Credit Card | Best For | Annual Fee | SSN Required | ITIN Accepted? | Passport Accepted? |
Journey Student Rewards from Capital One | College Students | $0 | No | Yes | No |
Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students | Cell Phone Insurance | $0 |
No | Yes | Yes |
Capital One Platinum Credit Card | Limited Credit | $0 | No | Yes | No |
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card | Newcomer Rewards | $39 | No | Yes | No |
Chase Freedom Unlimited® | Good Credit | $0 | No | Yes | No |
Petal® 2 Visa® Credit Card | Newcomer Rewards | $0 | No | Yes | No |
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | Immigrants | $95 | No | Yes | Yes |
Credit Card SSN Requirements by Issuer
- American Express: SSN, ITIN or Passport
- Chase: SSN or ITIN
- Bank of America: SSN, ITIN or Passport
- Citibank: SSN, ITIN or Passport (select cards only)
- Capital One: SSN or ITIN
- U.S. Bank: SSN or ITIN (secured cards only)
- Discover: SSN
- Wells Fargo: SSN or ITIN (secured cards only)
- Barclaycard: SSN
- Synchrony Bank: SSN
- USAA: SSN
4 Tips for Getting a Credit Card With No SSN

- Double-Check Your SSN Eligibility
If you’re authorized to work in the United States, you can apply for an SSN. To apply, you’ll need to go to an SSN office in person and prove your age, identity, immigration status, and employment. Having an SSN will enable you to get a credit card from any major U.S. issuer.
- Look Into Getting an ITIN
You’re eligible for an ITIN if you need to file U.S. taxes without being employed in the U.S. For example, you might have investments, property, or non-compensatory income such as scholarship money. Of the top 10 credit card issuers, seven accept an ITIN, including American Express, Bank of America, and Capital One.
- Use Your Passport
Three of the top 10 issuers will consider you for a credit card as long as you have a passport, a secondary form of identification and proof of income. They are American Express, Bank of America, and Citibank (select cards only).
- Become an Authorized User
You can ask a close friend or family member to list you as an authorized user on their credit card. This will help you build credit, first and foremost. But you can also take advantage of the convenience of using plastic if you and the primary accountholder can work out a process for how you’ll pay your end of the bill.
For more tips on choosing the right credit card, with or without an SSN, check out WalletHub’s guide on how to get a credit card.
Methodology for Selecting the Best Credit Cards With No SSN
To identify the best credit cards available to people without a Social Security number, WalletHub’s editors compare the approval requirements, rewards, rates and fees for 1,500+ credit card offers. After excluding cards that require applicants to have an SSN, we pick the best options in a range of popular categories.
We give preference to cards that offer the most flexibility when it comes to the types of identification applicants can use in place of an SSN. We use expected net two-year earnings, after annual fees, as a tiebreaker.