Need a new Card for Worldwide Travel?

BUTTERS

Hi Guys,

I will be needing a new card for my business travel over the next year. I will be needing a limit of £15,000 - £20,000 and am not too fussed about rates as this will be paid off every month. I was wondering what you can recommend for the best benefits, air miles ect.

Mikhail

BUTTERS wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I will be needing a new card for my business travel over the next year. I will be needing a limit of £15,000 - £20,000 and am not too fussed about rates as this will be paid off every month. I was wondering what you can recommend for the best benefits, air miles ect.

Amex Platinum Charge card! The best for travellers! It will give you an access to 600+ travel lounge worldwide; travel insurance; £400 if your flight is delayed; 48h card replacement and so much more! No pre-set limit. The best UK based customer service + iPhone app.

Disadvantages: £300 annual fee; 2.99% currency exchange fee; accepted not everywhere.

chattychappy

I used to have Amex Plat. Frankly not worth it unless you fly Economy alot but not enough to get frequent flyer status. Then it might be if Priority Pass (who Amex uses) have lounges where you fly from. Sometimes they are jolly good - sometimes they are miles from your gate or even at a different terminal.

Frankly the 3% fee on forex is a real problem. Savvy travellers I've met do carry Amex but never spend on it except in an emergency. They carry it (as I did) just for travel insurance and Priority Pass. The travel insurance is good in that you can put other non-related people onto it. I went for an upgrade which meant I could be away 93 days per trip and 270 days per year. I think at one time I had 4 colleagues on the same policy.

In the end I dropped it when I stopped being UK resident. I wouldn't have it agsin - despite what they say, service was awful. Separately bought annual travel insurance is cheaper these days and you get a year at a time. Amex was forever changing their provider at short notice which meant everytime I returned to the UK I found they'd changed something. A particular problem as one of my colleagues had a pre-existing. On one occasion she'd left the UK before I got back and I discovered because of a change she was no longer covered. Never again.

As I say, PP can be worth having. But if you fly business class or become a frequent flyer with a mainstream airline you will get lounge access anyway - and often a better lounge nearer the gate you are using.

They used to have a good rewards scheme - still not bad, but they are always fiddling with it.

I spend more time overseas than in the UK. Combo is the best way to go. 3 or 4 cards at least. PO, Santander are both 0% on forex and I've used both. The soon-to-be-replaced NW Gold is 1%. Clarity (which I've not used) is also supposed to be 0%. Then use something like MBNA as a backup (around 3%). MBNA often give good limits.

Between them you should have enough limit. True Amex claims no limit - but there is a limit, it's just hidden from you. Once you've had it a few months and paid off OK you're unlikely to have a problem. BUT at the same time many places overseas simply don't accept Amex. You could never survive on Amex alone.

There is generally less consumer protection with chargecards than credit cards.