? Check out our guide on Best American Express Cards for Newcomers in 2019

Many of the card offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Nova Credit receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Nova Credit does not include all card companies or all card offers available in the marketplace.

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Here's how it works

How to apply for American Express cards using your Australian credit history

Step 1

Select a credit card

Visit our credit card shop to see all available cards that Accept Nova Credit. Click "Apply Now" to start your application on the American Express website.

Step 2

Indicate you'd like to use us

On American Express' card application form, click the checkbox that indicates you have foreign credit history next to the Social Security Number field.

Step 3

Request your credit history

When you successfully use Nova Credit in your application, we will translate your international credit data and send it to the lender so that they can better evaluate your application.

Step 4

Build your U.S. credit history

If you are approved by American Express, you will receive your card and can start building U.S. credit history. Using your card and paying bills on time can help create good credit history.

Need more help? Read our guide on How to apply for an American Express Card with your international history or send us a message.

Set up your new life

More offers for Australian newcomers

Moving to a new country means setting up a new life. Nova Credit partners with many companies offering products that can serve people who have recently move to the U.S.

See all newcomer products

Guides and resources for U.S. Newcomers

From Los Angeles to New York, we’ve got you covered. Explore our guides for newcomers that can help you learn everything from the in’s and out’s of American healthcare to navigating the school system, guides to American credit, visa processes and more.

How to get a credit score without a Social Security number
How to use your international credit report to get credit in the U.S.
The best credit cards for people with no credit history [2020]
How to get a Social Security card
How do credit card rewards work in the U.S.?
How to get a cell phone plan with no credit check
View all Guides & Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I just transfer my credit score without applying for a credit card?

Unfortunately, we cannot transfer your international credit report to a U.S. credit bureau in the U.S. Nova Credit is used to find credit reports in international credit bureaus and send them to U.S. lenders directly. These lenders have to be partners of Nova Credit in order to accept these translated credit reports in their applications.

Can I only use Nova Credit to apply for credit cards at American Express?

Today, American Express is the only large U.S. credit card issuer that accepts international credit data through Nova Credit. American Express currently accepts credit history from Australia, Canada, India, Mexico and the UK. We’re working hard on enabling them to use more countries, and enabling other banks to use Nova Credit as well!

Do I need a U.S. Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to use Nova Credit?

This depends on the credit products you apply for. For American Express Personal Credit Cards you do not need a U.S. SSN or ITIN but you do need a U.S. Address. For our other partners SSN and / or ITIN may be required. Note that for American Express Personal Credit Cards Nova Credit is available to newcomers from Australia, Canada, India, Mexico and the UK.

Will this hurt my U.S. credit score?

Using Nova Credit does not negatively impact your U.S. credit score. In fact, Nova Credit may help you create a first time U.S. credit file and U.S. credit score by virtue of using a credit product that was issued to you from our partners after using Nova Credit. Special case: if you're from Mexico, using Nova Credit could result in a hard inquiry and impact your Mexican credit score.

Looking for more information? Check out our Help Center or send our team an email with any questions.

Use your international credit history to start your U.S credit history

New to the U.S.? Check if you can use your country's credit history in the U.S. to apply for credit cards and start your U.S credit history using Nova Credit. No SSN is needed to start your U.S credit history.

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