My work now requires me to travel very frequently and I’m looking for the best credit card for this purpose from any country. Any suggestion?
Will you be flying one airline primarily (ie is your home airport a hub and/or will your routes be pretty similar) or will you likely be flying on multiple carriers?
If the former, look into options for that airline’s cards. If the latter, you’ll likely want to consider a carrier agnostic card like the CSR, Venture X, or Amex Plat. Which one is best for you depends on a new range of factors. If those words and acronyms don’t mean anything to you, it’s Google time. This all assumes “very frequently” means just that and not once a quarter on a puddle jumper, or something.
@Mai
Great suggestions, will look into both since both scenarios actually apply to me.
@Mai
Exactly that. The Amex Platinum gets you access to Centurion lounges as well as the Priority Pass one. The CSR gets you access to the much smaller number of Chase lounges as well as Priority Pass. Personally, I have the CSR, Freedom, and United Explorer cards. What is best for you is down in the details; the difference between the CSR and the Amex mainly depends on your circumstance, there is a lot of overlap in functionality.
@Mai
If OP doesn’t live in the US and has no US ties, they won’t have access to those credit cards.
Will you have to use a portal for airfare, or will they reimburse you? If you want flexibility, Chase Sapphire has great transfer partners, the ability to get cash instead of points, and points are valued at 1.25 or 1.5 in their portal.
They also have 5x and 10x boosts for booking through their portal with cash. The best partner is Hyatt, but also can find great transfers on J class international.
We use American Airlines credit cards because our home airport is a hub, and their FF program is good. But neither of our kids would touch it with a bargepole because they don’t get many AA flights out of their airports. They use a SW credit card.
You really have to look at which airlines you fly most and how their program works. I’m allergic to Avios, for instance; the FF flights seem to be useless.
Don’t companies usually pay for work-related travel?
Whit said:
Don’t companies usually pay for work-related travel?
My former employer had me run all my travel expenses through my personal accounts. Win win for me.
Whit said:
Don’t companies usually pay for work-related travel?
Use your own card to get the points while having your company reimburse you.
Whit said:
Don’t companies usually pay for work-related travel?
They do, but it’s pay and claim.
What country are you from so we can point you in the right direction?
I see other commenters just suggesting credit cards you probably don’t have access to.
Ellis said:
What country are you from so we can point you in the right direction?
I see other commenters just suggesting credit cards you probably don’t have access to.
My company is based in the USA, I have a banking account there for salary purposes, and I’m based in Malaysia.
@Lesley
Ah, so it does look like you may be able to get US credit cards. All you need then is a US address to get it sent to.
@Lesley
Which bank do you have accounts with in the US?
Also, do you have an SSN? You generally need one to get a US credit card.
Nico said:
@Lesley
Which bank do you have accounts with in the US?
Also, do you have an SSN? You generally need one to get a US credit card.
CitiBank, while I’m based in Malaysia due to the nature of my remote work, I do have an SSN as my salary/tax purposes require it. I also have an H1B visa. So I can apply for any American credit card.
Edit: visa.
@Lesley
No bank will ask for your visa, just apply online using your SSN. You will need a physical address to receive the cards (hopefully you have a friend in the US); mail forwarding companies won’t suffice, and you will also need a US phone number (virtual is fine if it can accept 2FA texts).
If you’re paying for flights and being reimbursed, Amex Plat from the US is the card you want. It pays 5x points per dollar on flights and hotels booked through Amex or flights bought directly from an airline.
If work is paying for the flights, you might be better with the green Amex. Much lower card fee and has 3x points on dining and also on Uber/taxis, etc., so it’s a good one to use when overseas. Neither card charges an FX commission.
@Lesley
Salam! I’m curious what company you work for! Looking to travel more.
Amex Platinum is pretty much offered everywhere.
Whit said:
Amex Platinum is pretty much offered everywhere.
Yes, but the card features/benefits are different in every market.
I have both Amex charge and credit cards in two different countries and the points earn/bonus categories are vastly different.