Strategy to obtain US Amex

[DC3]

This was in Miami.

Just a nice drive from Sarasota, where you probably live

 

[http_x92]

To clarify the GT method still works for applicants who currently dont have a SSN/ITIN. Looks like only Nova Credit was affected.

Will consider getting 'Bonvoyed' sometime next year! Adding to what I have with Hilton... although you can argue there is a big overlap as they are the biggest compeition with each other. YMMV...

 

[Viridis]

For anyone with HSBC premier US, I recently applied via my US RM and got approved for HSBC Premier Credit card which comes with 35k points SUB (3k spend) and no AF. Not something to get excited about but I wanted to get it anyways as my options are currently limited. I put my AU address for card delivery and it has been shipped via DHL.
The points can be transferred to 11 hotel and airline partners including Qantas

Aug has been hectic - got 2 Amex Biz and 1 HSBC personal. I hope to stay under 5/24 to be eligible for chase cards some day.

I have been wanting to do that with my UK HSBC Premier account. I tried going through my Australian RM manager but it was like swimming in treacle.

Did you phone or email your US RM? How did you identify them? The UK website doesn’t seem to offer an individual name & email like the Australian website does. Was your US account set up through the IBC?

Did you go through the usual hu-ha of income verification, payslips expenses etc or something more enlightened? Did they accept your Australian credentials & income etc?

Any info & advice would be appreciated

 

[albyd]

IME personally, I joined before HSBC US was sold & I could get through to an RM at the time. I asked for the Premier card. He sent me a form to sign and I received one not long later. Had a decent credit limit & I didn’t need to supply any financial info. I think now I'm encourages to call the dedicated call center which is fine for me - I hardly need to contact them.

Re UK Premier - I found I couldn't get the UK Premier card as a foreigner but could via HSBC Expat Premier - they source them from HSBC UK. It wasn't quite as generous as HSBC US but worked. YMMV.

 

[velli25]

For the HSBC AU premier - does a bank transfer into the account then back out count as meeting the monthly minimum transfer of $9000 ?

 

[blacksultan]

For the HSBC AU premier - does a bank transfer into the account then back out count as meeting the monthly minimum transfer of $9000 ?

Yes

 

[_TheTraveller_]

Any thoughts on the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business card? Is it worth pick up?

3 FNC for 6k spend in 6 months

 

[maverick1]

I have been wanting to do that with my UK HSBC Premier account. I tried going through my Australian RM manager but it was like swimming in treacle.

Did you phone or email your US RM? How did you identify them? The UK website doesn’t seem to offer an individual name & email like the Australian website does. Was your US account set up through the IBC?

Did you go through the usual hu-ha of income verification, payslips expenses etc or something more enlightened? Did they accept your Australian credentials & income etc?

Any info & advice would be appreciated

Ya, I found the RM concept overseas bit different. I never got a welcome email from my US RM like I did from my AU RM. To get in touch with my US RM, I contacted the support via chat and asked them I would like to talk/know my RM regarding a CC they first suggested to apply for it online, but I politely refused saying I need to discuss with them. I was then given a link to book a meeting with "a" RM. The earliest meeting slot If I can recall correctly was around 10:30/45 PM AEST. The link they gave me looks a generic meeting link that you need to fill in - Customer booking

On the call - they didn't ask much - first they will verify you, I was asked to log into my phone app for verification post that a few questions on what card I'm after, where I'm currently located and asked if I have a existing card with HSBC AU, they said that usually helps. He didn't ask for my AU card details. Post call I was sent a 2 page form asking about income and expenses. I basically put US equi of my AU earnings/expenses. I didn't hear from them for over a week and then later when I logged in to online banking I found a credit card listed in my profile. I wasn't sent any email regarding the new card/approval etc. In the application form, I supplied my AU add instead of US and hence the card was shipped to AU.

 

[maverick1]

Any thoughts on the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business card? Is it worth pick up?

3 FNC for 6k spend in 6 months

I got this recently, but personally the use case for 3FNC is hard for my upcoming travel plan and they have 1 year validity so I'm going to meet the min spend over the next few months while I figure out the best use. If you have a specific redemption in mind then its good value and you can also add 15k points to book hotel worth 65k/night. It is touted as a keeper card by many bloggers as it gives FNC worth 35k points/yr on renewal and the 15 reward nights earned on the biz card can be stacked with 15/25 reward nights earned on the personal incase you are chasing a specific status or working towards lifetime status. Think it's easy to use these in US or Asia vs Europe/AU.

 

[Viridis]

@maverick1 Thanks. Great detailed info’. Much appreciated

 

[Viridis]

Re UK Premier - I found I couldn't get the UK Premier card as a foreigner but could via HSBC Expat Premier - they source them from HSBC UK. It wasn't quite as generous as HSBC US but worked. YMMV.

Thanks, I too have the World Elite through the Expat; was just hoping to move it to the local UK account

I have closed the Expat account and my Mastercard is up for renewal in January; just wondering if they’ll not honour the renewal if I no longer have an Expat account. Do you have any experience with this?

 

[albyd]

I don't personally and not planning to change as Expat meets my very limited needs (I just wanted the Premier Credit card lol). Interested if I can cross the channel back to the UK and get to migrate the existing Card issued through Expat with HSBC UK.

 

[desafinado74]

I was just wondering, if you don't use your US credit cards for a few months to a long time (ie. A year or two) , would it affect your US credit score negatively?

 

[DC3]

I was just wondering, if you don't use your US credit cards for a few months to a long time (ie. A year or two) , would it affect your US credit score negatively?

FICO Scores are calculated using different pieces of credit data in your credit report. This data is grouped into five categories: payment history (35%), amounts owed (30%), length of credit history (15%), new credit (10%) and credit mix (10%).

So, sock drawering may not unduly affect your credit score, maybe actually improve it.

However, some card issuers may not take kindly to this if you plan to apply for new card offers in case you are seen as only chasing the bonus offers (I.e., ending up in pop-up jail)

Edited

 

[desafinado74]

FICO Scores are calculated using different pieces of credit data in your credit report. This data is grouped into five categories: payment history (35%), amounts owed (30%), length of credit history (15%), new credit (10%) and credit mix (10%).

So, sock drawering may not unduly affect your credit score, maybe actually improve it.

However, some card issuers may not take kindly to this if you plan to apply for new card offers in case you are seen as only chasing the bonus offers

Many thanks for the helpful reply.

 

[albyd]

The way I see it, if you're not using them at all, they're at risk of being closed for inactivity so I usually take them all to the supermarket and put $A1 through each of them to generate some activity once a year to reset that process. Otherwise, I try to use only a handful regularly so there isn't that much to track (I only use my AMEX AU Charge card and my US Citi MC where AMEX isn't accepted and it's a bonus category merchant as my daily drivers).

 

[desafinado74]

The way I see it, if you're not using them at all, they're at risk of being closed for inactivity so I usually take them all to the supermarket and put $A1 through each of them to generate some activity once a year to reset that process. Otherwise, I try to use only a handful regularly so there isn't that much to track (I only use my AMEX AU Charge card and my US Citi MC where AMEX isn't accepted and it's a bonus category merchant as my daily drivers).

Ah I see ! Yeah I have two cards which have no annual fees. So far I have
been using them to build up my credit score , by donating to US based charities ( Just $5 at a time ) I was just wondering what would happen if I don't use them for a long period.

 

[albyd]

I know with AU cards, that happened once particularly with Macquarie - they had cancelled one when they'd split them for me from the "Black" Visa to the Hilton Card when it was on sale. I ended up with 2 "Black" cards after the Hilton product was withdrawn and they cancelled one. I ended up threatening to go to AFCA. They ended up reinstating it and paying me $500 compensation - that was a very pragmatic result (would've cost them $10K to go to AFCA regardless of whose side AFCA ruled). I've closed them both now as needed to for my home loan refinance but shame I had to get to that point - now I try to put some nominal activity through all my cards - especially the non-AU cards. YMMV.

 

[desafinado74]

I know with AU cards, that happened once particularly with Macquarie - they had cancelled one when they'd split them for me from the "Black" Visa to the Hilton Card when it was on sale. I ended up with 2 "Black" cards after the Hilton product was withdrawn and they cancelled one. I ended up threatening to go to AFCA. They ended up reinstating it and paying me $500 compensation - that was a very pragmatic result (would've cost them $10K to go to AFCA regardless of whose side AFCA ruled). I've closed them both now as needed to for my home loan refinance but shame I had to get to that point - now I try to put some nominal activity through all my cards - especially the non-AU cards. YMMV.

The Macquarie Hilton card was actually a decent card. Pity there are no hotel co branded cards in Australia.

 

[albyd]

I've recently had a successful application for the AMEX US Gold Card thanks again to @SWFR's link. I have a Green Card and a Bonvoy "basic" card.

I think the Green works well for me. I'm tempted to take the upgrade offer from Green to Platinum for 100K MR points. I figure with the $A down so low and the fees I'll incur to meet the SUB qualifying spend, it will work out to 1.2cpp which I think is pretty pedestrian but ...

Just seeking an opinion, if I do this, spend on the Gold and then downgrade the Platinum back down to Green in a year and cancel the Gold as Green more closely meets my needs, are there any issues I need to be mindful of and is this otherwise a workable strategy?

TIA for your help