International Card Usage

[jon22guitar]

Hey guys. I've been thinking about moving abroad to France or another Euro country.
Any idea if I could permanently use my Chase Sapphire Preferred and Barclay Arrival + WMCE so I can continue reaping the rewards?
Is this a bad idea to even consider since there's a tiny fee converting whatever foreign currency to US Dollars when using the card?

You guys never cease to amaze me. Thanks for any help and advice.

[rlx01]

Perfectly fine.

However none of these cards are Chip + PIN first, so you're going to feel inconvenienced in that regard.

The Arrival+ does support PIN so that's better than the CSP.

You should apply for an Amex now if you haven't done so. You can then use Amex Global Transfer to get an Amex in Europe and establish your credit.

Credit is hard to get in some parts of Europe, especially for new immigrants.

[longtimelurker]

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@rlx01 wrote:
Perfectly fine.

However none of these cards are Chip + PIN first, so you're going to feel inconvenienced in that regard.

The Arrival+ does support PIN so that's better than the CSP.

You should apply for an Amex now if you haven't done so. You can then use Amex Global Transfer to get an Amex in Europe and establish your credit.

Credit is hard to get in some parts of Europe, especially for new immigrants.

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The fee is round about 1%, so not tiny, but bearable.  Cap One used to (and maybe still do) reverse that, making them the cheapest.

The other thing to consider is where you income comes from.   If you are getting paid locally, you can get hit by exchange rate fees when refreshing your US bank account.   (You would be buying in Euros, paying with earned Euros, but have this strange US $ step to go through!)

[rlx01]

There are many FX transfer services available to European residents which charge 1-2% above interbank.

E.g CurrencyFair, TransferWise, UKForex, etc.

Not a big deal but not sure if worth the hassle.

I can't stress the Amex Global Transfer feature enough. I had my US Amex backdated to my Australian Amex. My CS is 800+ with only 2 years of real history.

[longtimelurker]

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@rlx01 wrote:

I can't stress the Amex Global Transfer feature enough. I had my US Amex backdated to my Australian Amex. My CS is 800+ with only 2 years of real history.

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I agree, I didn't have one and it was a pain building history here.

And Barclays didn't let me keep my UK card (or bank account) when I moved here, the rules require UK residency.   Things might be more flexible now.

[Anonymous]

I'm glad I kept all my (only 2) credit cards and bank accounts in u.s. I always had "what if" thoughts. sure enough I left europe after 5 years, and my two credit cards were well aged into 12 years.

anyway, since euro is stronger than u.s, and there's a good chance you'll be making much more than you do in u.s, I'm sure forex won't hit your wallet as hard.

[jon22guitar]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I'm glad I kept all my (only 2) credit cards and bank accounts in u.s. I always had "what if" thoughts. sure enough I left europe after 5 years, and my two credit cards were well aged into 12 years.

anyway, since euro is stronger than u.s, and there's a good chance you'll be making much more than you do in u.s, I'm sure forex won't hit your wallet as hard.

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Where were you in Europe, and why did you leave? 

[Anonymous]

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@jon22guitar wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I'm glad I kept all my (only 2) credit cards and bank accounts in u.s. I always had "what if" thoughts. sure enough I left europe after 5 years, and my two credit cards were well aged into 12 years.

anyway, since euro is stronger than u.s, and there's a good chance you'll be making much more than you do in u.s, I'm sure forex won't hit your wallet as hard.

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Where were you in Europe, and why did you leave? 

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I was in Denmark, hated every moment living there, so i left. Def. a country visit, but not a place to live.

[rlx01]

Pretty sure 6 million people would disagree with you.