[Anonymous]

[acrossthepond]

Hi – i’ve recently moved to New York for work, and will be here for at least a couple of years. I’ll be travelling back to the UK several times a year, and also intend to see as much of the US as i can, pretty much all in economy.

Any advice on which loyalty scheme to choose? Does BA offer incentives for non-UK residents to join Executive Club? I’d consider taking out an affiliated credit card if that helps – again i don’t know if it’s best to do this with an American carrier, or take out the BA US Visa card.

Thanks for any advice!

[excessbaggage]

BA offers 50,000 bonus miles for signing up to its Visa card and spending $2500:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/creditcards/public/en_us

[maxgeorge]

The US issued BA Visa does indeed offer some very good deals, not least of which is commission free foreign exchange transactions, but you´d have to be granted legal residence and establish domestic bank credit, which requires a Social Security number.

The US based AAdvantage card is a bonzer, too. Hook up with Citibank and they shower you with miles.

Plus, in general, customer service over here is top notch.. No surprise there.

My experience over recent years has been that the Alaska Airlines card, affiliated with oneworld, is tremendous value. $50 companion ticket, anywhere they fly, just for signing up, plus lounge access.

Can´t beat that.

[MartynSinclair]

“but you´d have to be granted legal residence and establish domestic bank credit, which requires a Social Security number”.

maxmcgeorge – any chance of you supporting this statement as I have US banking facilities and I am certainly have not been “granted legal residence”

I have a BA Visa card in the US and I certainly dont work in the US.

[BlackTower]

You have to live on the continent to get cut points elite status ( tier points to qualify for Silver or gold). US travellers get utterly gouged on business and first class fares ex US. They are much more than ex LHR and obviously ex continent fares. 🙁

[PatJordan]

Have you considered BMI Diamond Club? Their Gold card gives access to Continental Lounges in US when Continentals’s own Gold Card does not.

There was a post on another thread in this forum recently about BMI offering to match any other carriers Elite card status.

[Binman62]

BlackTower – 17/03/2011 19:22 GMT
US travellers get utterly gouged on business and first class fares ex US. ………………true if booking full fare fully flex but then you never get $675 J class one way out of LHR as is currently publically available for many US to UK and Europe routes. Nor do you get the sort of mileage sign up benefits on cards. In the Uk the branded card is Amex and that still has problems with acceptance here quite unlike the USA. There was never an offer in the UK giving 50 or 100 thousand miles away just to sign up.

Competition in the USA drives these deals but here there appears to be little sign of that here in the UK.

[maxgeorge]

Hi Martyn.

In response to your comment above I have always been required to provide my SS no. to either open an account or apply for a card. Granters of credit are usually quite adamant about that.

But rules change – if you are neither a US citizen nor a legal resident, and are therefore not enrolled in Social Security, perhaps you fall into some category of which I am unaware.

But then what do I know? I still think Morecombe & Wise were funny.

[MartynSinclair]

I still remember Angela Rippon dancing on M & W, Life was never the same after that!

The banks all insist on social numbers mainly as it is a primary form of ID and Americans seem flumaxed if you say you dont have one. Saying that, if you try to open anything in the States, from a driving license to a credit card WITHOUT a social number it is possible as long as the operative knows how to bypass the system and use a date of birth instead.

TO be fair in my posting, I dont work in the US but I hold a social security card going back 20 – 30 years, when these were readily available. However, my wife doesnt and once explained that she cant get one, its never been a problem to get credit cards etc.

The main problem we have is with a driving license, but I may just start a new thread with that one as it certainly has nothihg to do with this thread.

Roll Angela Rippon again.

[maxgeorge]

Angela Rippon, eh?

It was always my ambition to appear on Strictly Come Dancing with that Charlotte Rampling.

(Sorry, VK)

Back on subject, the issue is not one of immigration status, but rather of taxes.

The IRS ( US Inland Revenue ) is bound and determined to screw the last possible dime out of everyone, and your SS number is also your “Taxpayer Identification Number”. Hence their insistence, and the bank´s compliance, with the need to ID anyone with a bank account.

The problem then arises for our buddy Across the Pond, above, that it might be difficult to get a credit card without an established bank account.

Nonetheless, employers sponsering immigrants, as no doubt is A-the-P´s case, have broad latitude to intercede and help. I worked for Big Oil, and we often set people up with all the bumpf required.

Financial services are more rigidly controlled nowadays, in case you were planning on contributing to Al Qaeda, and whereas it used to easy to get an SS card even if you weren´t – ahem – quite entitled to one, that surely is not the case nowadays.

You can, however, at least in California, obtain a driver´s license without an SS no., but it will be endorsed ” Not proof of legal residence”, or words to that effect. Your passport will suffice.

Finding a Gummint employee willing to work around the system is like trying to find a Yorkshire Jobsworth with a sense of humour, as they are constrained bt the rules, and most likely to be politely unco-operative.

Unlike those clowns in the TSA, for whom politeness is an oxymoron, but they are almost exclusively ex-US Army. Say no more.

[MartynSinclair]

Maxmcgeorge – would you mind if I asked you to refer to the social security card by its full name – I get shivers down my spine each time I read it the way you describe it. Just a favour, many thanks.

It really is more of a case of the institutions prefer you to have a social security number becasue they dont know how to deal with you if you dont have one. Its generally quite easy, just show/use another form of ID.

The problem comes though, if what you are applying for is illegal for a non resident alien to own. An example would be that a Brit, with his USA bank account (quite legit to have) wants to buy mutual funds (no can do). But a Brit wanting a credit card, it allowable, its just you have to get one issued and go through the hassle of explaining that a a non resident, you will not be issued with a social security number.

To show u how strict (or stupid) the Americans are, I tried to get my original social security card replaced as it was torn. I phoned in, thankfully i had not given my number becasue I was told as there was no valid reason for me to have a social security number, it would be removed from the system and cancelled out of the system.

You would actually think that the Americans would prefer me to use a social number as it does enable my activities in the states to be tracked.

Back to Angela……………………………..

[maxgeorge]

You´re right – like most countries, the US requires you to have a photo ID.

Don´t have one, and you´re stopped driving, you can find your car impounded and yourself dining in th Greybar Hotel.

Interesting to hear that you were prevented from buying mutual funds. Didn´t know that.

All the more for me.

As for the SchutzStaffeln Card, sorry about that. Heinrich Himmler´s spirit lives on though, as we can all attest, in those security screening lines delaying us from a deserved noggin in the departure lounge.

But I wonder how many Brits are taken aback by US bank promos encouraging customers to think “IRA” when seeking tax-exempt investments.

It means Individual Retirement Account over there.

I drove a green car up that Shankhill Road once.

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