Originally Posted by
Tredders
I live in the UK, but have spent the last 3 months in the US with work. I have the option of moving to the US full time (which I don't want to do for a variety of mainly family reasons) but a compromise could be to spend a month in the UK, then a month in the US etc, so that I'll be splitting my time over the year between the two countries.
I'm an Amex Platinum Card holder (as well as Amex BA) and the offers on the US Platinum card would be beneficial to me during my time in the US. I've seen that there is an option to move your card from UK to US if your move is permanent, but I'm wondering if there's anything for a scenario such as mine. I'm assuming that I wouldn't be able to apply for an additional US Platinum since I don't have an official address in the US, nor will I be a US citizen? I'm not sure how it works with Amex, or credit cards in general, if I'm honest. I've read about the international dollar card, which sounds as though it's what I want, as long as this can be taken out in addition to existing UK cards.
I just tried to use the Amex chat function, but they've said I need to speak to Customer Services about it (which I'll do next week) but I wondered if anyone on here has done anything similar, or knows the guidelines?
Thanks in advance.
The first step of any solution should be to open a simple bank account in the U.S. There are plenty of no-fee options.
If the plan is to maintain the UK Platinum, consider simply adding the ICC dollar Green card to earn 1MR per dollar with no foreign transaction fee. Then, you could merge those points with your UK card or vice versa and pay your statement from the U.S. bank account for free. Alternatively, you can cancel or downgrade the UK Platinum and transition to the ICC dollar Platinum, which is cheaper and offers certain ancillary benefits that are actually superior to those of the UK Platinum, especially with regard to travel insurances and coverages (e.g. $1 million 3rd party liability insurance on rental cars in America in addition to the usual collision damage waiver - this literally is unheard of and non-existent on even the highest level U.S. cards).
The second option would be to consult the Global Transfer team and open a U.S. card. I have a feeling they could help in your fringe case.
The third option would take time, but grant greater flexibility going forward: after opening your bank account, open a "starter" card and use it to establish a credit profile in America. After a few months, perhaps six, you should be able to approach Amex U.S. through the regular application channels and open a card - no SSN/ITIN required (believe it or not).