Strategy to obtain US Amex

[maverick1]

For the Gold personal card?

Hard to use the Uber credit outside of the US (the $10 is added to the Uber account but blocked from use when not in the US. If you are in the US, use it for either Uber Eats or to pay for an Uber One membership. I'm sure you may know that if you attempt to cancel the Uber One membership after several weeks you may be offered a reduced rate to keep it. I was offered $4 USD/month for 4 months - YMMV. I find Doordash way better in both the US and Oz, particularly with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Dashpass

Dunkin Credit - Create a Dunkin account (or download the US app) and load in $7 worth of gift cards to your account each month. This way you have a large credit balance to spend when/if you eventually visit the US. Think you can do the same for Cheesecake factory/Five Guys (haven't tried it),

Resy credit: can also be used in Hong Kong/Japan/Mexico if you're not visiting the US. I've found the selection of restaurants very poor compared to competitor programs like OpenTable

I recently got the Personal Gold.
For the $120 credit if you are thinking of buying GC then I think the only one you can buy is Goldbelly as other's are processed by 3rd party. Plenty of DP on reddit etc....

 

[nerdinary]

While it doesn't have all the benefits of the Schwab One account you can open a Schwab brokerage account which comes with a Visa Debit card that refunds ATM fees. https://international.schwab.com/brokerage-account

The visa debit card isn't issued for AU residents.

 

[djchuckles]

For the Gold personal card?

Hard to use the Uber credit outside of the US (the $10 is added to the Uber account but blocked from use when not in the US. If you are in the US, use it for either Uber Eats or to pay for an Uber One membership. I'm sure you may know that if you attempt to cancel the Uber One membership after several weeks you may be offered a reduced rate to keep it. I was offered $4 USD/month for 4 months - YMMV. I find Doordash way better in both the US and Oz, particularly with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Dashpass

Dunkin Credit - Create a Dunkin account (or download the US app) and load in $7 worth of gift cards to your account each month. This way you have a large credit balance to spend when/if you eventually visit the US. Think you can do the same for Cheesecake factory/Five Guys (haven't tried it),

Resy credit: can also be used in Hong Kong/Japan/Mexico if you're not visiting the US. I've found the selection of restaurants very poor compared to competitor programs like OpenTable

I tried the dunkin option but care always failed

Post automatically merged: Tuesday at 3:17 PM

Has anyone seen a SUB for the plat biz card that is <=15K?

Danny deal guru has one but it didn’t work for me

 

[WeeWillyWonka]

I tried the dunkin option but care always failed

Post automatically merged: Tuesday at 3:17 PM

Danny deal guru has one but it didn’t work for me

I’ve read that it can work if you add the card to Apple Pay and then purchase via the app that way. Mine works but I started doing it in the US and guess it’s continued for me in Oz

 

[djchuckles]

I’ve read that it can work if you add the card to Apple Pay and then purchase via the app that way. Mine works but I started doing it in the US and guess it’s continued for me in Oz

Tried that - will try again

 

[blacksultan]

Many thanks for the Circle Line tip. How many days did you stay in NYC this time ?

It is good to know that the banks did not ask for utility bills, as i was wondering if i should subscribe to Google Fi just to generate a utility bill Anyway, i will open some banks accounts when i first land in San Francisco (Looking at Chase, Wells Fargo and BofA at the moment) Let us know how you go with the Citi checking account (I am still undecided about opening an account with Citi, as i have come across so many negative comments about Citi)

By the way, i highly recommend Tello if you want to dump Textnow. (I have both, but i much prefer Tello)

Is Google-fi bill accepted as a utlilty bill by all or most banks ?

 

[desafinado74]

Is Google-fi bill accepted as a utlilty bill by all or most banks ?

It worked for this Canadian guy

Opening US Bank Accounts for Canadians | Frugal Flyer

Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how to open Chase & Bank of America accounts as a Canadian.

frugalflyer.ca

 

[QF_Flyer]

Sorry to reserruct an old post - but can you advise where in AwardWallet this shows?

It's long gone, it worked for a few months after disappearing from the Amex App, but no longer.

 

[WeeWillyWonka]

Tried that - will try again

Went through to check the process again doing the following:

1. Downloaded the Dunkin app from the US Apple App Store.

2. Created account using billing address for personal gold Amex, had VPN doing this.

3. Added gold Amex to Apple Pay on my Aussie phone.

4. Bought $7 Dunkin card within the app, paid with Apple Pay. Important, even though it’s showing as a US Amex card on my Aussie iPhone, my Australian address was showing listed next to the gold card, so I manually changed the billing address to my US card.

5. Transaction successful

 

[djchuckles]

Went through to check the process again doing the following:

1. Downloaded the Dunkin app from the US Apple App Store.

2. Created account using billing address for personal gold Amex, had VPN doing this.

3. Added gold Amex to Apple Pay on my Aussie phone.

4. Bought $7 Dunkin card within the app, paid with Apple Pay. Important, even though it’s showing as a US Amex card on my Aussie iPhone, my Australian address was showing listed next to the gold card, so I manually changed the billing address to my US card.

5. Transaction successful

I had another crack today and it also worked - thanks

 

[albyd]

I’m just in my way back from NY and catching up on everything. I thought my experience might be interesting to some.

I went to get my non driver ID so I could have another crack at applying with C1. Unfort I went on the wrong day though they checked and said my AU passport and HSBC US statement showing my NY address would have worked to get it.

I applied for a Citi checking account in branch and will look to meet the activity criteria to get the $325 bonus (the others were too high a commitment for me and I felt the FX risk might not be covered by the bonus. They would only let me open this account in branch even tho I’m already a Citi customer so good to tick this off.

I also went into a Chase branch and opened a checking account with $300 bonus so I’ll work on getting that when I get home.

The banker did tell me that they don’t accept the NY ID card so not sure if that also means C1 won’t.

I applied for CSP in branch and have the banker that helped me trying to push it through. Will be good to get it this time so the Ink business cards are then on my radar. Please remind me which Ink card is the one to get now?

Hope my experience is helpful.

I've had an update to my situation:
Chase:

• My Chase CSP was approved on Saturday morning AEST. I took a punt and called them this morning after the banker at the branch called me.
  • They unlocked my online banking - they claim I'd entered the wrong password 3x.
  • iPhone app works, website still asks me to call in - I think I'll wait until I get my card - wasn't using VPN for either app or website.
• Was told my initial deposit from my AMEX checking wasn't going to unlock the $300 bonus. It needs to be a govt benefit or payroll payment and apparently, they can tell. Interested if there are experiences of it working otherwise here and how you did it.
• I was impressed; I was able to add my new CSP to ApplePay. Is it best to use it for a US purchase in the first instance and then for AU purchases while I'm "travelling"? What challenges like fraud blocks have others come across with Chase? This is my first experience with them so want it to go smoothly.

Citi:

• Have resent my ATM card but to AU as I told them I'm traveling to visit relatives and they will send it there. FedEx refused to deliver it to my US address as they said it was a commercial facility. I'm assuming future cards will be delivered by Mail so I think all should be ok.
• I think they might have the wrong number for me which is why I'm not getting the security codes so I'll try again to register for online banking and otherwise contact them to check on this. Could just be TextNow but I did get a code to authorise a purchase on CC I completed over the weekend.
• I've been looking into Tello as suggested to me here. I've built up a reasonable credit with my $3/month T-Mobile plan. My Googling reveals prepaid credit is not refundable so I might need to write that off - I can get security codes of all types to it having said that.
• Just checking Tello is ok to receive automated as well as call center-initiated security text and I can use it on Wi-Fi calling in AU? This is my only issue with TextNow - automated texts go through (eg Chase is fine though not for when the call center does it) but not those initiated from call center agents.

I'll stop here - this post has become longer than I'd first intended - I hope my experiences will help others.

 

[georgie23]

• Was told my initial deposit from my AMEX checking wasn't going to unlock the $300 bonus. It needs to be a govt benefit or payroll payment and apparently, they can tell. Interested if there are experiences of it working otherwise here and how you did it.

I got a $300 SoFi bonus and used a Wise transfer and in the description wrote “Payroll DD” there were DP on DOC that it worked and it worked for me - might be worth a try

• Just checking Tello is ok to receive automated as well as call center-initiated security text and I can use it on Wi-Fi calling in AU? This is my only issue with TextNow - automated texts go through (eg Chase is fine though not for when the call center does it) but not those initiated from call center

I have got calls on my Tello number from bank call centres with no issue and wifi calling works everywhere in world I have been

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 10:36 AM

[Extended] Chase $900 Checking + Savings Bonus - Doctor Of Credit

Targeted: Chase is offering a checking & savings bonus: $300 checking bonus, $200 savings bonus. Additional $400 bonus if you do both for $900 total

www.doctorofcredit.com

The comments may give you some clues as to what will work to trigger the bonus

 

[albyd]

I have got calls on my Tello number from bank call centres with no issue and wifi calling works everywhere in world I have been

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 10:36 AM

[Extended] Chase $900 Checking + Savings Bonus - Doctor Of Credit

Targeted: Chase is offering a checking & savings bonus: $300 checking bonus, $200 savings bonus. Additional $400 bonus if you do both for $900 total

www.doctorofcredit.com

Hi @georgie23 thanks for sharing your experiences and the links - I'll have a read during the day. Were you also able to receive text messages initiated by the call center Agents (I seem to have noticed eg Chase texts sent automatically come through to TextNow but not those initiated by a call center). Having said that, I might stick to my $3/month T-Mobile service though everyone has my TextNow number. Dilemmas. Can I port my TextNow number to T-Mobile prepaid to replace the T-Mobile number?

 

[nthd_nthd]

Submitted bank statements and Australian pay slips; they were accepted without comment.

I asked if Australian pay slips accepted and they said No to me when I went thru Financial Review. But they accepted US Bank statements and reviews based on deposit on 2 most current months.

 

[georgie23]

I don’t have Chase yet so can’t specifically comment on Chase but have got texts from the banks I use (HSBC, Amex, SoFi, Alliant, credit agencies etc) - I have not run into any situation that I haven’t got a message, some of those have been during a call and to verify but maybe someone with Chase and Tello can add experience

 

[nthd_nthd]

And What's your experience with receiving verification texts from US Financial Institutions including where it's manually sent e.g. by a call center Agent trying to verify you (like I said, TextNow works for Chase automated texts but didn't work when the call center agent tried to send me a code).

Tello is working for me with Amex, Chase, Cap 1, HSBC, WellsFargo.

 

[levelnine]

I asked if Australian pay slips accepted and they said No to me when I went thru Financial Review. But they accepted US Bank statements and reviews based on deposit on 2 most current months.

The point is not to ask, but rather submit and see what they say.

 

[olorinn]

I don’t have Chase yet so can’t specifically comment on Chase but have got texts from the banks I use (HSBC, Amex, SoFi, Alliant, credit agencies etc) - I have not run into any situation that I haven’t got a message, some of those have been during a call and to verify but maybe someone with Chase and Tello can add experience

Chase seem to block their verification team sending texts to any pre-paid number, they've never been able to send one to my T-mobile number even though other Chase notification texts work. No such issue with Amex. Usually they'll use the challenge questions or lately send a code to the app to complete verification.

 

[levelnine]

Can I port my TextNow number to T-Mobile prepaid to replace the T-Mobile number?

Yes, chat with TextNow support to get your port out code.

 

[djchuckles]

I've had an update to my situation:
Chase:

• My Chase CSP was approved on Saturday morning AEST. I took a punt and called them this morning after the banker at the branch called me.
  • They unlocked my online banking - they claim I'd entered the wrong password 3x.
  • iPhone app works, website still asks me to call in - I think I'll wait until I get my card - wasn't using VPN for either app or website.
• Was told my initial deposit from my AMEX checking wasn't going to unlock the $300 bonus. It needs to be a govt benefit or payroll payment and apparently, they can tell. Interested if there are experiences of it working otherwise here and how you did it.
• I was impressed; I was able to add my new CSP to ApplePay. Is it best to use it for a US purchase in the first instance and then for AU purchases while I'm "travelling"? What challenges like fraud blocks have others come across with Chase? This is my first experience with them so want it to go smoothly.

Citi:

• Have resent my ATM card but to AU as I told them I'm traveling to visit relatives and they will send it there. FedEx refused to deliver it to my US address as they said it was a commercial facility. I'm assuming future cards will be delivered by Mail so I think all should be ok.
• I think they might have the wrong number for me which is why I'm not getting the security codes so I'll try again to register for online banking and otherwise contact them to check on this. Could just be TextNow but I did get a code to authorise a purchase on CC I completed over the weekend.
• I've been looking into Tello as suggested to me here. I've built up a reasonable credit with my $3/month T-Mobile plan. My Googling reveals prepaid credit is not refundable so I might need to write that off - I can get security codes of all types to it having said that.
• Just checking Tello is ok to receive automated as well as call center-initiated security text and I can use it on Wi-Fi calling in AU? This is my only issue with TextNow - automated texts go through (eg Chase is fine though not for when the call center does it) but not those initiated from call center agents.

I'll stop here - this post has become longer than I'd first intended - I hope my experiences will help others.

Have had no issues with Tello but I’m only Amex and HSBC. Use it regularly for calls in and out (wifi calling)

Make sure you grab a referral code from someone here if you sign up….. (pm if you need one)

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 11:07 AM

I don’t have Chase yet so can’t specifically comment on Chase but have got texts from the banks I use (HSBC, Amex, SoFi, Alliant, credit agencies etc) - I have not run into any situation that I haven’t got a message, some of those have been during a call and to verify but maybe someone with Chase and Tello can add experience

I couldn’t get through the sign up process for SoFi or Alliant. Any tips?