aragno,

I recently started a new thread asking almost the same thing (I didn't notice this thread). For some reason the post got moved three levels down in a less active forum. Here is the post, hope I don't get banned for double posting.


Hi,

New to flyertalk and appreciate all the great information.

What is the best credit card for someone living abroad? In particular taking into account foreign exchange fees (forex).

After finding great info here, I have applied for the following cards:

SPG Amex (approved) 2.7% Forex - 25k points deal
Chase Sapphire Preferred (approved) 0% Forex - 50k points deal
Capital One Venture Rewards (pending) 0% Forex - 25k points deal

I am traveling about 4 nights per week staying in the Sheraton and am currently Starwood Platinum.

According to my calculations it is worth satisfying the requirements for all 3 cards to get the bonus points, so my question is after the bonus points are qualified, which of these 3 is best for long-term, or is there a different one recommended?

Let's say I spend $50k / year and $30k / year of that is in an SPG hotel and it is 100% overseas. Let's also assume the currency exchange rate for all 3 cards is the same. At the end of one year, I would have the following points and charges:

SPG Amex: 170,000 SPG pts - $1,440.00 Forex and annual fee
Chase Sapphire Pref: 90,000 SPG pts, 53,500 Chase pts - $0 No Forex or annual fee
Capital One Vent Reward - 90,000 SPG pts, 100,000 Cap1 pts - $59 Annual fee no Forex

The first analysis for me would be to compare Chase and Cap1. The difference is 53,500 Chase points versus 100,000 Capital One points. Are Chase points twice as valuable as Capital one points minus the annual fee?

Then once selected between those two, let's say we pick Capital one. Are the extra 100,000 Cap points more valuable than 80,000 SPG points minus $1,440 in fees?

Thanks.