I spent >10 years living in Singapore and very similar situation is there as well - credit/debit cards without foreign currency conversition fees are non-existent as a class. All banks charge 1.5%-3.75% of fees.

We are. And people who moved to the US should be aware that situation/market here is different and differen rules apply and they should not default to thier home country situation here. And FT forum helps them (and others) to get reliable information.