Free guide · 01
Credit from zero.
I arrived in the US in 2023 with no credit history. No score, no safety net, a totally new financial system. This is exactly what I did, and what I’d tell anyone starting over.
Why it matters
No score costs more than you think
Everyone expects a credit check for a house or a credit card. Nobody warned me it goes further. Gas, water, and electricity check your score too. New to the system, you pay large deposits up front just to turn the lights on. Starting over has an entry fee.
Your score (or lack of one) can also show up in apartment applications, phone plans, car loans, and some insurance pricing.
My path
What I actually did
Arrived from Colombia. Zero credit history. Savings from 15 years of careful work, which counted for nothing on a US credit report.
Opened a secured credit card with $200 of my own money as the deposit and limit.
Used it for small, normal purchases and paid the full statement balance. Never carried a balance. Not once.
The card grew into a regular unsecured card. More approvals followed.
Bought my first car here new. The dealer gave me 0% interest, but the payment was huge. I sacrificed and paid it off in 6 months. Zero debt since.
790 score. $37K in total card limits. No loans. I use cashback on everything and pay it all off every month. Not millions, but it’s the bank paying me for once.
The playbook
If you’re starting from zero
Get your number first
Most US credit products need a Social Security Number. Some issuers accept an ITIN. Get one of them before anything else.
Open one secured card
You put down a deposit (often $200 to $500), and that becomes your limit. It’s your own money, so the risk is small. Look for a card that reports to all three credit bureaus and can “graduate” to a regular card.
Use it small, pay it in full
Put one or two normal bills on it. Set autopay for the full statement balance. You never need to carry a balance or pay interest to build credit.
Keep usage low
A common guideline: keep the balance that reports each month well under 30% of your limit. Lower is better. On a $200 limit, that’s under $60.
Don’t open everything at once
Each application can mean a hard inquiry. Space them out. One good account, handled perfectly, beats five new ones.
Ask about deposits and upgrades
Ask utilities how to get a deposit waived or refunded (some refund after a year of on-time payments). After 6 to 12 months, ask the card issuer about graduating to an unsecured card.
Check your reports for free
Get your reports from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com, the official free site. Dispute anything that isn’t yours.
Myth: “You have to carry a balance to build credit.” False. Paying the full statement balance every month builds credit and costs you $0 in interest.
Checklist
Print this. Tick it off.
- SSN or ITIN in hand
- One secured card opened, reporting to all 3 bureaus
- Autopay set to full statement balance
- Reported balance kept low (well under 30% of the limit)
- Asked each utility about waiving or refunding the deposit
- Free credit reports checked at AnnualCreditReport.com
- Month 6–12: asked about graduating to an unsecured card
- No new financing on things that lose value
Credit is built by being boring. Not by borrowing more.
Not The Normal Guy · @notthe_normalguy on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
Educational content from personal experience. Not financial, credit, tax, or legal advice. Card terms and deposit policies vary by issuer and provider.
Being not normal is not easy. But it’s worth it.