Credit Cards With No Foreign Transaction Fee
Traveling abroad this summer? Foreign transaction fees could add up to a big chunk of change if you're not careful.
Disclaimer
This article only reviews select credit cards with no foreign transaction fee. We may get compensation if you visit partner links on our site. We may not cover every available offer. Our relationship with advertisers may impact how an offer is presented on our website. However, our selection of products is made independently of our relationship to advertisers. Bonus offers and rates checked as of September 12, 2024.
Attention, international travelers: check your rewards credit cards for foreign transaction fees before your next trip. You may be surprised that some popular travel credit cards charge this fee, a percentage of all your transactions made abroad. And if you live in the U.S. but order goods from abroad, you also may be paying a fee.
If you don't know if your credit card charges a foreign transaction fee, go to the credit card's website and look for a link to "pricing and information," "rates and fees" or "terms." One such link should bring you to the Schumer Box, a summary of your card's fees, interest rates and terms. You may also find the Schumer Box on printed statements.
Best yet? Some of these cards are offering a $1,000+ bonus offer to new cardholders.
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Cards with no foreign transaction fees
Foreign transaction fees typically range from 1%–3% of the value of a transaction, and while this may not seem like much, these fees can add up over time. For example, a week's stay at a European hotel could cost you $3,000. If your card's foreign transaction fee is 3%, you must pay an additional $90.
Here are some of the best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees. Kiplinger vetted each card for its annual review of the best travel rewards credit cards. And our readers selected several of these cards in our latest Readers' Choice Awards credit cards for travel. This list is not exhaustive but includes examples from a range of issuers.
Some of these cards offer substantial sign-up bonuses for new cardholders. Remember that you are unlikely to get your bonus points or miles immediately. If you want to use a sign-up bonus for an upcoming trip, contact the card issuer to see when the bonus will be posted to your account. And as always, before applying for any credit card, review the card's details to ensure you’re making the right choice.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
This card is offering an exceptional bonus offer.
- Sign-up bonus - $1,020 for a limited time: Earn 75,000 miles if you spend $4,000 in the first three months. That's worth up to $1,020 when used to book travel or reimburse travel expenses. Read Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card $1,020 Bonus Offer to learn more.
- Rewards: Five miles per dollar spent on hotel stays and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; all other spending earns two miles per dollar; limited airport lounge access and other benefits apply.
- Redemption: Redeem miles at a rate of a penny each for statement credits on travel purchases or to book a new travel reservation through Capital One. Or transfer miles to any of more than 15 travel loyalty programs.
- Interest rate: 19.99% to 29.99% variable APR for purchases. See rates and fees.
- Balance transfer fee: $0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you.
- Annual fee: $95
- Foreign transaction fee: None.
- Sign-up bonus: 75,000 bonus points if you spend $4,000 in the first three months. That's a $750 value when redeemed for travel or gift cards. And earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal, on ThankYou.com or by calling 1-800-Thankyou (TTY: 711) and saying “Travel”. Offer is valid through 11:59 PM ET 6/30/2024.
- Rewards:
- 10 total ThankYou Points for each $1 spent on hotel, car rental and attraction bookings on the Citi Travel℠ site via CitiTravel.com or 1-833-737-1288 (TTY:711);
- Three ThankYou Points for each $1 spent on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants and supermarkets and at gas and EV charging stations;
- One ThankYou Point for each $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Annual hotel discount: Once a year, get $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, through thankyou.com.
- Redemption: Points are worth a penny each if you redeem them for gift cards or travel bookings through the Citi ThankYou program; you can also transfer points to partner airline and hotel loyalty programs; there are no blackout dates and points do not expire.
- Interest rate: 21.24% to 29.24% variable APR for purchases.
- Annual fee: $95.
- Foreign transaction fee: None.
- Bonus offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year. For details, read Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card: $1,050 Bonus Offer.
- Rewards: Five points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠ and two points per dollar on other travel spending; three points per dollar on dining, select streaming services and online groceries; and one point per dollar on other spending.
- Other benefits: Get a $50 annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more. And on each yearly anniversary of opening your account, you get a 10% points bonus on total purchases made the previous year. Chase offers excellent travel benefits, including rental car insurance and general travel insurance. Plus, get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- Redemption: Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 75,000 points are worth $937.50 toward travel. You also get an extra 25% back when you use points to donate to certain charities; to learn more, read Is Chase Pay Yourself Back Worth It?
- Interest rate: 21.49% to 28.49% variable APR for purchases and balance transfers, and 29.99% variable APR on cash advances.
- Annual fee: $95.
- Foreign transaction fee: None.
- Member FDIC
- This card won the best overall travel card award in our 2024 survey of Kiplinger readers.
- Sign-up bonus: 75,000 miles if you spend $4,000 in the first three months.
- Rewards: Earn 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, five miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel, and two miles per dollar on all other purchases.
- Other benefits: Perks include 10,000 bonus miles on your account anniversary each year, an annual credit of $300 for bookings made through Capital One Travel, free entry to more than 1,300 Priority Pass and Plaza Premium airport lounges, complimentary access for you and two guests to Capital One’s airport lounges, and President’s Circle status with Hertz.
- Redemption: Redeem miles at a rate of a penny apiece for statement credits on travel purchases or travel bookings through Capital One, or transfer them to partner airline and hotel loyalty programs.
- Interest rate: 19.99% - 29.99% variable APR for purchases. See rates and fees.
- Balance transfer fee: $0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you.
- Annual fee: At $395, the annual fee is lower than that of many luxury travel cards.
- Foreign Transaction fee: None.
- Intro offer: Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first six months of Card Membership (worth up to $1,200). For details on this card and related cards, read our article Earn Delta SkyMiles Worth up to $1,200.
- Interest rate: 20.49% to 29.49% variable APR for purchases. See rates and fees.
- Annual fee: $350.
- Foreign transaction fee: None.
- Rewards rates: Earn three miles per dollar on Delta purchases and purchases made with hotels. Earn two miles per dollar on restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. Earn one mile per dollar on all other qualified purchases.
- Annual companion ticket: Receive a Companion Certificate on Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American round-trip flights each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Ticket requires payment of the government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for round-trip domestic flights and no more than $250 for round-trip international flights (both for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Other rewards: Card Members save 15% when booking Award Travel with miles on Delta flights when using delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Free baggage check: The first checked bag is free.
- Priority boarding: Receive Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights.
- Medallion program: If you want to improve your access to the lounges with this card, you can earn $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and $1 Medallion® Qualification Dollar for each $20 of purchases made on your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card in a calendar year and get a boost toward achieving elevated Medallion Status for next Medallion Year.
- Redemption: Miles can be used for travel on Delta Air Lines, Delta Connection carriers (Endeavor Air, Inc., Republic Airline, and SkyWest) and 30+ partner airlines. Want even more flexibility? Take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com.
- Terms apply
- See rates and fees.
- Sign-up bonus: 20,000 points, worth $200, if you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days.
- Rewards rates:
- Five points per dollar on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center.
- Four points per dollar on other travel purchases and at gas and EV charging stations through September 8, 2024, after that 4X on your first $1,000 each quarter (wholesale clubs, discount stores/supercenters and grocery stores excluded).
- Two points per dollar on grocery store, restaurant and streaming-service spending.
- One point per dollar on other spending.
- Redemption: Redeem points at a rate of a penny each for travel, gift cards, cash back, merchandise and other options; cardholders also get reimbursement of the application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, four free yearly visits to Priority Pass Select airport lounges, and a $30 annual credit if you make 11 months of purchases with eligible streaming services.
- Lounge access: Complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership gives you 4 free visits to over 1,500 airport VIP lounges and experiences worldwide.
- Interest rate: 18.24% to 29.24% variable APR for purchases or balance transfers.
- Annual fee: None.
- Foreign transaction fee: None.
The BILT Mastercard from Wells Fargo rewards you with one point per dollar on rent payments (up to 100,000 points each year), and you bypass the transaction fees that usually apply when you pay rent with a credit card. Read our dedicated article on the BILT credit card for the full skinny.
- Top rewards rate: Three points per dollar on dining.
- Other rewards: Get two points on travel, one point per dollar on rent payments (up to 100,000 points each year), and one point on other purchases.
- Redemption: Transfer points that you earn with it on a one-to-one basis to 16 different transfer partner programs, including those of American Airlines, Marriott, United Airlines and Hyatt. Or you can redeem your rewards toward a down payment on a property, in which case points are worth 1.5 cents each.
- Rent Day bonus: On the first of each month, or "Rent Day," the card will double your rewards, in addition to the one point you receive for paying rent. So, instead of getting three points on dining purchases, you get six points for every dollar you spend on that day, and so on. The card also offers a surprise benefit each Rent Day, such as transfer bonuses to airlines or extra points for purchasing sporting event tickets.
- Trip cancellation, interruption and delay insurance. Get up to a maximum of $1,800 for a trip delay. Get up to $5,000 for non-refundable fares booked with your card.
- Sign-up bonus: None.
- Annual fee: None
- Interest rates: 21.49%, 24.49%, or 29.49% variable APR.
- Foreign transaction fee: None.
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- Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards
Disclaimer
All information about the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card has been collected independently by Kiplinger. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. As an independent publication dedicated to helping you make the most of your money, the article above is our view and is not the opinion of any entity mentioned such as a card issuer, hotel, airline, etc. Similarly, the content has not been reviewed or endorsed by any of those entities.
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Erin pairs personal experience with research and is passionate about sharing personal finance advice with others. Previously, she was a freelancer focusing on the credit card side of finance, but has branched out since then to cover other aspects of personal finance. Erin is well-versed in traditional media with reporting, interviewing and research, as well as using graphic design and video and audio storytelling to share with her readers.
- Ellen KennedyPersonal Finance Editor, Kiplinger.com
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