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Evidently this has changed because this text appears on a current SPG PDF statement:

Annual Fee: The annual Basic Card fee is $45.00. The annual fee is increased by $5 if the billing address of the account is outside the US

Overall, I do not understand why you are dissatisfied with American Express' Global Transfer service. You waited until you arrived in the UK to contact them, and you still had a UK card within seven weeks versus six months. Much of the complexity is mandated by British government regulations. Did you expect American Express to be exempt?

There is no requirement to transfer Membership Rewards points, but if you elect to do so it is based on the currency exchange rate because that affects the basis on which the points are earned, not the basis on which they are redeemed. American Express cannot know your redemption plans.