Raffles

The 10m is 80% in Amex MR, so I have huge flexibility where they end up.

And, worse case scenario, Amex will give me 0.45p in cash for them for travel use and 0.4p for general use.

Jasper2009

Very broadly speaking, I would say: US 9.5 / Canada: 5 / UK: 4.5 / Germany: 4

But it really depends on what sort of mileage accumulation we´re talking about:

- ability to churn credit cards: almost endless opportunities in the US, maybe 3-4 CCs in Canada, 1-2 CCs in UK, none in Germany afaik (also the US is the only country where applying for >10 CCs per year won´t ruin your credit score)

- miles/points earnt per $ spent on the CC: US wins, but not a huge difference between countries

- ability to generate miles for free (the mint, Vanilla cards etc.): exist almost exclusively in the US

- ability to earn bonus points at retailers / at a reasonable cpm rate: there certainly are/were some good opportunities outside the US (e.g. Tesco points in the UK, M&M points for Telekom contracts in Germany)

- ability to buy points/miles: usually not restricted to any country (Lifemiles, US DM, IHG points etc.)

- hotel and airline bonus miles/points promotions: while sometimes only available in some markets, I think non-US residents have (almost) as many opportunities

If we just include "earning miles for free" the US clearly wins.

If we also include "earning miles at a (very) reasonable cpm rate" good value opportunities certainly are available anywhere, e.g.

- earn BA Silver status from one EU - West Coast business class roundtrip; holiday fares are often <2000Euros; combine with (bi-)annual 30k bonus miles promos = 60k miles + up to 2 years of status + the actual flight for <2k isn´t a bad deal IMO

- the AA EXP status challenge in 2013

- I earnt 540k bonus miles (+ 70k regular miles) from the Air Canada Earn Your Wings promotion last year; total cost was <3500Euros (3 Y round-trips EU - Canada/US upgraded to C)

Calchas

I think the "1–2 in the UK" figure is a bit pessimistic. I've applied for two since the beginning of January :P

Last year I churned through three cards, and obtained two for permanent use. This was not a serious activity (I was away for several months for starters); serious churners could go through many more I am sure. I was declined for three cards at various points in the year. It is true that many card issuers take a dimmer view of churning than perhaps they do in the US.

Perhaps the UK's very popular 3V -> NS&I route has now been closed, but there will be a new way to make free miles in good time. There exist other manufactured spend routes for a small outlay.

Wayfahrer

There is a dedicated Australian frequent flyer board, a German one (two, actually), the US one is obviously called FlyerTalk. Is there a UK dedicated miles forum? Other than here you talk Off Topic in the British Airways branch, which is not ideal.

Jasper2009

It´s been my understanding that you can sometimes re-apply for some credit cards and get the bonus miles again if sufficient time has passed, you actually used the previous CC and the CC issuer is somewhat agressive in handing out the CC, but the "apply, fulfill minimum spend and put card in draw, cancel, re-apply 6-12 months later, get approved without any issues" routine rarely works in the UK. If I´m mistaken, please feel free to correct me.

Calchas

Works fine with all Amex-issued cards, at least, no-one has complained when I try. Raffles seems to have inside knowledge and positively endorses the activity.

Other banks, yes, they take a different line on it. Recently we seem to have seen a lot of new "premium" cards coming out to compete, so this has offered some respite.

Wayfahrer

Find a charity which flies children with a serious illnesses to nice places, for example.

Wayfahrer

Nice. How many years' hard work it is?

If you refer to this post on your blog: http://www.headforpoints.com/2013/05...-spend-expert/
I read it later.

Comment under your post: I have already had 3 phone calls from the fraud depts of different companies and from MBNA asking me what’s going on with the 3Vs. They were easy enough to satisfy and even vaguely amused at the explanation. 2 of them were all ears actually and clearly going to try it for themselves.
Okay.

And Jasper 2009 only gave this opportunity 4.5 points out of 10. :P

At this point I wouldn't mind at least transiting through the country once in a while.

Wayfahrer

Question about applying for credit cards in the UK (once you have credit): I read the whole credit story in many ways is similar to the US situation. But you don't have SSN in the UK. So in most cases do you have to send paper documents as proof of ID to the various credit card companies or they simply pull your data from some database(s such as your address) and that's it?

Just to check Eligibility for a random UK card:

• I am aged 18 or over
• I have a current UK bank or building society account
• I have a permanent UK home address
• I have a household income of at least £X
• I have no history of bad debt
• And if self-employed, I have been working for more than one year

Jasper2009

I wasn´t commenting on this opportunity in particular.

It also used to be quite easy to earn >100k miles for free - or to be more precise: while actually earning money - per year in Germany, but Germany still doesn´t get a high rating in my books.

Calchas

What do you mean, "once you have credit"? Just because you are approved for one credit card does not mean you will be approved for any more.

For the first credit card at a new address, your identity is proved by submitting a certified copy of your passport or similar document. You also (usually) need to prove you reside at the address you claim by submitting a utility bill or local tax bill with your name and address on it.

Once you are approved by one company, this appears in your credit record and other card companies (usually) do not need to see documents.

That is pretty standard for every UK card.

Wayfahrer

Once you are approved for your first student credit card or whatnot. Yes, you build step by step.

Yeah. Pretty standard. Thank for the info.

Wayfahrer

Anyone has any solution for this? In general what might be considered good value to spend on hotel stays versus flights? I Googled the forum to no avail.

And this too. No one cares about a UK-centric frequent flyer forum?

Thanks.

Raffles

There is one, but it is strictly invitation only.

There is a public forum, V Flyer, focussed on Virgin.

But this is a global industry. The hotel chains are all the same, so the FT hotel forums work fine. BA is the dominant UK airline and FT covers that. My site covers 'the topics of the day' in what is effectively a controlled forum.

I would have added one to Head for Points if I thought it was worthwhile, but it isn't.

:D!

You are very unlikely to get a UK credit card unless you are on the electoral roll (which is open to Commonwealth citizens only - which does not include most EU countries). If your credit report is accurate and you are on the electoral roll, you will probably not be asked to submit ID if you apply online, unless your card provider wants ID from all customers (e.g. building societies and former BSes).

If you have an existing relationship with a bank they may be prepared to give you a card without conducting an additional credit check (e.g. Lloyds, Halifax) after about 6 months of using their current account in a way they like. You will of course have had to submit ID when opening the current account.

I am only aware of 2 companies who will open a credit card account for someone not resident in the UK - Amex via Global Transfer and HSBC Premier. If your ID is found electronically then you could lie on the forms and apply without being resident.