Originally Posted by
ChocolateFactory
That would be possible, but the US card is much better than the German card. US points transfer 1:1 to travel partners, German points transfer 5:4 at best.
The only advantage with the German card would be local Amex offers, and you wouldn’t be able to use things like the Uber credit that the US card comes with.
You’ve already mentioned FX fees.
The German card has different transfer partners, like Qatar Airways and SAS.
Thanks for your input. I generally agree that the US card is more attractive, at the same time if we'd stay more long-term in Germany many of the US benefits won't apply. That said, keeping the US card regardless is definitely an option I will consider in any case.
One major reason why I've some hesitations about this is because for a longer period, it can become a hassle to transfer money from Germany to my US account, pay fees and be dependent on the conversion rates. I'm using an FX broker for transactions in both ways which is pretty lean but it'll still mean I'll have to do that regularly.
Could you please elaborate what you mean with:
Originally Posted by
ChocolateFactory
You can get a German Visa/MasterCard like the Miles&More credit card, then use that to transfer money into your US bank account to pay off your US card. That way, you’d earn both US Membership Rewards points and Miles&More miles.
I've in fact already had an eye on that card in addition to the Amex Platinum. But how would I use this to transfer from Euros to my US$ account? It also comes with a foreign transaction fee. Wouldn't that eat up any mile earnings as part of the transaction?