4 Credit Cards With Smart Chips for European Travel

Upgrade to more travel-friendly plastic before you take your European vacation.

Anjelica Tan's avatar
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If you are traveling overseas, you may want to take along a card with a smart chip -- a built-in microprocessor that provides an extra layer of security. Chip cards are more widely accepted in Europe than those with only a magnetic strip. Several U.S. issuers are adapting their cards to the dual technology. The cards below come with both a chip and a strip. Existing cardholders may request a free upgrade.

BankAmericard Travel Rewards Visa (0% interest rate for the first 12 months, then 14.99% to 22.99%) has no annual fee and no foreign-transaction fee; cardholders can get 24-hour travel assistance.

Citi Thank­You Preferred (0% interest rate for the first 12 months, then 12.99% to 22.99%) also has no annual fee but charges a 3% foreign-transaction fee; cardholders get $3,000 in lost-luggage coverage.

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Citi Gold/AAdvantage Visa Signature ($50 annual fee; 15.24% interest rate; 3% foreign-transaction fee) lets you earn miles from American Airlines.

Chase Hyatt Visa Signature ($75 annual fee; 15.24% interest rate; no foreign-transaction fee) gets you two free nights at any Hyatt hotel or resort after you spend $1,000 within the first three months.

Anjelica Tan
Anjelica Tan
Reporter, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Tan joined Kiplinger in June 2012 from Bloomberg News, where she was a reporting intern covering mergers and acquisitions and IPOs in New York. Prior to that, she worked as a production intern at CNN in Washington, D.C., where she assisted with political research and live broadcasts. She also covered financial regulation, including the Dodd-Frank Act, as a reporter for the Medill News Service. Before that, she wrote about economics and commodities in Chicago. She has written for the New York Times, MarketWatch, Businessweek.com, United Press International and the San Francisco Chronicle. She holds a BBA in finance from the University of Michigan and an MS in journalism from Northwestern University.