u/InterestingCry9915

Hey r/expats!

I'm a Japanese expat in Georgia (family of 5) and I've been trying to figure out the best credit card strategy for Japanese expats in the US.

The unique challenges we face:
- Arriving with zero US credit history
- No SSN yet in many cases
- Want to earn ANA/JAL miles for trips back to Japan
- Spouse also needs to build credit separately

From my own experience:
- Started with JAL USA Card (no credit history needed)
- Moved to Chase Sapphire Preferred after ~6 months
- Now working on the "Chase Trifecta"

I've been building a free Japanese-language guide for this – mostly for my own reference but figured other Japanese expats might find it useful too.

Curious: what did YOU start with when you first arrived? Any regrets or tips?

Especially interested in hearing from people who've been here 1-3 years and have figured out a good card combo.

Hey everyone!

I’m a Japanese expat in Georgia (family of 5) and like many of you, I spent way too much time googling basic questions about US credit cards that nobody had answered in Japanese:
• Can I get a card with no credit history or SSN?
• What’s the Chase 5/24 rule?
• How do I transfer points to ANA/JAL miles?
• How do I build credit for my spouse?

So I built a small tool for myself – and then thought others might find it useful too.
USCardNavi (see my profile) – free, Japanese-language only:
• 5-question quiz → personalized card recommendation
• 11 cards compared (including JAL USA Card & ANA CARD USA for zero-credit-history situations)
• AI chat in Japanese for individual questions
• 5 blog posts on expat-specific topics

It’s rough around the edges but functional. If you know any Japanese expats in the US who might find it helpful, I’d appreciate you sharing it.
Also genuinely curious: what financial questions did YOU struggle with most when you first arrived in the US?