topic Re: Heavy international travelers, what card do you use traveling? in Credit Cards

Heavy international travelers, what card do you use traveling?

GatorGuy — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 09:59:31 GMT

For people who travel all over the world and ideally outside of the regular tourist areas, what cards do you use while actually traveling for every day expenses?

My current #1 goto card is the USB AR but just heard the rumors about it possibly being cancelled. I also have the CSR and it is reliable but only gets 1x points on the regular expenses. I have the venture card but their fraud system and lack of travel notification makes it practically worthless.

The number one thing I need is a card that does not get denied for high percentage of charges.

Number two would ideally if it earned more than 1% back.

The BOA travel rewards seems to be an option but curious with with others real experience with their fraud system.

Thanks everyone!

Re: Heavy international travelers, what card do you use traveling?

unsungivy — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 12:17:42 GMT

@GatorGuy wrote:
For people who travel all over the world and ideally outside of the regular tourist areas, what cards do you use while actually traveling for every day expenses?

My current #1 goto card is the USB AR but just heard the rumors about it possibly being cancelled. I also have the CSR and it is reliable but only gets 1x points on the regular expenses. I have the venture card but their fraud system and lack of travel notification makes it practically worthless.

The number one thing I need is a card that does not get denied for high percentage of charges.

Number two would ideally if it earned more than 1% back.

The BOA travel rewards seems to be an option but curious with with others real experience with their fraud system.

Thanks everyone!

I don't do it frequently, usually for a few weeks every other year, but AOD at 3% hasn't had any issues for me. P2 travels more frequently, and until getting the USBAR in Sept, has used PenFed's 2%. Out of currently held cards, the Ritz would be next in line, as it gets 2x Marriott points on "other" expenses (which are generally worth less than 1 cent each, but generally 2x weighs in around 1.5 cents), and is actually a travel card with protections.

Really, any flat rate card with no FTF (from a reliable issuer) seems like the next best option if the USBAR isn't just unavailable to new applicants.

If you actually redeem the CSR MR points for travel expenses, you could consider that a 1.5x card.

Re: Heavy international travelers, what card do you use traveling?

cashorcharge — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 17:24:29 GMT

I tend to carry a couple.

I bring my AMEX Plat in case there's an issue with my trip...they are the best staffed to assist...though the card is not as widely accepted everywhere as one would think. Big places like hotels, restaurants etc do...but small retailers don't always accept it. With Apple Pay being more ubiquitous these days, I use that versus swiping whenever I can.

I also carry my CSR and my BofA Premium Rewards.

I also use the BofA card for Cash as I never use my Debit card at machines. I use the CC, take the Cash Advance fee hit (yes I know) though have more comfort in knowing that my Debit Card can't get compromised.

Re: Heavy international travelers, what card do you use traveling?

AskPatient1281 — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 17:37:56 GMT

You will be fine. US Bank usually grandfathers its customers.

Re: Heavy international travelers, what card do you use traveling?

Anonymous — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 19:26:35 GMT

@cashorcharge wrote:

I also use the BofA card for Cash as I never use my Debit card at machines. I use the CC, take the Cash Advance fee hit (yes I know) though have more comfort in knowing that my Debit Card can't get compromised.

I have debit cards linked to small value accounts for this type of purpose. IMO the small risk of a small loss (which hasn't happened to me so far) is better than always paying CA fees!

Re: Heavy international travelers, what card do you use traveling?

USMCOne — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 06:37:06 GMT

So I travel alot for my job. This year about 8 months and heading to Asia in Dec. I am in the aviation world. Heavy Amex but a smattering of other cards.

I find that Amex once you leave a tourist area or major city is all about useless. Arab region, Europe, even Japan once I leave the city which I always do for my job and hit a more rural part of those places I never am able to utilize my Amex. Visa/Mastercard is what I end up having to use. Some exceptions is like in the Phillipines I was staying about 60 days at a Marriot and my Amex Marriot Brilliant worked fine at the hotel but one step outside of it was a Amex dead zone so I switch to Visa/Mastercard.

My travel cards for booking a ticket is my Amex Platium, my hotel card is Amex Marriot Brilliant. Outside of that my go to card is Chase Sapphire Preferred, BILT, Capitol One Venture or Apple Card.

I quite often will use my Venture Card (the middle Venture one in the line up) and its 2x points. Where that becomes important is say when I was in Japan last year for 4 months for work. People think Tokyo I was at the bottom of Japan in a town of 20,000. Half of they places there were not coded properly to take advantage of 3x for resturants etc. So I ended up using Venture to capture that spend.

Apple Card is a solid 2% cash back which is why I use that alot. I just wish outside of USA that Amex was everywhere. I would be raking in the points but outside of a major chain hotel and plane tickets I have found it to useless.

Re: Heavy international travelers, what card do you use traveling?

ptatohed — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 08:13:55 GMT

@USMCOne wrote:
So I travel alot for my job. This year about 8 months and heading to Asia in Dec. I am in the aviation world. Heavy Amex but a smattering of other cards.

I find that Amex once you leave a tourist area or major city is all about useless. Arab region, Europe, even Japan once I leave the city which I always do for my job and hit a more rural part of those places I never am able to utilize my Amex. Visa/Mastercard is what I end up having to use. Some exceptions is like in the Phillipines I was staying about 60 days at a Marriot and my Amex Marriot Brilliant worked fine at the hotel but one step outside of it was a Amex dead zone so I switch to Visa/Mastercard.

My travel cards for booking a ticket is my Amex Platium, my hotel card is Amex Marriot Brilliant. Outside of that my go to card is Chase Sapphire Preferred, BILT, Capitol One Venture or Apple Card.

I quite often will use my Venture Card (the middle Venture one in the line up) and its 2x points. Where that becomes important is say when I was in Japan last year for 4 months for work. People think Tokyo I was at the bottom of Japan in a town of 20,000. Half of they places there were not coded properly to take advantage of 3x for resturants etc. So I ended up using Venture to capture that spend.

Apple Card is a solid 2% cash back which is why I use that alot. I just wish outside of USA that Amex was everywhere. I would be raking in the points but outside of a major chain hotel and plane tickets I have found it to useless.

*a lot*