In this latest blog post, we’re going to cover how to get a US mailing address as a Canadian.
How to Get American Credit Cards as a Canadian articles:
- How to Get Your ITIN Number
- Opening a bank account in the USA (so you can pay off your credit card balance)
- Getting an American mailing address
- Your First American Credit Card
- Getting a US Phone Number
Why it’s important to get a US mailing address as a Canadian if you want to get American credit cards
It’s important to get a US mailing address because when you sign up for an American credit card, the American banks will need to mail it to you somewhere in the USA. Having a US mailing address also legitimizes your application because it is an indicator that you have a residence in the United States.
The three ways you can get a US mailing address
The three ways you can get a US mailing address are the following:
- Use a friend or family’s address in the USA
- Use a “mailbox” service
- Or, use a “mail forwarding” service
Friend or family’s address in the USA
If you have any friends or family living in the USA, then go ahead and use their address. This is hands down the easiest way to get a US mailing address without paying monthly fees or having to deal with American banks questioning you if this is a real address or if it’s a mailbox service.
Mailbox service
If you live close to the US border, you can also open a mailbox and have your credit cards shipped to those address.
Just make sure to use the USPS Zip look out tool to determine if it’s labelled as a “Commercial Mail Receiving Agency”.
If it is labelled “Y” under commercial mail receiving agency, your credit card application in the US will be denied and you may even get black listed by those credit card providers.
Make sure when you do a search on the USPS Zip look out tool, that it says “N” under commercial mail receiving agency.
Examples of mailbox companies that is labelled as “N” under commercial mail receiving agency are:
- https://www.kinek.com/
If you live close to the US border, just do a search on google and see if you can find a company that is right on the border that meets the proper criteria to be eligible to be used as a US mailing address.
For some people, going the mailbox route is a tedious process and prefer the mail to be forwarded to them. This leads us to method number three:
Mail forwarding service
Just like the mailbox service, the company you pick must not be labelled “Y” under commercial mail receiving agency when you do a search using the USPS Zip look out tool.
Examples of companies that people have used are:
- https://www.kinek.com/
Saving time is the most obvious benefit to using a mail forwarding service. Also, if you live too far from the US border, it allows you to receive your US credit cards.
Keep in mind that there’s a fee associated to having your credit cards shipped to you in Canada. If you don’t mind paying the fee (usually in the $30 USD range), then this method is for you.
You should also try to make sure that your US bank and US mailing address be on the same US state. Otherwise, this whole deal looks kind of suspicious.
What I will personally do
I will most likely use my friend’s US mailing address because this is the easiest method. This is the most pain free method of getting an American address. And of course, I can visit my friend who lives in Seattle.
Other methods I can entertain would be the following:
- I can open a mailbox with Kinek in Blaine. Because Banner Bank is in the same city, this makes perfect sense. Kinek also has a shipping service if I feel lazy to drive down the US.
Conclusion
Pick the method that makes the most sense to you when choosing how to get a US mailing address. Once you’ve gotten your ITIN number, your US bank account, and your US mailing address, you’re ready to get your first US credit card!
The hard part is now over and it’s time to reap the benefits of getting access to all the amazing credit cards that USA has to offer!
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3 thoughts on “How to Get American Credit Cards as a Canadian Part 3: US Mailing Address”
Great post, and thanks for sharing this. This will definitely go into a special place in my bookmarks!
You’re welcome, John!
Hi. Thank to share this. Plz help me. I already applied American express US card and give them my sister address in US. Now they asking give us proof of address. I am canadian so how to give them proof of address now?