Get a good Australia and New Zealand business class flight deal on Singapore Airlines

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• Neil says:

  22 Jan22 January 13:21

  For money transfers I’ve used WorldFirst and Transferwise but these days I think there are even comparison sites that let you find the best rates based on currency and amount etc.

  For (1) remember that as far as American banks and credit cards are concerned your wife does not exist and even with a SSN she will have no history.
  Her employer may be able to help with a bank account and maybe a corporate credit card which will help and assume they are also helping with tax returns and the visas needed etc.
  Can even help to get a driving license even if she never intends to drive or have a car – the test is not usually that difficult to pass

  • Simon says:

    22 Jan22 January 21:56

    Thanks a lot, Neil!

• Peter K says:

  22 Jan22 January 13:44

  I’ve read on here that Amex can port your credit history with them to other countries. Maybe worth looking at that?

  • idrive says:

    22 Jan22 January 13:53

    It is true and automatic (if you apply in another country, the card will read member from xx, the year you joined Amex). But if you discuss it with them, they will help with opening a card prior to your departure.
    I guess the point of the question here is about which card is the best for accumulation and probably the best offers come from banks.

    • simon says:

      22 Jan22 January 21:57

      idrive, likewise many thanks.

  • Simon says:

    22 Jan22 January 21:58

    Thanks, Andrew

• Dace says:

  22 Jan22 January 13:44

  Can you credit Singapore to Virgin? If so, how many tier points would I be looking at for a return?

  • idrive says:

    22 Jan22 January 13:54

    it seems like someone just did it, read it today in one of the comments

  • Rob says:

    22 Jan22 January 14:18

    There is a page on the VS website if you Google. Lists it all out by fare class.

• The Savage Squirrel says:

  22 Jan22 January 13:52

  I’ve used CurrencyFair for a lot of movements. You can choose to put your offer on the exchange system – I just put just to my side of the middle of the spot rate and it always gets filled (as its presumably close to the best offer on Earth at that second in a hugely liquid market.) so I lose literally nothing to fX spread. Also lets you have a de facto bank account in pretty much any common currency from which to transfer out as you wish. For moving significant sums I can’t find anything to beat it

  • Simon says:

    22 Jan22 January 21:58

    SS, that’s great to know and I appreciate it. All the best

• Aston100 says:

  22 Jan22 January 15:07

  O/T: if cancelling a gold preferred rewards credit card just before the renewal is about to kick in, can you simply re-apply for a new card with the 1st year fee waived again?
  Appreciate you won’t get a signup bonus. Just curious about the annual fee waiving.
  Thanks.

  • Rob says:

    22 Jan22 January 16:37

    Yes (but I’d give it a month or so). Or just switch to an Amex Rewards Credit Card.

  • Secret Squirrel says:

    22 Jan22 January 17:34

    Take it you have not hit your 15k annual spend target for the bonus?

• Newbie A says:

  22 Jan22 January 15:09

  Hi,

  I took a job in the US a few of years ago and have recently moved back. Here is my experience:
  – Chase will not give you a credit card without one year of credit history, I wasted so many dings on my credit report on this.
  – Citi – i think wanted even longer history, I got a card with them i think 2 years in
  – Amex has something call global transfer??? When I did this, I had to be a primary holder of a UK amex, you call the US help desk they will use your UK credit history to open an amex for you. once i did that i closed my Uk amex (so i would be eligible for bonus when i was back in the uk). once i got a us amex i can easily open other us amex. i don’t recall needing my social security number to open it. but i remember giving it to my bank asap so my credit history can start.

  i was there for several years, given the chase 5/24 rule, i opened 3 amex and waited out the year so i can get chase cards. the us have extra bonus offers all the time, i wished i opened my first card when there was a higher bonus but then i would miss out all the spend.

  hope this helps, i spent soooo much time googling before i went to the us, there is very little info on points strategy for people moving from UK to US. i pieced it all together and wasted some dings on my credit report. i tried to suggest to rob to write an article about it but i guess it won’t apply to most people.

  i’m so excited to get to share my knowledge 😉

  • Simon says:

    22 Jan22 January 22:04

    Thanks so much for this, Newbie A — that is massively insightful and much appreciated. Thank you

• Liam says:

  22 Jan22 January 16:41

  I moved from the UK to the US last year so have a little recent experience of this. My advice is for your wife to use the Amex Global Transfer service and sign up for a US Amex. She’ll be able to open one card and lack of credit history won’t matter. Importantly, you can still keep any UK Amex cards open while you hold a US one. The earning partners are largely the same, although the US cards (that earn MR points) also transfer to Aeroplan, which can open up some good-value redemptions on United and other Star Alliance carriers. You can move MR points from a UK account to the US at the current exchange rate (I moved ~100,000 points to the US where they became ~130,000) but you can only transfer once a year.

  There are also a number of co-brand options with Hilton, Marriott, and Delta that are worth exploring. The most expensive cards tend to have some good perks and if you can make use of them they bring down the cost of the card considerably. I have an Amex Platinum here which cost $550 but comes with $200 of Uber credit and $200 off incidental airline fees (the latter is done on a calendar-year basis so you effectively get it twice during your first year of holding the card). $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit and Global Entry credit are also useful, particularly if that’s money you would have spent anyway. Marriott/Hilton status included like the UK card. The other high-end Amex cards will have similar perks so take a look at them all and decide which will be most useful.

  Lack of credit history may put paid to the idea of getting it, but the Hyatt card is interesting because each $5,000 spent on it counts as two qualifying nights towards status.

  • Simon says:

    22 Jan22 January 22:06

    Liam, that’s hugely helpful and I’m very grateful the advice.

• Heathrow Flyer says:

  22 Jan22 January 16:49

  OT: Free Destinations – Holiday and Travel Show (Olympia 31 Jan – 2 Feb) tickets use code EXSILFER on SeeTickets

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