What are the most commonly accepted credit cards in the U.S., and how can I get one?
If a merchant in the U.S. accepts credit cards, Visa and MasterCard are almost guaranteed to be among them. American Express is also widely accepted. Less useful cards are Discover and Diner’s Club. Very few merchants accept JCB. International students often have significant difficulty when applying for credit cards in the U.S. because they are deemed to have insufficient credit histories. For that reason, it’s very helpful for international students to apply for a credit card before leaving their home country. Perhaps the best way for international students to obtain a credit card from a U.S. bank is to open a bank account and then apply for a “Visa debit card” or “Visa check card” that’s linked to it. These cards can be used just like an ordinary Visa card but they debit funds directly from a bank account when a transaction takes place. One other option is to open a bank account and then apply for a “normal” Visa card from the same bank with assistance from the bank branch manager. I
