Top Travel CC for an international traveler!?!

[KJinNC]

Sorry for the error regarding the Reserve companion certificate vs Delta Platinum certificate, you guys are correct. I remembered it was "better", but remembered it being better in the wrong way. I will edit my post to note the error.

[KJinNC]

If you don't stay in hotels and don't want to start staying in hotels, a hotel card would have very little value for you, and that would also somewhat reduce the value of Amex Platinum, because Marriott Gold and Hilton Gold are among the perks.

[NRB525]

I'd suggest getting the AMEX Platinum first. Since you aren't focused on only one airline, and even if on Delta, the 5x MR points you'll earn for airline tickets will route into a consistent, general MR points reserve. The 5 MR points you earn in AMEX could be transferred to Delta, to add to the Delta miles you earn on the flights. They can also be combined with the Aer Lingus / British Airways points if that's the direction you want them to go.

Since you seem to be paying first class fares, there's no further upside you'll get from any co-branded airline card. You'll likely not get airline status, but even there, buying first class makes the status moot. 

With no real hotel costs, there's no downside to the MR points earning. The $200 incidentals costs, if assigned to Delta as your one airline, likely gets used up for minor fees.

The Platinum also gets you the widest range of possible lounge access, globally. AMEX has been working hard to improve the offerings of ways to get credits back to reduce the $550 AF. 

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous 

If you are looking for award flights, here are my two cents.

If you liked Air Lingus, research Alaska BoA card..   And if you fly Delta to Europe, research Virgin Atlantic or Air Fance cards from BoA. 

I fly J/F class 6+ times a year to mostly Central/Northern Europe and I use Citi Prestige a lot more than Amex Platinum.   When I am in US, more Platinum / Gold swipes.   And dont forget you can transfer Citi points to Turkish airlines.

[BlueSea]

Hello. Since i'm in the same boat like you, i'll share my point of view. I crossed the Atlantic 3 times last year (despite the Corona) and stay extensively in Europe. I often connect in Germany. We could've understood better why you prefer Delta to Germany if you shared from which US airport you fly. Star Alliance seems to me the better choice (Lufthansa, United and even Singapore airlines from NY ) all have direct flights to Germany. 

One of my choices is US Bank Altitude. I use Google pay with my phone and get almost everywhere 4.5% when redeemed for travel later. You can redeem to almost any airline bar the lowcost ones. The actual annual fee is only $75 for this card. 

When you redeeem for flights you get the flight miles credited to you as well. For a transatlantic business class flight this can be a few hundred dollars extra.  

Another very good option is the combo Citi Premiere and Citi double cash. Best transfer options are Avianca and Turkish which you can use on United or Lufthansa flights for business class for best value. If you are in New York , JFK-FRA with Singapore is also a good option.

I personally don't value AmEx high because they have very limited acceptance where i go. Also they have very high annual fees which i don't justify.

This is my opinion for flights to Germany from the US.  

[Anonymous]

@BlueSea @Thanks for taking time to respond and share your approach.

I had written a reply to someone yesterday and mid way through my phone died. I was going to share with them I fly out of MSP. We don't have direct flights without layovers either in the US or across the pond. I prefer my layover across the pond but this may change as AMS often has you take a shuttle to the airplane and when I arrived they packed us in like sardines litterally we were crammed into this little shuttle. With Covid it freaked me out and is the biggest concern I have retuning home. 

Anyhow, I appreciate you sharing a different approach than I have considered and introducing me to cards I have not looked at. Yes the Amex cards give me concern about acceptance as I travel as I know not every place accepts them. 

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous thanks for the suggestions and for additional cards to look into. Much much appreciated. Happy and safe travels! 

[BlueSea]

Since you fly from MSP and want your connecting flight to be in Europe, then your options are limited to Amsterdam, Paris and London if i'm not mistaken. They are all Sky Team. Another option then will be Bank of America Air France credit card. In your case it may be a good option.

Citi points were a very good option to transfer to Virgin Atlantic for a Delta flight but there was some devaluation so you need to check that too.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I prefer my layover across the pond but this may change as AMS often has you take a shuttle to the airplane and when I arrived they packed us in like sardines litterally we were crammed into this little shuttle. With Covid it freaked me out and is the biggest concern I have retuning home. 

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Yes, I experienced that it Nov and Dec.  After taking a good Delta flight from BOS, with middle seats blocked out, suddenly waiting in a tiny area for the shuttle  (the seating area wasn't open) , and then crammed in to a packed bus seemed to negate all the good work (plus the paperwork AMS insisted on to prevent spread!).   Made me consider using a different route back.

[KJinNC]

One distinction I'd like to add to the thread is that you do want a card that is widely accepted, which means Visa or MasterCard, but it doesn't particularly need to be a travel card, it should just have no FTFs. You do not need to use that card to book flights (or in the case of someone who books hotels, you also don't need to use it for that). In other words, the "travel card" is used to book flights and/or, if you stay at hotels, to book those, and for stuff like lounge access, hotel status, rental car status, free checked bag if you aren't flying first class anyway, etc. When you buy lunch or a souvenier or an Uber or whatever, you'd just use whatever Visa or MC has no FTFs and the best rewards for that type of purchase, not a travel card in particular. I tend to use my PPMC and my Coastal Visa for stuff like that. Nearly all airlines and nearly all major hotel chains accept all of the major card types including Amex, but for stores and restaurants, I would assume you're in Visa/MC territory. JMO.