Tomo — My first credit card as an international student! No credit score required.

I recently moved to San Francisco from London to study for an MBA at Berkeley Haas because I wanted to be at the heart of the tech ecosystem and learn more about the innovation happening within financial services. In order to understand this landscape more, I wanted to work with a company innovating the space, and I'm lucky enough to be working with Tomo.

Tomo addresses a huge pain point I had when I moved here as an international, a lack of US credit history. A lack of credit history meant I was unable to apply for almost all credit cards and unable to earn a variety of rewards offered by different card companies. Additionally, credit history is a requirement for some cell phone plans, for apartment rental eligibility and it can have an adverse impact on the amount you pay for insurance premiums. However, through lots of market research for an alternative and for interesting Haas affiliated fintech companies, I came across Tomo which was tackling both of these issues.

Tomo is a fintech startup that currently offers a credit card that does NOT require you to have a credit score, which is exactly what I was looking for. I reached out to the founder Kristy and was able to get an early look at the product and the functionality they are offering. They are also working on technology that allows you to get approved for a card without having an SSN which is how I was able to get a card. This is a game-changer for international students who often have no credit history or SSN.

Not only did they get me my first credit card, but they also offer crazy cashback! For every person you refer and is approved, you will EACH receive an additional 1% in cashback which is how in a short amount of time I'm earning 8% cashback! You can do this with up to 19 people at a time allowing you to boost your cashback up to 20%. Whilst doing all of this, I am building up my credit history! It's honestly amazing.

There is limited availability and the waitlist is filling up fast. So if you are looking for a modern-day credit card with the best cashback or you have no credit score or SSN, then Tomo is the card for you!