Any good Amex Card for a non-us citizen like me?
Dec 26, 2004, 11:37 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Denmark/Asia
Programs: SAS EBD, IHG Spire, HH Diamond, SkyTeam Elite Plus, Oneworld Sapphire, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 34
Any good Amex Card for a non-us citizen like me?
Hello all,
Briefly about me: Chinese/Beijing resident, Danish Citizen, FF in Asia. Annual spendage using credit card approx. 40K USD.
I really envy you US guys and also some of the HK and Singapore guys. Here in China the Credit Card business is still in a developing phase thus the benefits of the cards offered are not very attractive to say the least. At the moment I primarily use my Air China/Gold Visa combo but I only get 1 km (that's 1 KM not MILE...) per every 2 dollars spent, which frankly is a joke compared to some of the 'insane' benefits of many of the credit cards used by the FT members here.
Could some kind FT member/expert please help me find a better credit card option (preferably Amex) where the benefits are plentiful? In other words I would like a US credit card or a card which is on the same benefit level. Does anybody know if that is feasible for a non-us guy with a Chinese address? Amex in China doesn't seem to be able to offer anything which is even remotely close to that which is offered in the US.
Any suggestions are highly appreciated.
Briefly about me: Chinese/Beijing resident, Danish Citizen, FF in Asia. Annual spendage using credit card approx. 40K USD.
I really envy you US guys and also some of the HK and Singapore guys. Here in China the Credit Card business is still in a developing phase thus the benefits of the cards offered are not very attractive to say the least. At the moment I primarily use my Air China/Gold Visa combo but I only get 1 km (that's 1 KM not MILE...) per every 2 dollars spent, which frankly is a joke compared to some of the 'insane' benefits of many of the credit cards used by the FT members here.
Could some kind FT member/expert please help me find a better credit card option (preferably Amex) where the benefits are plentiful? In other words I would like a US credit card or a card which is on the same benefit level. Does anybody know if that is feasible for a non-us guy with a Chinese address? Amex in China doesn't seem to be able to offer anything which is even remotely close to that which is offered in the US.
Any suggestions are highly appreciated.
Last edited by JabbaJabba; Dec 26, 2004 at 1:36 pm
Dec 26, 2004, 12:05 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Manchester, United Kingdom
Programs: Hilton Gold, Priority Club Blue, SPG Gold, Sofitel Gold, FB Ivory, BA Blue
Posts: 8,481
International dollar and euro platinum cards are administered out of the UK (and have the same benefits as a UK card) so you might be able to apply for one of these. They are good for the Priority Pass and hotel benefits (not sure about the traval insurance though). You wouldn't want to use one of these cards to spend in China though as you'd be charged currency conversion on every transaction (unlike a Chinese issued card).
Dec 26, 2004, 9:59 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
Since you are a Danish citizen why don't you either use a friends address in Denmark or pay for a mailbox there. You can adminster the account over the web. There are plenty of Euro Amex cards you could use then.
Perhaps you could do the same in the US. But I don't know how easy it would be to get a card there without a US Social Security number.
Perhaps you could do the same in the US. But I don't know how easy it would be to get a card there without a US Social Security number.
Dec 27, 2004, 6:56 am
#5
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 595