Advice regarding cards for international offline spends ?

[giri123]

Hi All,

I have a secondment opportunity in London for 1 year. I am a bit confused if I should be using any Indian credit/debit card or Forex card for my spending over there. These are the cards I own as of now and I am happy to apply for any newer cards if the benefits are good;

Credits Cards

1. Amex Platinum travel card
2. SBI cashback card
3. Amazon ICICI credit card
4. IndusInd Bank Pinnacle credit card
5. SCB Manhattan Credit Card

Debit cards

1. IndusInd Exclusive debit card
2. SBI Platinum rupay debit card

Kindly guide me if its beneficial to use any existing or new credit cards for my international spending (mostly offline). Also, will the exchange rates be more than Fore cards (Have bookmyforex card)?

 

[sahilgulati5]

try getting a local card. U can transfer ur AmEx card to UK Amex. Just call the customer care n ask them.

 

[BBbetter]

Amex has good signup bonuses but you won’t be eligible unless you have local credit history. The only option is through Amex global transfer, but no idea if you’ll still get the sign up bonus.
Best to get a local Amex card and add it to your phone like Apple Pay or google pay. Indian cards cannot be added to the phone and it’s risky tapping the card directly (not just in UK). Where Amex is not accepted (small shops don’t), get an fx free card like Wise / Revolut / a debit card like Starling / Monzo etc and add it to your phone.
Even if you have zero fx fee on Indian cards, from a safety perspective, avoid using the card directly and use Apple or google pay.
The London buses and trains also accept contactless, so just the card or phone.