any suggestion for travel card to Saudi

[seflowers]

My husband recently got a contract job in Saudi Arabia and I know this is a long shot since this isn't a typical place of American travel, but if anyone has been there do you have any recommendation as to best credit card to travel there with. His sponsor suggested it is mostly cash/Visa and he has a Chase Freedom which is a Visa but with those rotating categories I don't know how beneficial using that would be. 

Thanks in advance!

[Strogen]

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@seflowers wrote:

My husband recently got a contract job in Saudi Arabia and I know this is a long shot since this isn't a typical place of American travel, but if anyone has been there do you have any recommendation as to best credit card to travel there with. His sponsor suggested it is mostly cash/Visa and he has a Chase Freedom which is a Visa but with those rotating categories I don't know how beneficial using that would be. 

Thanks in advance!

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You might try a card with no foreign transaction fee, like a Chase Sapphire Preferred. 

I hope you are not going, the Saudis are not known to believe in "equal rights". 

[Anonymous]

Welli used to live in Riyadh the capital of Saudi from 1982 to 1992 and during that time i always used cash except if I went shopping in big store or I used it in travel agency or rent a car company.

So by paying cash is the best option in my opinion for safety reason, and if he wants to used a credit card Capital One offers no foreign transaction fee.

i hope I answer your question.

[Ghoshida]

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@seflowers wrote:

My husband recently got a contract job in Saudi Arabia and I know this is a long shot since this isn't a typical place of American travel, but if anyone has been there do you have any recommendation as to best credit card to travel there with. His sponsor suggested it is mostly cash/Visa and he has a Chase Freedom which is a Visa but with those rotating categories I don't know how beneficial using that would be. 

Thanks in advance!

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It's been a while since I have been to KSA but I recently also went to Dubai, and I can speak from experience somewhat.

(a) Cash is king for all roadside stores, i.e. local supermarkets, specialty stores, as well as restaurants. Credit cards are accepted at somewhat high-end places and branded stores, large chains / hypermarkets. Don't expect your taxi driver to accept credit card.

(b) AMEX is limited. Discover / Diner's Club even more. Go with Mastercard and Visa.

(c) If staying long-ish term, try and get a local bank credit card. Saudi Arabian British Bank (HSBC of Saudi) comes to mind. The Middle East airports have Mastercard lounges that provide free lounge access to Platinum / Titanium etc card holders but only from banks in the Middle East. There might be other benefits as well.

(d) If you want to use a US-based card, get the Capital One Quicksilver (no AF, no FTF). I believe the airfare etc will be booked and paid by the sponsor so the Chase Sapphire Preferred AF might be high for the use, but no harm getting it and using the points for upgrades.

(e) Don't use a card that has a foreign transaction fee (like Freedom). First, outside of US, getting category-based rewards may not be easy. Limited acceptance of credit cards is also an issue. Second, whatever category bonuses you get will be wiped out by foreign transaction fees.

Hope it helps.

[seflowers]

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@Ghoshida wrote:

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@seflowers wrote:

My husband recently got a contract job in Saudi Arabia and I know this is a long shot since this isn't a typical place of American travel, but if anyone has been there do you have any recommendation as to best credit card to travel there with. His sponsor suggested it is mostly cash/Visa and he has a Chase Freedom which is a Visa but with those rotating categories I don't know how beneficial using that would be. 

Thanks in advance!

---

It's been a while since I have been to KSA but I recently also went to Dubai, and I can speak from experience somewhat.

(a) Cash is king for all roadside stores, i.e. local supermarkets, specialty stores, as well as restaurants. Credit cards are accepted at somewhat high-end places and branded stores, large chains / hypermarkets. Don't expect your taxi driver to accept credit card.

(b) AMEX is limited. Discover / Diner's Club even more. Go with Mastercard and Visa.

(c) If staying long-ish term, try and get a local bank credit card. Saudi Arabian British Bank (HSBC of Saudi) comes to mind. The Middle East airports have Mastercard lounges that provide free lounge access to Platinum / Titanium etc card holders but only from banks in the Middle East. There might be other benefits as well.

(d) If you want to use a US-based card, get the Capital One Quicksilver (no AF, no FTF). I believe the airfare etc will be booked and paid by the sponsor so the Chase Sapphire Preferred AF might be high for the use, but no harm getting it and using the points for upgrades.

(e) Don't use a card that has a foreign transaction fee (like Freedom). First, outside of US, getting category-based rewards may not be easy. Limited acceptance of credit cards is also an issue. Second, whatever category bonuses you get will be wiped out by foreign transaction fees.

Hope it helps.

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That is super helpful! Yes the sponsor does pay for the flight, we were just worried about how he would be paying for things while there bc neither of us carry lots of cash on us since most places in US take credit cards. He is going to be there 9-10 months so I think maybe it might help to have a local bank. He's an authorized user on my Quicksilver card so he can take that and leave the Freedom here I guess. Do you know if lending is the same in Saudi as it is here? And do they use same Credit Reports US does?

[longtimelurker]

It's extremely unlikely that they will use US credit reports, that is one of the "pleasures" of relocation, you basically lose all credit history.   But since this area sees a lot of contract foreign workers, they may be more flexible as to what is required.

[Ghoshida]

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@seflowers wrote:

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@Ghoshida wrote:

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@seflowers wrote:

My husband recently got a contract job in Saudi Arabia and I know this is a long shot since this isn't a typical place of American travel, but if anyone has been there do you have any recommendation as to best credit card to travel there with. His sponsor suggested it is mostly cash/Visa and he has a Chase Freedom which is a Visa but with those rotating categories I don't know how beneficial using that would be. 

Thanks in advance!

---

It's been a while since I have been to KSA but I recently also went to Dubai, and I can speak from experience somewhat.

(a) Cash is king for all roadside stores, i.e. local supermarkets, specialty stores, as well as restaurants. Credit cards are accepted at somewhat high-end places and branded stores, large chains / hypermarkets. Don't expect your taxi driver to accept credit card.

(b) AMEX is limited. Discover / Diner's Club even more. Go with Mastercard and Visa.

(c) If staying long-ish term, try and get a local bank credit card. Saudi Arabian British Bank (HSBC of Saudi) comes to mind. The Middle East airports have Mastercard lounges that provide free lounge access to Platinum / Titanium etc card holders but only from banks in the Middle East. There might be other benefits as well.

(d) If you want to use a US-based card, get the Capital One Quicksilver (no AF, no FTF). I believe the airfare etc will be booked and paid by the sponsor so the Chase Sapphire Preferred AF might be high for the use, but no harm getting it and using the points for upgrades.

(e) Don't use a card that has a foreign transaction fee (like Freedom). First, outside of US, getting category-based rewards may not be easy. Limited acceptance of credit cards is also an issue. Second, whatever category bonuses you get will be wiped out by foreign transaction fees.

Hope it helps.

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That is super helpful! Yes the sponsor does pay for the flight, we were just worried about how he would be paying for things while there bc neither of us carry lots of cash on us since most places in US take credit cards. He is going to be there 9-10 months so I think maybe it might help to have a local bank. He's an authorized user on my Quicksilver card so he can take that and leave the Freedom here I guess. Do you know if lending is the same in Saudi as it is here? And do they use same Credit Reports US does?

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I stayed for overall a year and a half but never for more than 3-4 months at a stretch, so my home credit cards worked fine enough. I worked as a consultant; I'd carry enough cash for the trip for daily expenses because my client would pay my employer directly. 

In your husband's case, it may be better to either (a) carry an international debit card with zero or low FTF or (b) open a bank account there through the sponsor and get a debit card. ATMs are widespread at least in city areas, and unlike US, Bank ATMs did not charge me a fee for using a different ATM card. But I didn't use ATMs very frequently and it has been quite a while. 

It might be beneficial to have his own card (not only AU) if possible. You can look at the CSP for him and adding you as AU. Great card if you can meet the spend stateside. 

With regards to app process, you need either Saudi nationality or work permit (Iqama) to use as an ID for the application. It is a good idea for expats in general if they're staying long-term. The sponsor would help in opening the bank account and a credit card app can be filed with the same bank. In your case, you need to check with the sponsor about this. 

They do not use US Credit Bureau or reports. They use their own bureau called SIMAH. http://www.simah.com/en/ConsumerCreditReport.aspx 

[Ghoshida]

Please note that unlike the US, dealing with organizations in Saudi is best done in person.

The use of internet is growing but not that high. Historically, any MNC working in Saudi needed to do a JV with a Saudi firm and form an altogether new identity. Consequently software interfaces and customer service is still not streamlined to global operations. 

[seflowers]

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@Ghoshida wrote:

Please note that unlike the US, dealing with organizations in Saudi is best done in person.

The use of internet is growing but not that high. Historically, any MNC working in Saudi needed to do a JV with a Saudi firm and form an altogether new identity. Consequently software interfaces and customer service is still not streamlined to global operations. 

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Thanks for all the knowledge! The only person he knew that has been before had only been there for 3 months but being that he is going for a more extended amount of time I am probably just over thinking everything! 

[Ghoshida]

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@seflowers wrote:

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@Ghoshida wrote:

Please note that unlike the US, dealing with organizations in Saudi is best done in person.

The use of internet is growing but not that high. Historically, any MNC working in Saudi needed to do a JV with a Saudi firm and form an altogether new identity. Consequently software interfaces and customer service is still not streamlined to global operations. 

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Thanks for all the knowledge! The only person he knew that has been before had only been there for 3 months but being that he is going for a more extended amount of time I am probably just over thinking everything! 

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Once you're inside the country, daily things aren't an issue really. 

Be prepared to spend some time at the immigration counter. Last time I visited them, they were super slow. Hopefully things have progressed