US Expats living in : how to keep US bank s, US credit cards

Gulkana · 2025-06-07T00:48:31-0400

andi_sf said:
While planning our move to the question of keeping our US bank s, US credit cards open and current while living in .

Reading through some threads on this forum, most people advised not to tell the bank that one lives abroad but then the question comes up how to receive for example new credit cards once they expire which usually requires one to have an non-PO address in the US.

1. There seem to be some 3rd party services in the US that offer a 'real' address in the US with mail forwarding services. Would these be sufficient and are there any recommendations?

2. In regards to bank s the 2-Step verification process is sometime mentioned as a hurdle since it requires a real US phone number. Are there any workarounds?

3. Online access is also sometimes described to be 'iffy' since if the the banks detects that a bank is accessed via an IP address from abroad that this also could raise some red flags. Is a VPN still a good bet against that?

We wonder how everyone's experience is in regards to these questions and if there are any recommendations to specific services or other tested and viable approaches?

Any hints and info would be very much appreciated.

I travel 6 months a year outside of the USA. My cell provider has "WiFi Calling". With it I receive any calls or texts just as if I'm in the USA. Your expense is your monthly cell bill.

Beware, when a bank, brokerage, etc. discovers you are no longer residing in the USA they may/will freeze your s. If this happens you will probably need to return the US and visit a branch of your bank.

I've never had any problem with online access with more than a half dozen banks and brokerages. That said, every 6 months I'm back in the States, so maybe if they detect you never return to the states they will flag you.

It is not uncommon for companies to detect you are using a VPN. Many of the streaming services (Disney, Netflix, Amazon, etc.) detect you trying to use a VPN. I suspect banks do too.

Better to find a bank/brokerage that doesn't care if you live overseas. There are fewer of them now, since 9/11, because the Feds have made it onerous for the banks to have these kind of depositors. But, there still some. I believe Charles Schwab (checking/savings/brokerage) is one of them. Plus they refund overseas ATM fees! But, even they may limit the kind of investments you can have — mutual funds are often problematic.

Finally, if you do live in odds are good you will become a tax resident. You'll have to declare ALL of your USA assets to the French government. No free lunch!

US Expats living in : how to keep US bank s, US credit cards

Gulkana

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