USA Originating DNs: What Are Your Preferred Banks and Credit Cards? What Technologies Help or Hinder Your Lifestyle?

TL;DR - American, soon to be digital nomad, with extensive non-working travel experience (late teens / early 20s; over a decade ago). I am changing up my financial accounts (checking accounts, credit cards) and seek insight from current long-term DNs on their recommendations and "gotchas" to watch out for. The digital world has evolved a lot in over a decade, including with respect to finance. I'm hoping to optimize ahead around Two Factor Authentication, non-swipe payment methods, digital wallets, virtual phone lines, VPNs, Virtual Mailboxes, Virtual Cards, eSIM (which I already use), and more. I'm extremely tech literate and understand all these things, but have no idea how pervasive/accepted they are outside the USA, nor how much they help (or hurt) digital nomads (who live abroad and/or still work for USA-based employers). So, I've provided below the checking/credit cards I plan to get below and welcome any input on that, with respect to the above. And, I welcome you to expound free-form on any of the above really. And if I'm being honest, I invested so much time in the below, I kind of hope it may help others, too! For reference, I anticipate an annual spend of $30k, ranging between $14k and $60k. Most my travels will focus on Europe and SEA, with my first few planned relocations (for 3-6 months each) including: Medellin (Colombia), then Lisbon (Portugal), then Prague (Czech Republic), then Belgrade (Serbia), then Chiang Mai (Thailand), then Seoul (South Korea) and Tokyo (Japan).

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Hi DNs! I'm a 33 year old male American (still in the USA) and switched to full-time remote work last year. I love it! I traveled extensively (backpacking over a decade ago - without working), so am fairly familiar with most the common long-term travel discomforts (lodging, loneliness, foreign languages, getting around, discrimination, threatening dark alleyway knife encounters, fraudsters, etc.). With respect to finance, those difficulties included declined credit/debit cards and an inability to utilize most ATMs (due to my providers failing to remember that I told them my travel itineraries well in advance), as well as currency scams and occasionally exorbitant ATM and foreign transaction fees! Of course, there was a lot of good/fun in traveling too, else I wouldn't be pursuing the DN lifestyle, haha.

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Since my youthful travel, technology has exploded around the world. I'm a professional ethical hacker, so am extremely comfortable and savvy around the technologies discussed (it has literally been my job to defeat many of these technologies - often successfully - perhaps I'll share that in a future AMA, lol), but I'm not familiar whatsoever with precisely how pervasive these technologies are outside of the USA (i.e. South Korea vs Colombia) and, more importantly, how problematic they may or may not be for someone living a long-term digitally nomadic lifestyle (while working for a USA headquartered employer, no less). I'm talking about 2FA (Two Factor Authentication), non-swipe payment methods (PIN, contactless NFC, Digital Wallets [i.e. Apple Pay], Venmo), Virtual Phone Lines (i.e. Google Voice), VPN (Virtual Private Networks), Virtual Mailboxes (no, not email), Virtual Cards, eSIM (which I already use), and more. I'm also quite financially literate, to the point that I achieved FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) in my late 20s, but I happen to find my work rewarding and continue to be frugal (i.e. save >50% of income) - so I continue to work, because I enjoy it. To be clear, I'm not your every day bitcoin pumping dropshipping entrepreneur type whose nomadic to keep costs low or meet fellows in his "tribe" (I can't recall what DN post I read this in before, but that was absolute gold!) - I just love travel, embracing new cultures, and meeting all sorts of new and fun people around the world. With that said, I've shared below the checking accounts and credit cards I'm planning to open to get a sanity check from you all. As well as my technological roadmap / planning thoughts, which I'd love your feedback / suggestions on!

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Note: I intend to annually spend between $14k and $60k (depending on country/city and, of course, my mood) - with a typical year being $30k. For security purposes, I prefer spending with credit cards, not debit cards. And, if possible, using a digital wallet (i.e. Apple Pay). Also, I prefer cashback rewards over points/miles, due to the sheer simplicity/convenience, thus I'm mostly looking at the best yielding card with the lowest fees. Also, I have an an exceptional FICO Score (>820), so I don't anticipate issues getting any credit card - those seeking to emulate me should know you'll likely need a score of >690 to get these cards (and getting one will drop your score in the short-term, so if you want 2-3 of the below cards mentioned, then make sure to start with the best one for you). And last but not least, the fun part! I plan to travel mostly to Europe and SEA, with my first few planned relocations (for 3-6 months each, accounting for taxable citizen dates/rules and Schengen Area visa limitations) including: Medellin (Colombia), then Lisbon (Portugal), then Belgrade (Serbia), then Prague (Czech Republic), then Chiang Mai (Thailand), then Seoul (South Korea), and then Tokyo (Japan).

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I am thinking of adopting the following banks & credit cards as a nomad / expat:

1. Checking Account: Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking
   1. Primary Use Cases:
      1. ATM withdrawals
      2. Back-up payment method when credit cards are declined, due to fraud protection
   2. Secondary Use Cases: < capable of performing functions of the Alliant Account (see below) >
   3. Payment Network: VISA
   4. Payment Methods: Swipe, Pin, and NFC (Near Field Communication [contactless])
   5. Maintenance: None. You don't need to use, regularly deposit to it, or pay an annual fee
   6. Fees:
      1. FTF: 0%
      2. ATM: 0%. All international ATM fees (no limit) are waived/reimbursed
   7. APY: 0.03% (pretty meh, but I wouldn't be keeping more than ~$2k in here at any time)
   8. Other Details:
      1. Mobile App Access: Exists and supports mobile check deposits. However, I'm unsure if it supports 2FA - would love your feedback on that, robustness, and convenience
      2. Physical Bank Access: Schwab is one of the most (USA-based) widely distributed banks around the world - meaningful, in the event that fraud prevention prevents an ATM withdrawal. That said, I couldn't find reliable data on worldwide physical branch presences for any USA-based banks
      3. Insured: Yes - FDIC ($250k)

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1. Checking Account: Alliant High Rate Checking
   1. Primary Use Cases:
      1. Paying credit card balances
      2. Funding and withdrawing from my brokerage accounts
      3. Funding my Schwab checking account (see above)
      4. Receiving paychecks
   2. Secondary Use Cases: Temporary back-up for EVERYTHING, in the event that I get robbed (i.e. wallet containing Schwab debit card and all credit cards gets stolen). Needless to say, this debit card would will live in my luggage (and smartphone digital wallet & venmo), not my physical wallet
   3. Payment Network: VISA
   4. Payment Methods: Swipe, Pin, NFC, Digital Wallet (i.e. Apple Pay), and Venmo
   5. Maintenance: None. You don't need to use, regularly deposit to it, or pay an annual fee
      1. Note: A monthly deposit (i.e. paycheck or brokerage account transfer) is required to receive the APY for that specific month, however
   6. Fees:
      1. FTF: 1% (the VISA fee isn't waived)
      2. ATM: 0% at >80k domestic ATMs (map). ALL international ATM fees (up to $20/month) are reimbursed
   7. APY: 0.25%. I actually prefer Nationwide Advantage Checking (0.45%) for this reason, BUT maintaining an Alliant checking account is a requirement for maintaining an Alliant Cashback Credit Card (see below for primary credit card), which ultimately is more rewarding, since I keep the majority of my money invested in the market
   8. Other Details:
      1. Mobile App Access: Exists and supports mobile check deposits. However, I'm unsure if it supports 2FA - would love your feedback on that, robustness, and convenience
      2. Physical Bank Access: N/A - Alliant does not have physical branches anywhere
      3. Insured: Yes - NCUA ($250k)
      4. Certified Checks: Can be obtained over the phone - is this useful internationally?

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1. (PRIMARY) Credit Card: Alliant Visa Signature Cashback
   1. Payment Network: VISA
   2. Payment Methods: Swipe, Pin, NFC, and Digital Wallet (i.e. Apple Pay)
   3. Maintenance: Must possess an Alliant checking account (see above)
   4. Redemption Rules: Must accrue at least $50 in cashback, before claiming the credit
   5. Fees:
      1. Annual: $0 - this is the current price. However, over the past few years, I've seen it vary from $0 to $99/yr. In the event that it goes to $100/yr again, the additional 1% over a 1.5% card means $10k/yr in spending will make up for the annual fee, so if one only spent $10k/yr on this card, then it would equivalent to the Capital One Quicksilver card (below)
      2. FTF: 0%
      3. Cash Advance (ATM): 3% ($10 minimum)
   6. Rewards:
      1. All Purchases (up to $10k/month): 2.5% cashback
      2. All Purchases (if you manage to reach the $10k/month spend limit): 1.5% cashback
   7. Visa Signature Benefits (non-exhaustive list; see [1] and [2] for all benefits):
      1. $0 Fraud Liability: Only applies to transactions on VISA's network (i.e. fraudulent cash advances from an ATM are akin to a debit loss, NOT a credit loss). Federal law limits fraudulent losses to $50 (credit) and $500 (debit), provided you're reporting your losses within 60 days (i.e. check your accounts regularly). Therefore, Visa's benefit is really just saying it will sometimes waive the $50 fraudulent loss scenario. See [3] for more info
      2. Rental Car Collision (and theft) Waiver: Auto-applied, UNLESS you purchase it from the rental car provider. It's valid for 31 days internationally (and 15 days in the USA). It covers the entire cost of the vehicle, but literally nothing else (i.e. destroyed luggage, injuries to you/others, property damage for others). Only applies to economy-through-luxury classified passenger vehicles (i.e. no minivans seating over 9 people, trucks, cargo vans, or anything classified as "expensive"). Also, if you still carry primary auto insurance as a digital nomad (i.e. a vehicle back in the USA), then this collision protection serves to EXTEND that insurance. Collisions and theft must be initially reported within 45 days, with claims needing to be submitted within 90 days (365 days allowance to acquire all documentation). Note, there are some country exceptions/limitations. The waivers does NOT apply in Ireland, Israel, and Jamaica. Additionally, Australia, Costa Rica, Italy, and New Zealand require renters to carry a certain amount of insurance, which VISA's waiver EXTENDS
      3. Extended Warranties: Auto-extends the manufacturer's warranty on all purchases (except for vehicles, real estate, computer software, medical equipment, and some other items). If the provided warranty is <1 year, then Visa doubles it. If it's 1-3 years, then Visa adds 1 year. If it's >3 years, then no extension is provided. If utilized, there is a cap of $10k/claim, with a lifetime cardholder limit of $50k. Mind you, if you didn't keep the original receipt AND save the original manufacturer's warranty, else you won't be able to submit a claim. So, as a digital nomad, that probably means taking photos with your phone and storing them on the cloud later on...a hassle for non-expensive purchases
      4. Travel and Emergency Assistance Services: Medical evacuation, legal referrals, lost luggage locator service, cash disbursements (if card is stolen), real-time over the phone emergency language translation, pre-trip planning assistance (i.e. exchange rates, vaccination requirements, weather), etc. To be clear, the phone call to get help is free, but the service rendered (i.e. ambulance ride, lawyer, interpreter) will not be free
      5. Roadside Dispatch: Available 24/7 globally. "The service fee is $59.95 per call and includes towing up to 5 miles, tire changes, jump starting, lockout service, up to 5 gallons of fuel and winching"

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1. (SECONDARY) Credit Card: Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards
   1. Payment Network: Mastercard
   2. Payment Methods: Swipe, Pin, and NFC
   3. Maintenance: No requirements - like any card though, you have to use it occasionally
      1. Pro Tip: Put a recurrent charge (i.e. Spotify, Netflix) on your non-primary credit card
   4. Redemption Rules: None - can use as little as $0.01 and they never expire
   5. Fees:
      1. Annual: $0
      2. FTF: 0%
      3. Cash Advance (ATM): 3% ($10 minimum)
   6. Rewards:
      1. All Purchases: 1.5% cashback - it doesn't get any simpler than that!
   7. Other Benefits:
      1. Redemption Options: A statement credit is simplest, but you can also get discounted gift cards. If you own this card and can speak to whether these non-statement credit redemption options are any good, I'd be curious to know!
      2. $0 Fraud Liability: I assume this is comparable to Visa Signature Benefit's, except provided via Mastercard
      3. Virtual Card Numbers: Can create temporary card numbers for purchases on questionable websites
      4. Customer Service: Operates 24/7
      5. Concierge Service: Operates 24/7, for help planning and booking travel, dining, and entertainment
      6. Credit Monitoring Identity Theft Alerts: Comparable to Discover (see below), except it monitors 2 credit bureaus (Experian and Transunion) for activity
      7. Purchase Notifications: Capitol One's website claims they're instant, but I have no experience with it - perhaps you know?
      8. Extended Warranty: Auto-extends the manufacturer's warranty on all purchases (except for vehicles, animals, plants, used items, and more). If the provided warranty is <2 years, then Capital One adds up to 2 years. If utilized, claims must be at least $500, but no more than $10k. Must have original receipt and warranty paperwork. So, as a digital nomad, that probably means taking photos with your phone and storing them on the cloud later on...a hassle for non-expensive purchases.
      9. Purchase Protection: If you see something you bought is selling for a lower price, within 120 days of your purchase date, then you may submit a claim for reimbursement of the difference (up to $250/claim). You may make up to 4 claims within a 12-month period.
      10. Travel Accident Insurance: Details are scarce.
      11. Baggage Delay Insurance: If baggage is deemed "urgent and essential" and delayed by >4 hours, then you may claim $100/day (up to 3 days, thus $300 max). The airfare must have been booked with Capitol One Quicksilver.
      12. Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance: You're covered up to $1.5k/trip, if it's a "qualifying reason".
      13. Rental Car Collision (and theft) Waiver: Details are scarce.
      14. Travel and Emergency Assistance: Details are scarce.

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1. (TERTIARY) Credit Card: Discover IT Cashback < I've actually owned this card for a while >
   1. Payment Network: Discover
      1. Note: Mediocre global penetration makes this a back-up for VISA & Mastercard
   2. Payment Methods: Swipe, Pin, and NFC
   3. Maintenance: No requirements - like any card though, you have to use it occasionally
      1. Pro Tip: Put a recurrent charge (i.e. Spotify, Netflix) on your non-primary credit card
   4. Redemption Rules: None - can use as little as $0.01 and they never expire
   5. Fees:
      1. Annual: $0
      2. FTF: 0%
      3. Cash Advance (ATM): 5% ($10 minimum). It can also be free, if done with a cashier at one of these stores - I do this all the time in the USA, but I don't think this'll be an option abroad
   6. Rewards:
      1. Rotating Quarterly Categories: 5% (on up to $1.5k in spending, thus a $75/quarter cap)
      2. All Other Purchases: 1% cashback
   7. Other Benefits:
      1. Credit Monitoring Identity Theft Alerts: The most important thing it does is monitor your Experian credit bureau for activity - This actually saved me once! It's quite good
      2. Free FICO Score Monitoring: Handy, if you engage in credit card sign-on bonus strategies
      3. Redemption Options: A statement credit is simplest, but you can also get gift cards for between 5% and 30% off. Examples: Banana Republic/Gap/FootLocker/Macys/similar (20%), various globally recognized restaurant chains (mostly 10%), and other random ones for 5% (i.e. AirBnB, Apple, Uber, Lyft, Target). A lot of useful ones, regardless of where one is located, though obviously most easily utilized within the USA. It's worth noting that the cash back never expires, so there's no rush to use it (aside from the impact of inflation, of course)
      4. Purchase Notifications: I'm informed within SECONDS of every debit and credit, so I get a real-time impression of fraudulent charges or accidental over-charges. Super handy in the USA. Probably a good sanity check I have my notifications set to inform me of ALL debits/credits (even $0.01), which usually happens within seconds of my making a payment, so I can quickly validate a charge is what it should be. Especially since it will translate it to USD (i.e. if I get confused with a vendor talking in their currency, this provides a post-purchase sanity check). For those who own Alliant Visa Signature Cashback credit card - can you do this, too?
      5. Customer Service: Operates 24/7 out of the USA (i.e. English speakers)

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1. (BONUS) Credit Card: TBD (likely American Express Platinum)
   1. Rationale: In the ~3 months preceding my DN departure, I'd likely open a credit card offering a great sign-on bonus, thus funding my air travel (and covering the costs of the annual fee), and then cancel the card (before renewal). I'd go with whichever card is offering the best sign-on bonus for my travel at the time. I have a slight preference for American Express Platinum, since they provide 3 months (per flight) of 100% paid for Emergency Medical Evacuation Insurance - I used this benefit once before, getting a private jet for 2 people (plus medical staff) back to the United States, which saved my life once. Of course, I could just buy such a benefit separately, but I've experience with their following-through with the benefit

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Other Open Questions I Have: < given I plan to travel to countries on every continent; hopefully for years to come >

1. Do you feel it's necessary to have a VISA AND Mastercard checking account?
2. Do you feel having three credit cards (VISA, Mastercard, and Discover) is plenty?
   1. And what about American Express? Some googling indicates to me it's less pervasive internationally than the other 3 payment providers
   2. How often do you experience tripped fraud alerts? (please note your card, if comfortable)
      1. How long does it take you to resolve those fraud alerts? As in, can you resolve it quickly on the phone with an agent right then (and do you HAVE to do it right then and there, even if you're in a rush to be somewhere, lest you face headaches later) or are you trying a different card?
      2. Also, at what point (if ever) do those fraud alerts eventually stop for you? Or is it a constant "every time I go to a new city/country" kind of ordeal?
3. Do you struggle with Google Voice? (i.e. 2FA SMS, call quality, connection reliability)
   1. Do you use an alternative Virtual Numbers option? And if so, why?
4. Speaking of 2FA (Two Factor Authentication) - how are you managing it? (Email, SMS, Mobile App, Physical Hardware Token, Other)
   1. Also, if you have one of the checking accounts or credit cards I've mentioned in my list above - can you share what 2FA options you do/don't have with that company?
   2. Note: I feel like a mobile app invites a huge problem if one's phone is ever stolen/lost. Lots of travel risks loss of the physical hardware token (not to mention it being a pain with only some companies accepting certain tokens, thus you end up carrying multiple devices, in addition to non-physical 2FA options - at least, that's how it is with America's financial system today). And SMS, besides being notoriously security weak (better than not having 2FA at all, however) is something I think most (all?) virtual phone lines/numbers (i.e. Google Voice) treat very suspiciously (i.e. sometimes the 2FA code won't be delivered). For this last one, I could be way off base, however
5. What VPN(s) do you use? How reliable has your experience been with commercial VPN uptime?
   1. And do you use more than one VPN?
      1. Note: I've yet to pick a VPN provider. I'm thinking I should have two. One commercial option. And perhaps another that I remotely manage with a friend remaining in the USA. My must-haves for VPN are as low of latency as possible and the ability to select the endpoint (i.e. VPN endpoint is in NY)
6. What payment methods do you find you most commonly use?
   1. Do you find it varies a lot by city, country, and/or continent?
   2. Do you find it varies a lot by the vendor?
      1. Example A: In USA, you don't pay rent with a credit card, because of huge fees - is it the same internationally?
      2. Example B: In USA, most food cart vendors use POS (Point of Sale) hardware/apps (i.e. Square, Clover) - is it the same internationally?
7. Any tips/tricks you've gleaned for getting SIM service on your smartphones?
   1. Also, is eSIM common most places now? I feel like a trendsetter here in the USA for using it. I did this because my smartphone permits TWO simultaneous SIMs, with a maximum of one NANO SIM - so I switched my primary (AT&T for now) SIM to eSIM - that way I can "suspend" it while traveling abroad, yet get another eSIM (or NANO SIM) local to where I am in the world at any given point.
8. What resource(s) do you trust above all else for ensuring you're always somewhere that has good internet uptime and quality (so you're able to work remotely)? And how often has your resource(s) misled you? (FYI - My job entails a LOT of real-time video conferencing)
9. What has your experience been like using digital wallets (i.e. Apple Pay) and payment apps (i.e. Venmo) in most countries? (I suspect a DN would find it far simpler to keep all their cards back at their lodging, thus handling payments with cash and their smartphone. And, if the smartphone gets stolen, at least it's "locked", thus your financial accounts remain secure/untouched!)
   1. Do ATMS internationally even permit usage of a digital wallet? If not, then I suppose one would still need to carry a debit card with them, just in case
      1. Note: My plans (described earlier) are for two debit cards, with only one intended for international day-to-day usage (for ATMS primarily), because of the risks of theft/fraud
   2. Do you find it's easier to keep your wallet on hand with lots of debit and credit cards?
10. If you use a virtual mailbox (not email, but scanned physical mail that's addressed to a PO box), which provider do you use and why (i.e. cost, convenience)? And, just as importantly, have you had any notable difficulties with it?
11. Note: Present day, I'm almost completely digital / paperless (i.e. living in the USA now, I get maybe 3-5 envelopes a month, of which MAYBE 1 is meaningful). I've also managed to stop ~99% of junk mail from ever reaching me (took days of calling/emailing/letter-writing various agencies and companies). For this reason, I'm honestly most likely to use my parent's address while abroad in the very beginning. But, fast forward a few years, I don't want to burden them as they get older. So, before I ask them, I'm curious what non-friend/non-family options some of you are choosing and if it's worthwhile
12. Do you use virtual card numbers while abroad? If yes, how has your experience been with it?
13. Note: All of my online shopping are from sites I trust, so I have a hard time seeing the use for this while being a DN, given Amazon and similar is worldwide. But, if you have stories of when you HAD to use a more questionable website for a more localized online purchase, I'd be very curious to learn more. I'm not sure where virtual card numbers should sit in my repertoire of DN options is all
14. If you are using one of the checking accounts or credit cards I've mentioned above,
15. What RSS Feeds, Blogs, News Sites, Sub-Reddits, or otherwise are your favorites when it comes to preparing to and actually living in a country? I'm talking finding living accommodations (though in some places its easiest to just walk the street still, I suspect), being made aware of political unrest / violent crime upticks, the areas where DNs and/or English-speaking expats are most common (just to get a break and talk fluidly in your own language with peers for a short spell), finding fun activities, literally, anything that you deem helpful or important before arriving or after arriving. Have fun with it! And, heck, if you've got good podcasts/videos I can load onto a laptop/smartphone to listen to while flying or on public transit, all the better!
16. Open Question / Challenge: If you want, I invite you to try and dissuade me from approaching my DN plans with cashback credit cards in favor of points/miles rewarding credit cards. I chose cashback because I felt, given the way I constructed it, it's probably ~75% cost effective as a miles/points approach, but without all the redemption hassle (i.e. deciding which card to use where to maximize points returned, having to transfer around points/miles to different airlines/hotels located where I am / am about to go, trying to value the points, keep track of reward rates changing over time, use-it-or-lose-it clauses to keep track of, and paying taxes/fees atop the redeemed points/miles). Maybe I'm overblowing the time commitment it actually takes people to do all this, but it sure does sound like a headache not worth the effort on an average annualized spend rate of $30k. If you're able to generate >$500 more than the cashback approach, without more than a couple hours thinking however, I'll concede you the win. :D To be clear, sign-on bonuses don't count! (as I already account for that in my above plan and that's really more of a credit card churning topic [which I'm not opposed too, but it's a separate topic of discussion])