Getting Paid in USD While Living in UK

Hello! I'll be working for an American company as a contractor in the UK. We are paid USD to our American bank accounts. However, I will of course need to pay for housing and luxuries like groceries and gas, but don't want to use an American card and constantly pay foreign transaction fees.

Any expats experience this? How did you ensure the least amount of fees, and conversion rate loss? Also, can I use my American card for online purchases, such as on Amazon, without foreign transaction fees?

I did this for two years.  A pain in the ass.  I'd withdrawal cash from the ATM and put it in my UK account for bills.  My company paid all my fees and kept me 'whole'.  You'll always have foreign currency fees on charges, if a credit card advertises that they don't, it'll be an undesirable exchange rate.

Make sure they provide tax equalisation, as you'll be paying U.K. taxes which are much higher than US taxes.

How does that work, paying UK taxes as an American on a visa? I'll have to do research about this...

Your company should provide you with both US and UK tax support.  It's rather complex when being paid USD into a US account. 

The UK will be your tax authority (you pay U.K. Tax first and they have a credit on US tax, so you aren't double taxed).  Your company should pay your U.K. tax owed (which will be much higher than your US tax) and then you are only 'charged' for your normal US tax rate.

I think my brain just exploded...

It is a heck of a lot more complex than just being paid in GBP in the U.K. (The taxes).  Definitely get some professional tax advice before accepting an offer though.  It's very easy to wind up in a 'worse off' position with an international transfer than people think.

I've got some contacts who went from Tampa to Molesworth with the same company I'd be working for... Already reached out to them to explain how it works for them!

Perfect!