I am wondering which is the best bet, getting a US based Amex Marriot Bonvoy “Brilliant” of the JP based Marriot Bonvoy “Premium”. In the hour of research I did (which is way more than I wanted to spend on this) it seems like the US card has the advantage, as the fees are about the same but the signing bonus is nearly double. Has anyone compared these two before and have any startling conclusions? In general, is the US card the better bet? I feel like some of the minimum spending hurdles are quite higher in Japan and the rewards are lower.
4 comments
US based cards pretty much always have great sign up bonuses, points collection etc vs annual fees compared to Japanese ones (and usually vs European cards too). As long as the US card has no foreign transaction fees and you have the $ back home to pay the bills (and a US billing address in the first place) I’d do that.
However, if you are going the US route, make sure you can access your account from Japan. I have various Chase cards and can get the necessary 2 factor authentication codes via google voice, but I had to cancel my Capital One card since they required a US phone number and didn’t accept anything like Google voice. I’m not sure what the AMEX situation is.
Also I’m not sure if you have a particular reason to get the Marriot card, you may want to check out other cards that can give better benefits depending on your spending. r/creditcards is good for getting specific US card advice
I use that card (formerly SPG), and I use the US-issued one.
No issues with it, it’s my main card. 0 Fx fees makes it bearable.
Just the fact that the points gain on the Japanese versions are lower kept me from switching it over.
US cards are generally much better than any other country.
I am super jealous of anyone with access to them.
By the way if you have your heart set on a Marriott card here is a good article about various US options
https://thepointsguy.com/news/marriott-bonvoy-current-offers/?utm_source=milesfeed.com&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=MilesFeed.com