FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Best Credit Card for 'Everyday Purchases' outside the US
Old Feb 28, 2020 | 2:46 am
  #11  
der_saeufer
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Join Date: Dec 2010
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Like others have mentioned, depends on what you want.

It sounds like you're not moving to Europe, so don't worry about all the local-network mess--just have some cash in your wallet for the little restaurant that takes only cash and local debit, which is common in some countries (*cough* NL) but nonexistent in others. MC/Visa are widely accepted; Amex varies from not great to completely useless depending on country and type of establishment.

My solution is CSR plus a 2.5% cashback card that no longer exists, but there are plenty of 2% cards with no FTF out there.

Contactless payment is nice because it saves you the search for a pen to sign the receipt. But if you have a recent iPhone or a decent Android phone, just use Apple/Google Pay. I can't remember the last time I actually took my card out of my wallet.

If you're spending enough time in one place that you want to sign up for something that requires a bank transfer (e.g. some bike share networks), you can get a borderless account from Transferwise.

ETA:
Originally Posted by invisible
Considering that contactless payments are standard in Europe, US Bank Altitude Reserve is the obvious choice.
How did I not realize that card gave 3% on NFC payments? This is definitely the way to go, assuming you have an NFC-capable phone.

Last edited by der_saeufer; Feb 28, 2020 at 3:06 am
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