Strategy to obtain US Amex

[PPS_SYD]

Does anyone know if I use the Hilton aspire card to pay my BAS, will it meet the requirements of the initial spend of USD$4K to get the signup points. Just for your info, My BAS will exceed the usd $4K figure.

No reason why it shouldn’t. Amex cards earn points on all transactions.

 

[PointsLife1]

Is your FICO score available through amex portal? Does it usually take this long ? Is it avaialble even if you have a Non -US address? thanks!

Amex portal and Amex App (FICO score) under account in the app.

It seems it varies on when it is available and I was getting worried I wouldn’t get one until I applied for a second card like some previous comments but today finally it was available after many months paying.

I have always kept the Sarasota address so cannot comment on Non US address details.

I Have been checking daily since November so been a long time coming.

 

[PointsLife1]

Clarifying a few things. It was suggested to use "My Account" while I selected "Payee Account". Though "Payee Account" worked in the end, with no fees charged.
Revolut charged close to A$3.9 to transfer A$200. I have no idea if that amount is fixed or a percentage.

If it is a percentage than Revolut is a non starter but fixed would be a jackpot.

Can you try $400 for example and see the fee without completing?

As mentioned Transferwise was approx 20AUD for 1600USD.

 

[pyusha]

If it is a percentage than Revolut is a non starter but fixed would be a jackpot.

Can you try $400 for example and see the fee without completing?

As mentioned Transferwise was approx 20AUD for 1600USD.

It shows the approx rate of $400 with no fees. Had checked with Citi and they confirmed they don't charge anything for incoming SWIFT. Revolut chat was quite cautious and confirmed they don't charge anything but intermediary banks "might" charge and they don't know if any of the banks charge, and if yes how much.

 

[kyanar]

It shows the approx rate of $400 with no fees. Had checked with Citi and they confirmed they don't charge anything for incoming SWIFT. Revolut chat was quite cautious and confirmed they don't charge anything but intermediary banks "might" charge and they don't know if any of the banks charge, and if yes how much.

I've never seen a fee levied sending to my Citi global currency account from Revolut. I've sent about $1300 USD before without paying a cent.

 

[LordGarlic]

I've never seen a fee levied sending to my Citi global currency account from Revolut. I've sent about $1300 USD before without paying a cent.

Hi Kyanar, do you have a paid account with revolut?

 

[kyanar]

Hi Kyanar, do you have a paid account with revolut?

Yes. They say the only difference though is that you get only $9000 free transfers with the free account vs unlimited with premium.

Then again, if you're paying $20 per transfer with Transferwise, you're still better off paying for a $10.99 per month premium Revolut account than paying $20 per month to pay off your bill.

 

[LordGarlic]

Yes. They say the only difference though is that you get only $9000 free transfers with the free account vs unlimited with premium.

Then again, if you're paying $20 per transfer with Transferwise, you're still better off paying for a $10.99 per month premium Revolut account than paying $20 per month to pay off your bill.

I did a test transaction yesterday morning with revolut, I transferred $AUD 200(USD$143.75) to citi global. The amount that hit citi in the afternoon was USD $139.83

 

[blacksultan]

In terms of costs Are these recent methods mentioned better than sending via transferwise directly to your US checking account?

 

[PPS_SYD]

I did a test transaction yesterday morning with revolut, I transferred $AUD 200(USD$143.75) to citi global. The amount that hit citi in the afternoon was USD $139.83

I suppose it’s still better than paying US$ 20 per transfer through xe or Transferwise, so long as the onward transfer from Citi to Amex is free. No risk of currency fluctuation is also a plus. What is unclear though is whether this roughly US $4 fee is a flat fee or increases with higher amounts, in which case it may be a deal breaker.

 

[Spazmos]

I did a payment from my Citi Global account to AMEX, $50USD sent and $50USD received. Good work @kyanar and @pyusha, you guys may be onto something as
It would seem that it is now free to make payments, however I would like to confirm with a higher payment amount say over $250USD or even greater to see if the same amount is received by AMEX (just to check if there is a limit before they start charging a fee). Can you guys confirm if you have done this?

In terms of costs Are these recent methods mentioned better than sending via transferwise directly to your US checking account?

looks like this method is going to be the cheapest to pay off an AMEX cc (maybe also other US based cc's), not sure about sending money to other checking accounts though, guess that will depend on the bank if they charge for incoming wires.

 

[pyusha]

I did a payment from my Citi Global account to AMEX, $50USD sent and $50USD received. Good work @kyanar and @pyusha, you guys may be onto something as
It would seem that it is now free to make payments, however I would like to confirm with a higher payment amount say over $250USD or even greater to see if the same amount is received by AMEX (just to check if there is a limit before they start charging a fee). Can you guys confirm if you have done this?

looks like this method is going to be the cheapest to pay off an AMEX cc (maybe also other US based cc's), not sure about sending money to other checking accounts though, guess that will depend on the bank if they charge for incoming wires.

My test transaction was A$200. Haven't tried a bigger amount yet.

 

[PPS_SYD]

I did a payment from my Citi Global account to AMEX, $50USD sent and $50USD received. Good work @kyanar and @pyusha, you guys may be onto something as
It would seem that it is now free to make payments, however I would like to confirm with a higher payment amount say over $250USD or even greater to see if the same amount is received by AMEX (just to check if there is a limit before they start charging a fee). Can you guys confirm if you have done this?

looks like this method is going to be the cheapest to pay off an AMEX cc (maybe also other US based cc's), not sure about sending money to other checking accounts though, guess that will depend on the bank if they charge for incoming wires.

I will make a test payment today for around $500 and report back. Hopefully it will be free. ...

How long did it take for the funds to hit your Amex account?

 

[blacksultan]

I did a payment from my Citi Global account to AMEX, $50USD sent and $50USD received. Good work @kyanar and @pyusha, you guys may be onto something as
It would seem that it is now free to make payments, however I would like to confirm with a higher payment amount say over $250USD or even greater to see if the same amount is received by AMEX (just to check if there is a limit before they start charging a fee). Can you guys confirm if you have done this?

looks like this method is going to be the cheapest to pay off an AMEX cc (maybe also other US based cc's), not sure about sending money to other checking accounts though, guess that will depend on the bank if they charge for incoming wires.

If you send the funds via transferwise or similar they do a local electronic transfer so there are no incoming wire transfers from your bank.

 

[Spazmos]

I will make a test payment today for around $500 and report back. Hopefully it will be free. ...

How long did it take for the funds to hit your Amex account?

Took about 6 hrs, didn't register on my account yet but got the email from AMEX saying they received my payment and amount.

If you send the funds via transferwise or similar they do a local electronic transfer so there are no incoming wire transfers from your bank.

Fair enough, I've never tried as I haven't had the need to send funds to a checking account via FX platforms...

 

[pyusha]

I read somewhere, Revolut charges £3 for international transfers for business accounts, which equates to roughly USD $3.93, approx the same amount @LordGarlic and I were charged. My account is a personal one though. Not sure if the same amount is being charged for lower transfers for personal accounts

 

[LordGarlic]

I've never seen a fee levied sending to my Citi global currency account from Revolut. I've sent about $1300 USD before without paying a cent.

I did a test transaction yesterday of

I read somewhere, Revolut charges £3 for international transfers for business accounts, which equates to roughly USD $3.93, approx the same amount @LordGarlic and I were charged. My account is a personal one though. Not sure if the same amount is being charged for lower transfers for personal accounts

Mine is a personal subscription free account .

 

[glasszon]

Just signed up for the Citibank AU USD account, I see everyone is using Revolut to convert AUD into USD, is there any reason this is done in lieu of using another FX company such as transferwise or XE transfer? Is it because Revolut give a better exchange rate?

 

[pyusha]

Just signed up for the Citibank AU USD account, I see everyone is using Revolut to convert AUD into USD, is there any reason this is done in lieu of using another FX company such as transferwise or XE transfer? Is it because Revolut give a better exchange rate?

And also pay lesser fees that XE (around USD $20) would normally charge.

 

[PPS_SYD]

Update : Sent & received US $450 From Citi - Amex account, nothing charged on either end which is good news. The transfer took about 12 hrs which was longer than I expected, but no big deal.

Now, if we could bed-in Revolut - Citi USD transfer (either free or with a small $4 flat fee as indicated by some earlier), then it’s to xe.