Strategy to obtain US Amex

[DC3]

Just for a dp, ive applied my second amex using my US account and over the phone and got approved. They couldnt use my Aus address though. I had to give them Saratosa address. Does anyone know whether they will forward mails from fedEx ?

MyUS will accept mail that they receive by courier (e.g., DHL, FedEx, UPS). Then MyUS will forward it to Oz using your preferred shipping method. The problem is usually with non-courier mail (e.g, from the United States Postal Service) that is received at MyUS. As the higher-end cards are usually couriered from Amex, there should be no problem.

Your second card is the Bonvoy Brilliant. Yes?

Edited

 

[DC3]

Any suggestion on how to maximise $200 US restaurant credit with bonvoy amex? Can this be used in aus starbucks as well?

I’m using the current restaurant credit offer (11 months @ $20pm) on my Aspire card through my US Starbucks account. Did not work on my Oz Starbucks account.

And the US Starbucks account balance can be redeemed in Oz.

I haven’t been able to find any other way to use the US restaurants offer for my Aspire.

 

[snabbu]

Does anyone have the HSBC US Mastercard? I am trying to figure out whether it has a chip + paywave capability.

confirmed for both.

 

[mrsquare]

I got this email a few weeks back, Amex US must be sending something via mail to cardholders and they all getting bounced back from myUS, do anyone has the mail premium service from myUS that can shred some light on what the Amex mail is about?

Did you do anything about this in that end? I just got the same email and am wondering what to do.

 

[jonboixxx]

Wss just approved for Brilliant. Amex asked me to call and they said they needed to confirm I applied as it was the first time I used Itin even though I used Itin for a business card last year. Total limit is close to 40k now so no issue with going over 35k. Why cant all other banks be this easy?

Did you have AMEX presence prior?

 

[Finale]

Did you have AMEX presence prior?

I did. Got 5 cards now.

 

[ForestZ]

I did. Got 5 cards now.

Do you mind sharing what time you applied for each card including the business one? Shall we aim to have at least xx_ months for each new application? TIA

 

[Finale]

Do you mind sharing what time you applied for each card including the business one? Shall we aim to have at least xx_ months for each new application? TIA

April 2016 Gold card (cancelled)
September 2016 Platinum
March 2017 SPG card (bonvoy now)
July 2018 Hilton Aspire
July 2020 Bonvoy Business
March 2021 Bonvoy Brilliant

People sucessfully got 2 cards in a short time. You can apply for 2 cards with Amex in 90 days. If you only got your first card, I would say 6 months to get a second. After that, I would wait at least 3 months to apply. I know some people who got like 5 or 6 cards in one year but I think there is no need to rush. Amex limits to 4 credit cards these days and up to 10 charge cards I believe. You will run out of cards to apply. Doing it slow will help your credit score with average age of accounts.

 

[ForestZ]

April 2016 Gold card (cancelled)
September 2016 Platinum
March 2017 SPG card (bonvoy now)
July 2018 Hilton Aspire
July 2020 Bonvoy Business
March 2021 Bonvoy Brilliant

People sucessfully got 2 cards in a short time. You can apply for 2 cards with Amex in 90 days. If you only got your first card, I would say 6 months to get a second. After that, I would wait at least 3 months to apply. I know some people who got like 5 or 6 cards in one year but I think there is no need to rush. Amex limits to 4 credit cards these days and up to 10 charge cards I believe. You will run out of cards to apply. Doing it slow will help your credit score with average age of accounts.

Much appreciated. My situation is:
Aug 2020 Hilton Aspire (GT)
Feb 2021 Hilton Surpass (ITIN)
Considering Bonvoy Business before current promotion ends on 12 May or as you said no rush?

 

[Finale]

Much appreciated. My situation is:
Aug 2020 Hilton Aspire (GT)
Feb 2021 Hilton Surpass (ITIN)
Considering Bonvoy Business before current promotion ends on 12 May or as you said no rush?

You should be fine especially with Amex.

 

[albyd]

Just had a look at Bonvoy Business.looks interesting. I have the basic Bonvoy card after they converted my old SPG card.

can I convert it to Business to get the new signup or do I need to apply again? Do I need a business that’s operating in the US? I’m operating one in Australia.

 

[Finale]

Just had a look at Bonvoy Business.looks interesting. I have the basic Bonvoy card after they converted my old SPG card.

can I convert it to Business to get the new signup or do I need to apply again? Do I need a business that’s operating in the US? I’m operating one in Australia.

I don't think you can convert personal to business. Even if you can, you won't get bonus anyway. You will have to apply again. You don't really need a business. Apply as a sole proprietor (sole trader). Then you will get another 15 elite nights each year (30 nights if combined with basic card).

 

[jasonfungsing]

How can I apply the HSBC US Checking Account remotely? Anyone can share their experience on exact steps. Thanks in advance.

 

[albyd]

Have to set up with HSBC in Australia and qualify as Premier.

they can then share the international banking center’s phone number who can verify you’re Premier & help you set it up remotely.
It’s quite simple & qualifying for Premier is easier than previously.

 

[jasonfungsing]

I’m using the current restaurant credit offer (11 months @ $20pm) on my Aspire card through my US Starbucks account. Did not work on my Oz Starbucks account.

And the US Starbucks account balance can be redeemed in Oz.

I haven’t been able to find any other way to use the US restaurants offer for my Aspire.

Do you mind to share what you've done with this?

I've created an US Starbucks Account and loaded $20 with my Aspire card last night, very simple and easy. However, today I went to a Starbucks and ask to pay by the US Starbucks app, they scanned it but told me they can't find my membership. Not sure what happened, do I need to wait for a few days after I opened the US Starbucks account before I make the purchase with it?

Post automatically merged: Apr 24, 2021

Have to set up with HSBC in Australia and qualify as Premier.

they can then share the international banking center’s phone number who can verify you’re Premier & help you set it up remotely.
It’s quite simple & qualifying for Premier is easier than previously.

Thanks mate. Just checked the HSBC Premier, it's much easier to get now. Will contact them to upgrade my account to Premier. After I open the US HSBC account, are they able to ship the debit card directly or I need Myus?

 

[albyd]

They used my Australian address which matches my Australian profile. Takes a while to get your card. I opened mine during the pandemic though so might be a bit faster now.

When you’re assigned a US RM then you can ask them to facilitate getting you a US Premier MC which is fee free if you see any value in that. Mine is registered to my Australian address so not sure it’s part of my US FICO score calculations. Interested if someone can point me in the right direction to check the full listing of included credit cards much like you can get your full credit report in Australia.

 

[DC3]

Do you mind to share what you've done with this?

I've created an US Starbucks Account and loaded $20 with my Aspire card last night, very simple and easy. However, today I went to a Starbucks and ask to pay by the US Starbucks app, they scanned it but told me they can't find my membership. Not sure what happened, do I need to wait for a few days after I opened the US Starbucks account before I make the purchase with it? ....

I have only ever had issues at two Starbucks stores.

One was where the staff scanned the app but assumed that I was paying using Starbucks stars for some reason. I had no stars to use (and being a US account, could not be redeemed in Oz anyway). Once they realised that I was paying with my Starbucks balance, reprocessing resolved this.

The second problem arose when my account was not recognised on scanning the app. This was at a new store that had only opened that week. The manager advised that there was an IT issue that was still outstanding. Anyway, they provided the drinks at no charge.

By the way, I’ve had some staff tell me that as my Starbucks account is US-based (they can see that my balance is in USD), then it will not work in Oz. I then ask them to scan anyway, and lo and behold, it works. . However, in your case, the app was scanned.

I would suggest trying another store, if you have that option available. Maybe there was some sort of operator error. In any case, I find that adding credit to the account is applied immediately. There is no delay. So, if you added $20, then the Starbucks app will show the updated balance within several seconds, showing your ($20) balance.

Edit: If no joy, then perhaps need to contact Starbucks Customer Service

 

[albyd]

I don't think you can convert personal to business. Even if you can, you won't get bonus anyway. You will have to apply again. You don't really need a business. Apply as a sole proprietor (sole trader). Then you will get another 15 elite nights each year (30 nights if combined with basic card).

I was just on the website now. When I applied for the Green, it asked me if I was an existing member so I could log in and it would pre-populate the application. Doesn't seem to be doing this for the Bonvoy Business. It asks for a SSN or ITIN. I didn't have to provide these for my second card the Green (I got SPG - now Basic Bonvoy) via GT. My last attempt at getting an ITIN didn't go so well and was a waste of time.

 

[snabbu]

Thanks mate. Just checked the HSBC Premier, it's much easier to get now. Will contact them to upgrade my account to Premier. After I open the US HSBC account, are they able to ship the debit card directly or I need Myus?

My HSBC US cards were sent to me in AU before leaving for US. This was prior to the pandemic.

 

[ithongy]

I was just on the website now. When I applied for the Green, it asked me if I was an existing member so I could log in and it would pre-populate the application. Doesn't seem to be doing this for the Bonvoy Business. It asks for a SSN or ITIN. I didn't have to provide these for my second card the Green (I got SPG - now Basic Bonvoy) via GT. My last attempt at getting an ITIN didn't go so well and was a waste of time.

there is a massive backlog of people applying for ITIN, IRS also sending out heaps of stimulus checks, IRS is in serious backlog of work.