Can an American get a Uk credit card?

Fingerbobs

JES_F1 said:

Could they buy an e-giftcard, sent to themselves, and then use that to pay for the online order?  At a quick look, e-giftcards are available from Tesco and Waitrose, maybe others too.

Another option is something like Snappy Shopper (available as an app as well as their website) which lets you order from local convenience stores - in my area, it uses the Co-op - and delivered within an hour.

Tesco gift cards of any type cannot be used to pay for online groceries. They've been promising to implement this for many years, but it still hasn't happened. It used to be possible to use them on the now-defunct Tesco Direct, but it's never been possible for groceries.

Asda definitely allow gift cards to be used for on-line grocery orders.

twopenny

It was to do with registering the card with the online retailer, on the form.

Being Sunday when I asked in Tescos they promised to ask the manager what it might be tomorrow morning. Not sure if that will help. They were surprised too and said they would like the information in store to help others.

Still waiting to hear back. The time difference doesn't help.

Fingerbobs that's good to know. It doesn't matter which supermarket used, trying to keep it simple as possible.

MallyGirl

Waitrose accept gift cards or vouchers for online groceries. There is also the option of Deliveroo who will do your shopping and deliver it. 

Yahoo_Mail

adamp87 said:

Yahoo_Mail said:

jet01 said:

I’ve tried it the other way round in the past and a lot of US merchants won’t let you use a card registered to a UK address to make online purchases to be delivered to a US address. Therefore, I suspect it will be the same the other way round as well. 

Many (if not most) retailers won't ship to anything other than the billing address unless the alternate address is also registered with the card provider.

I just checked a few of my online groceries account.  Tesco ask for the billing address but don't allow you to specify a country and I suspect it will baulk at a US ZIP code being entered rather than a UK post code.  Morrisons don't ask for an address at all (presumably they'll use the address you have on file as the billing address so no good if your billing address is in the US.)  Asda, on the other hand, do allow you to select a different country for the billing address.  I can't see why they'd allow that unless they intend to alow non-UK cardholders to use the service?  Can't see them delivering a weekly shop to Antigua...

Hogwash. I regularly shop online and have items sent to addresses outside my billing address such as work 

"Unless an alternate address is also registered with the card provider."

And note I didn't say "all"  anyway.  Why do people on this forum so frequently confuse the terms "many", "most", "some" etc with "all"?

Also worth noting that once you've had a delivery successfully sent to your billing address, many providers (note NOT all) will be much more relaxed about sending to an alternate address that isn't a registered address. This doesn't help the OP at all though as they clearly can't have their groceries sent to their US billing address to prove they're not a fraudster.

twopenny

Tescos are surprised and looking into it. It's the only store we have that could be asked.

I'll pass on this info. Thanks a lot. All very clear.

Fingerbobs

Yahoo_Mail said:

adamp87 said:

Yahoo_Mail said:

jet01 said:

I’ve tried it the other way round in the past and a lot of US merchants won’t let you use a card registered to a UK address to make online purchases to be delivered to a US address. Therefore, I suspect it will be the same the other way round as well. 

Many (if not most) retailers won't ship to anything other than the billing address unless the alternate address is also registered with the card provider.

I just checked a few of my online groceries account.  Tesco ask for the billing address but don't allow you to specify a country and I suspect it will baulk at a US ZIP code being entered rather than a UK post code.  Morrisons don't ask for an address at all (presumably they'll use the address you have on file as the billing address so no good if your billing address is in the US.)  Asda, on the other hand, do allow you to select a different country for the billing address.  I can't see why they'd allow that unless they intend to alow non-UK cardholders to use the service?  Can't see them delivering a weekly shop to Antigua...

Hogwash. I regularly shop online and have items sent to addresses outside my billing address such as work 

"Unless an alternate address is also registered with the card provider."

And note I didn't say "all"  anyway.  Why do people on this forum so frequently confuse the terms "many", "most", "some" etc with "all"?

Also worth noting that once you've had a delivery successfully sent to your billing address, many providers (note NOT all) will be much more relaxed about sending to an alternate address that isn't a registered address. This doesn't help the OP at all though as they clearly can't have their groceries sent to their US billing address to prove they're not a fraudster.

How many credit cards allow additional addresses to be registered?

Also, what you say about "most" companies refusing to ship to a non-billling address was definitely true about 15 years ago, but things have changed. I very, very rarely come up against this problem nowadays, and I always have stuff shipped to my office address because it's more convenient.

adamp87

Yahoo_Mail said:

adamp87 said:

Yahoo_Mail said:

jet01 said:

I’ve tried it the other way round in the past and a lot of US merchants won’t let you use a card registered to a UK address to make online purchases to be delivered to a US address. Therefore, I suspect it will be the same the other way round as well. 

Many (if not most) retailers won't ship to anything other than the billing address unless the alternate address is also registered with the card provider.

I just checked a few of my online groceries account.  Tesco ask for the billing address but don't allow you to specify a country and I suspect it will baulk at a US ZIP code being entered rather than a UK post code.  Morrisons don't ask for an address at all (presumably they'll use the address you have on file as the billing address so no good if your billing address is in the US.)  Asda, on the other hand, do allow you to select a different country for the billing address.  I can't see why they'd allow that unless they intend to alow non-UK cardholders to use the service?  Can't see them delivering a weekly shop to Antigua...

Hogwash. I regularly shop online and have items sent to addresses outside my billing address such as work 

"Unless an alternate address is also registered with the card provider."

And note I didn't say "all"  anyway.  Why do people on this forum so frequently confuse the terms "many", "most", "some" etc with "all"?

Also worth noting that once you've had a delivery successfully sent to your billing address, many providers (note NOT all) will be much more relaxed about sending to an alternate address that isn't a registered address. This doesn't help the OP at all though as they clearly can't have their groceries sent to their US billing address to prove they're not a fraudster.

But it still makes no sense. Unless another address is registered with the card provider.. 

Again I’ve never done that and have orders sent to various addresses. Especially at Christmas. 

twopenny

Just an update.

 Iceland customer service (https://www.iceland.co.uk/) that there's no issue with US PayPal accounts being used for their grocery orders.

ASDA allows debit cards from US card holders, there was even a specific button for entering a non-UK billing address.

Still waiting for Tescos to reply as staff are always on shifts.

[Deleted User]

twopenny said:

Asking for someone who was asking me.

They are coming to work in London for 6 months and have to isolate for 2 weeks. Trying to order online food shopping the sites wouldn't accept American credit or debit cards

While they can use Applepay or Paypal possibily they may not have these accounts.

So looking for a soloution. This must have been done before by foreign nationals isolating. Searches internet or here keep trying to sell me credit cards rather than giving an answer so I wondered if anyone here knows.

Would be really grateful for some help.

An American can get a UK credit card, however as non-EEA Nationals they would be likely asked to show a UK visa or a biometric residence permit (BRP) issued to them by the home office to the lender concerned.

An American staying in the UK for their allowed 6 month visa free period is considered a visitor, and not a UK resident, therefore lenders would not be allowed to provide banking or credit facilities to a US Citizen if they have  "LEAVE TO ENTER FOR 6 MONTHS: EMPLOYMENT AND RECOURSE TO PUBLIC FUNDS PROHIBITED" stamped in their passports, which for most Americans staying in the UK for that length of time is the case and sounds like it in this particular one with them claiming they are coming for "self-employment" which technically they aren't permitted to do either. So if I were them I wouldn't be trying to create a UK fiscal link, as immigration can access those details and they could potentially land themselves in trouble.