Strategy to obtain US Amex

[http_x92]

Successfully opened HSBC AU and US Premier accounts.

AU:
- Deposited 9k this month, got in contact with a Premier Manager over the phone and was upgraded
- On the condition that I deposit 9k+ AUD for 6 months straight.

US:
- Applied online through the HSBC USA app, mentioned that I was a Premier in AU (this was key!)
- Set the residential and permanent addresses to the Australian ones, but set the mailing address to the virtual suite - somehow this got through
- Usual passport verification was done.
- Reasons for opening account.
- HSBC USA contact reached out, realised that it takes a few days to show up as a Premier customer on the US side. 2 key questions asked were: How you are going to use the checking account outside of travel and how are you are going to make deposits (HSBC directly or other sources)
- So from HSBC AU to US Premier approval took about 4 business days. Made a promise in the application that I will make a $1k USD deposit as my first one.

Pretty good process - hard to get a checking account outside the US with an actual bank so this was the only way.

 

[Ansett Nostalgic]

Will HSBC Australia downgrade you after the 6 months if you don't keep making $9k deposits every month?

 

[http_x92]

Will HSBC Australia downgrade you after the 6 months if you don't keep making $9k deposits every month?

Correct, that is what will happen. 9k deposit in and out is the best way to go.

 

[georgie23]

Will HSBC Australia downgrade you after the 6 months if you don't keep making $9k deposits every month?

Cant be certain - some have got a letter I believe - why not just do 9 in and out?

 

[nthd_nthd]

D.P for whoever want to take advantage of cat bonus if you are not sure like me.
Qantas Marketplace coded as Airlines/Travel However Qantas Wine coded as Dining/Drinking on Chase. If I knew would have waited for Citi Night 6x.

Oh well

 

[http_x92]

Based on earlier posts, looks like the HSBC 3 way call method to get the address verification done with Amex no longer works and it hasn't been a thing for a while so awaiting the monthly statement.

 

[US_Amex]

If anyone has the Amex Personal Platinum card, it has a $200 credit on the Oura ring purchase and Oura have a Black Friday sale so can get this delivered to your mailbox in the US for ~$50 USD (and then shipped on to Australia):

American Express Personal Platinum Adds $200 Oura Ring Credit (30% Off For Black Friday)

American Express personal Platinum card has added a $200 Oura ring credit

www.doctorofcredit.com

 

[Baymax]

Just wondering if anyone uses tailscale for routing traffic to the US residential IP for online shopping / streaming services? If so, would you mind share how to set up / what subscription service you're using? or share any similar way to bypass the restrictions for those US servers from those well known VPN providers.

 

[georgie23]

Just wondering if anyone uses tailscale for routing traffic to the US residential IP for online shopping / streaming services? If so, would you mind share how to set up / what subscription service you're using? or share any similar way to bypass the restrictions for those US servers from those well known VPN providers.

I do
Just need to have a TS device in the US and just use that as an exit node
Apple TV is super easy device to use

 

[velli25]

Do most people with an ITIN open up a Biz Checking account with AMEX? Is it a straight forward process? Seem to never get NLL offers but have read opening a checking account helps

 

[_TheTraveller_]

I do
Just need to have a TS device in the US and just use that as an exit node
Apple TV is super easy device to use

Do you use a friend's TS device?

---

So I've just returned from the US. I tried to apply for a BoA Atmos CC + Checking account. No problem with checking, set it up as NRA. Applied for Atmos CC in branch and got hit with the letter requesting docs. The only way to provide docs is snail mail via their OWN ENVELOP! Ridiculous.

I'll wait till Jan to re-apply and see whether I'm successful. Plenty of absurd BoA DPs on Reddit.

As for happier news.. I randomly applied for SoFi whilst I was there and it got approved. I wonder if VPN/IP is causing issues when you try to apply in Aus.

 

[georgie23]

Do you use a friend's TS device?

yes - thats the only way I know of - unaware of any public options

 

[nthd_nthd]

applied for SoFi whilst I was there and it got approved.

I will try them again when I am in US then.

Also, Regarding NLL links.
Not sure what I have done wrong but never be able to generate NLL links -following instructions regarding
links shared via Danny/Reddit/FrequentMiller
Incognito
Clean Browsers
Let the links sit and expired and refresh v.v.
Nothing came to fruitful for me.

Downgrade my Gold - there is no good retention offer - Waiting to test the Upgradge offer if any

Hoping for more Business Gold/Business Platinum. How could people getting 3-5 Biz Platinum - I am so jealous. HELP PLEASE!!!!

 

[big_RED]

Is anyone able to share how they track their AUD budget when spending on a USD credit card?
I have a very robust AUD Excel Bugeting document that I use to track all my various categories of spend.

However with a USD Amex, I now have all my spend in USD. When I transfer AUD to USD in Wise I can use this exchange rate to apply that in my Excel doc in another column to show what the actual AUD amount was (e.g FX + transfer fee) which I feel isn't too hard. But I am wanting to try and hedge the currency by buying USD every month so I hopefully don't have huge swings in losses with the exchange rate. And this I feel would be harder to figure out in my budgeting document.

Keen to hear how others manage this (and if they do or just say it's too hard), to keep good budgeting but in AUD.

 

[levelnine]

Regarding NLL links.

There have been very few NLL links in circulation in recent months. Mostly they have been targeted offers that appear in the Amex portal when you're logged in. Danny Deal Guru is a good public source of such links, but as I said, they're almost always targeted.

Keen to hear how others manage this (and if they do or just say it's too hard), to keep good budgeting but in AUD.

I have two columns in my budget, one for AUD and one for USD. Anything purchased on a US card I put the amount in the USD column then use a conversion of that cell to translate it into an approximate AUD cost. I update the exchange rate once per month. That's close enough for me.

 

[albyd]

Is anyone able to share how they track their AUD budget when spending on a USD credit card?
I have a very robust AUD Excel Bugeting document that I use to track all my various categories of spend.

However with a USD Amex, I now have all my spend in USD. When I transfer AUD to USD in Wise I can use this exchange rate to apply that in my Excel doc in another column to show what the actual AUD amount was (e.g FX + transfer fee) which I feel isn't too hard. But I am wanting to try and hedge the currency by buying USD every month so I hopefully don't have huge swings in losses with the exchange rate. And this I feel would be harder to figure out in my budgeting document.

Keen to hear how others manage this (and if they do or just say it's too hard), to keep good budgeting but in AUD.

How much are you spending on your USD card(s)? If it works out to a certain amount a month, then just buy that quantity in USD for your US CC settlements.

Probably just over-thinking it. FX losses are a real potential esp if our Pacific Peso nosedives dramatically and in the very short term against the USD. I don’t use my US cards for business spend so that risk is largely managed by buying a similar amount of currency to keep in my US checking account (which likely pays as low a rate as my AU transaction account so there’s no opportunity cost there - my mortgage lender doesn’t offer an offset).

 

[Viridis]

Keen to hear how others manage this (and if they do or just say it's too hard), to keep good budgeting but in AUD.

I just do it on the go ….

Spend a fair bit of time travelling for work. All airfares, pre-paid hotels (5x points) and spend abroad goes on my US Platinum. So it’s not insignificant but by no means approximates the large amounts that others report putting on their cards each month.

It was A$10K this month

Each time I make a transaction I immediately transfer the amount (which shows as a pending transaction on my US cards app, unlike the Aussie & UK ones) in to my Wise account and convert it into USD. That way the spend and funding takes place at roughly the same exchange rate and I incur no forex loss (but I do, obviously, have the Wise fees)..

Of course, you do the time to do this which many people don’t