Strategy to obtain US Amex

[PPS_SYD]

Thanks for the reply Rohit. Do you need to use a VPN to download the US version ?

Otherwise if it is too troublesome, i will just login from the AMEX US website then.

You will be fine as long as you are in the US App Store. VPN not necessary.

 

[Igreen]

The thing with Welcome Bonus is that they are ever changing. A while ago, the Platinum had an offer of 10x on Global restaurants for 6 months, besides the 100k bonus. So that made Platinum very attractive. Gone now.

If you can, sit tight and wait for a better offer to come around. Unlike Oz, US cards have a once-in-a-lifetime condition on welcome bonus. Best not to settle for an inferior offer when recent history suggest welcome bonus' are continually trending up.

There has been DP that US Amex SUB wait "could be 7 years" as it drops of the credit report. I like the frequentmiler article to have the Plat Card for fee free....since they have 3 Per and 1 Biz Plat charge card Platinum Forever Free (After Rebate)

 

[albyd]

Thanks for sharing the article. Very interesting strategy - seems like it's risky for Aussies who just want to access the card to get the perks which aren't available to us with the AU issued card. Or am I missing something?

 

[blacksultan]

Checking account now offered by Amex US :

New American Express Checking Account Earns Interest & Membership Rewards Points

American Express just launched a new checking account option that offers competitive interest rates and you can earn Membership Rewards points on spending.

awardwallet.com

 

[Igreen]

Thanks for sharing the article. Very interesting strategy - seems like it's risky for Aussies who just want to access the card to get the perks which aren't available to us with the AU issued card. Or am I missing something?

For Aussies ….we need to treat the Morgan Stanley abs Schwab Amex plat charge as a normal Amex plat charge card and pay the first year AF and ask for retention the subsequent year. We get all the credits such as airline credit, 200 credit. This is good to earn at least 100k every second year.

 

[leyy]

Does anyone know how long it takes for MyUS to ship the card? I had it sent on 02 Feb and have not received it yet. Based in Sydney. I didn't pay for the express shipping so only through Fedex Intl Connect which said it would take 6-12 days and it has been 13 days.

I have not activated the card or added into Apple Pay, is there anyway to do this without receiving the actual card? I don't have the full card details yet.

I have attached a screenshot of the tracking status from MyUS.

 

[sudoer]

Seems FedEx might have been a little slower than usual transporting and processing your package, and it's now waiting for the next outbound flight. For comparison mine is now at the same point although my shipment label was created six days later.



By the way the Aftership app can send you push notifications when the package moves.

 

[http_x92]

Tried Fedex International Connect with a big package (not my cc) and it is a long wait with that service at the moment. Only just on the last mile carrier now. For me I chose DHL Express and instant handling and it took 3 days tops, but it was before the Christmas-New Year period.

 

[PPS_SYD]

Does anyone know how long it takes for MyUS to ship the card? I had it sent on 02 Feb and have not received it yet. Based in Sydney. I didn't pay for the express shipping so only through Fedex Intl Connect which said it would take 6-12 days and it has been 13 days.

I have not activated the card or added into Apple Pay, is there anyway to do this without receiving the actual card? I don't have the full card details yet.

I have attached a screenshot of the tracking status from MyUS.

I wouldn’t go by the time frame FedEx give you. I had something delivered last month, took over 3 weeks.

 

[leyy]

Thanks everyone i’ll stump up the extra fee for DHL Express next time

 

[DC3]

Does anyone know how long it takes for MyUS to ship the card? I had it sent on 02 Feb and have not received it yet. Based in Sydney. I didn't pay for the express shipping so only through Fedex Intl Connect which said it would take 6-12 days …

Shipping times will be dependent upon the carrier, and MyUS has no control over that.

I have received several items from MyUS over the past two years. Delivery has always taken longer than expected.

Patience, Grasshopper.

Edit: I have tried both UPS and DHL. DHL is now my pick.

 

[albyd]

I have recently used the Australia Post option - was still hideously expensive but I got it pretty quickly.

I’ve used an ‘express’ option with MyUS before in ‘normal’ times. I found that it got to Australia pretty quickly. Then was forcibly held in storage before being delivered a couple of days later given I’d chosen the less expensive option. I came to this conclusion by watching the tracking and seeing it was in SYD pretty quickly then didn’t go anywhere for a few days.

 

[blacksultan]

I have just received my ITIN . Is there anything I need to be doing With it wrt adding it to Amex , credit reporting agency etc ?

 

[DC3]

I have just received my ITIN . Is there anything I need to be doing With it wrt adding it to Amex , credit reporting agency etc ?

Yes, there is. Let us know long did it take to get it?

Edit: I’ve been waiting about 10 weeks for an ITIN. Will be mailed to Oz.

 

[blacksultan]

Yes, there is. Let us know long did it take to get it?

Edit: I’ve been waiting about 10 weeks for an ITIN. Will be mailed to Oz.

I completed my video interview verification early Dec 21 and received the itin yesterday .

Post automatically merged: Feb 16, 2022

Yes, there is. Let us know long did it take to get it?

Edit: I’ve been waiting about 10 weeks for an ITIN. Will be mailed to Oz.

Do you require the original letter ? I have had mine emailed to me .

 

[http_x92]

Went for a 2nd GT inside 3 months, going for the Hilton no annual fee card offer. Automatically approved in just seconds, no popup saying I won't be eligible for the bonus thankfully.

Asked for priority mail as soon as I got approved but they said to wait for 7-10 days first before issuing a replacement card with priority mail. Pretty much the same story as the others.

 

[DC3]

Went for a 2nd GT inside 3 months, going for the Hilton no annual fee card offer. Automatically approved in just seconds, no popup saying I won't be eligible for the bonus thankfully.

Asked for priority mail as soon as I got approved but they said to wait for 7-10 days first before issuing a replacement card with priority mail. Pretty much the same story as the others.

Yes, I recently had a similar experience. This is my 3rd Hilton card via GT. Points and a free night, with spend. Approval was immediate, but when I phoned to have delivery expedited, it was a no-go. It’s coming up to the 10 day mark, but will wait a bit longer to see how things go at MyUS. This card (Surpass), being non-top tier, and being delivered by the USPS, may not pass through the MyUS system.

 

[jbmemories]

@http_x92 & @DC3 - did you guys have more Amex cards in Aus that you used to GT to get your other US Amex cards?

Thought you could only GT 1 account per destination country.

 

[DC3]

@http_x92 & @DC3 - did you guys have more Amex cards in Aus that you used to GT to get your other US Amex cards?

Thought you could only GT 1 account per destination country.

Just 1 x Oz Amex these days (Plat Reserve). I’ve read where some have only managed/tried for 1 x US Amex through GT. Even though the Amex GT site information implies just the one card, I have done OK so far (one each of Aspire, Honors and Surpass, spread over two years). The Hilton points have been good.

 

[blacksultan]

Just 1 x Oz Amex these days (Plat Reserve). I’ve read where some have only managed/tried for 1 x US Amex through GT. Even though the Amex GT site information implies just the one card, I have done OK so far (one each of Aspire, Honors and Surpass, spread over two years). The Hilton points have been good.

I also read here that one can also try the nova credit route in addition to GT.