I've been living in the US now for almost 2 years so I wanted to provide an update on this. I ended up getting an Amex Gold card, which has been great. 4 MR points per $1 spent on restaurants and supermarkets, and 3 MR points per $1 spent on airline bookings directly with airlines, has been very impactful points earning.
I've really enjoyed the transfer partner options. I've transferred MR points to Qantas, AC Aeroplan and BA Avios.
The gold metal card also feels very classy, which is a nice bonus.
It is soon going to be time to leave the US. I am feeling torn about what to do with this card. The USD $325 annual fee is steep. I am deciding whether to downgrade to a green card or close the account altogether. The latter seems to make sense in terms of fees, but I'll be giving up that beautiful list of transfer partners with 1:1 ratios.
What would you do?