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No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards

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How to Choose a Credit Card with No Foreign Transaction Fee

This content is not provided by the card issuer. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of the issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the issuer. This site may be compensated through the advertiser's affiliate programs.

Most credit cards tack on a 3% charge, or foreign transaction fee, on purchases made outside the United States. If you travel internationally with a no foreign transaction fee credit card, you'll save money on your purchases.

Plus, using a credit card that doesn't have a foreign transaction fee is usually cheaper than using the currency conversion services at retail stores, banks, and airports, which tend to charge high fees and could be inconsistent in their currency calculations. Credit cards usually use the wholesale market rate or the government-mandated rate.

Featured Deal

Chase Sapphire Preferred
Apply for Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred has a hot deal for travelers looking for a $0 foreign transaction fee credit card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred lets you earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.

Points can be transferred 1:1 to leading frequent travel programs including airline transfer partners. The card has no foreign transaction fees. The card also comes with premium travel and purchase protection benefits (including trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance and auto rental collision damage waiver). There is a $95 annual fee.

International Travel

  • 2x Miles on All Purchases: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Plus receive a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit in your first cardholder year. This card earns 2 miles per dollar on all purchases. There are no foreign transaction fees. You get up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®. There is a $95 annual fee.

  • Chase Sapphire Reserve
    Apply for Chase Sapphire Reserve
    Luxury Travel Benefits: Chase Sapphire Reserve lets you earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This card offers a $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.

    This card earns 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. The points can be transferred 1:1 to leading frequent travel programs including airline transfer partners. The card has $0 foreign transaction fees. The card comes with access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select. There is a $550 annual fee.

No Foreign Transaction No Annual Fee

  • Cash Back: Discover It will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. This offer is only for new customers. This card earns 5% cash back in bonus categories that change each quarter (up to the quarterly maximum; requires free activation each quarter). All other purchases earn 1% cash back.

  • 1.5x Miles on All Purchases: Discover it Miles will match all the miles you've earned at the end of your first year. This offer is limited to new cardmembers only. This card earns 1.5x miles on all purchases and has no annual fee.

  • 1.5x Points on All Purchases: Bank of America Travel Rewards offers 25,000 online bonus points if you spend at least $1,000 on purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account. 25,000 points is worth a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases. This card earns 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases. You can redeem points for a statement credit to pay for flights, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, car rentals, or baggage fees. There are no foreign transaction fees. There is no annual fee.

No Foreign Transaction Fee Business Credit Card

For small business owners, use a business card with no foreign transaction fee to help you trim expenses on international business trips. Does your work take you overseas a lot? You'd benefit with a card specifically tailored for business travelers.

  • Ink Business Preferred
    Apply for Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
    Travel Rewards: Ink Business Preferred lets you earn 90k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠. Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. There are no foreign transaction fees. There is a $95 annual fee.

  • Cash Back: [capital-one-spark-cash.verbdescf]

Student Credit Card with No Foreign Transaction Fee

For college students who travel the world, consider using a student credit card with no foreign transaction fee to help you save on your next study abroad or summer adventure.

  • Discover Student It Card will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. This offer is only for new customers. This card earns 5% cash back in bonus categories that change each quarter (up to the quarterly maximum; requires free activation each quarter). All other purchases earn 1% cash back. Plus, you earn a $20 statement credit each school year your GPA is 3.0 or higher for up to the next 5 years.

How to Avoid Extra Fees With No FTF Cards

  • Always choose the local currency. Sometimes when using your card, you'll be asked if you want to pay in the local currency or in US dollars. You may be tempted to choose dollars, but it's wiser to pay in local currency. Merchants use dynamic currency exchange, where the exchange rate is usually worse. If you pay in local currency, then your bank does the conversion, which is more comparable to market rates.

  • Avoid cash advances. No foreign transaction fee doesn't mean no fee for cash advances at foreign ATMs. The fees are quite high and plus, interest starts accruing right away. If you need some cash while abroad, use a debit card that reimburses ATM fees. Or get the money at your bank before your trip.

  • Bring a card with worldwide acceptance. Visa and Mastercard are accepted pretty much anywhere in the world. American Express and Discover have less of a worldwide presence.

Note: This website is made possible through financial relationships with some of the products and services mentioned on this site. We may receive compensation if you shop through links in our content. You do not have to use our links, but you help support CreditDonkey if you do.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. This site may be compensated through the Advertiser's affiliate programs.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by Chase. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Chase. This site may be compensated through the Advertiser's affiliate programs.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by Capital One. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Capital One.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by Bank of America. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Bank of America.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by Discover. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by Discover.

Disclaimer: The information for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card, Discover it® Cash Back, Discover it® Student Cash Back, and Discover it® Miles has been collected independently by CreditDonkey. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.


Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

Disclaimer: The information for the The Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Business Gold Card, Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Gold Card, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, Hilton Honors American Express Card, Mastercard® Black Card™, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card, Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card, Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card, Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, HSBC Gold Mastercard® credit card, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, Discover it® Cash Back, Discover it® Student Cash Back, Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card, Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, Spark Classic from Capital One, Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Spark Miles for Business, Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business, Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, Discover it® Chrome, Discover it® Miles, Spark Miles Select from Capital One, American Express® Green Card, Capital One Platinum Credit Card, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, Capital One Platinum Secured, Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi, Discover it® Secured, and Discover it® Student Chrome has been collected independently by CreditDonkey. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

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No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards Benefits

Save money when traveling internationally
A 3% fee on every transaction you make may not sound like a lot at first, but this cost can really add up. If your card doesn't have a foreign transaction fee, you'll avoid this expense altogether.

Using a credit card with no foreign transaction fee is usually the cheapest way to buy items when you are overseas, compared to using cash. Currency conversion services at retail stores, banks and airports cost you more in the long run. Networks like Visa and MasterCard usually use the wholesale market rate or the government-mandated rate.

Experience convenience
If you feel free to use your card while traveling, you'll save yourself the hassle of needing to carry large amounts of cash and converting it to another currency when you go to a new country.

Have a sense of safety
Carrying a credit card is much safer than carrying a lot of cash. In the event your card is lost or stolen, immediately contact your credit card issuer. See our Lost Wallet What to Do guide for tips.

Keep track of your expenses
When you use a credit card without a foreign transaction fee, you'll avoid the unpleasant surprise of being billed for more than you expected. Your statement also serves as a log of your expenses, which is helpful if you're sharing costs with a travel companion.

Reward yourself, not the bank
Credit cards with rewards usually earn a base rate of 1% of the purchase amount. A 3% foreign transaction fee can really put a dent into the net amount you earn, even if your travels are short. There are plenty of great rewards cards on the market that are better suited for people who travel internationally.

Remember, it's often helpful to call your credit card company in advance to let them know you will be traveling outside the US so that they are less likely to decline purchases you make while traveling.


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About CreditDonkey
CreditDonkey is a credit card comparison website. We publish data-driven analysis to help you save money & make savvy decisions.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed on this page are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

†Advertiser Disclosure: Many of the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which CreditDonkey receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). CreditDonkey does not include all companies or all offers that may be available in the marketplace.

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CreditDonkey does not know your individual circumstances and provides information for general educational purposes only. CreditDonkey is not a substitute for, and should not be used as, professional legal, credit or financial advice. You should consult your own professional advisors for such advice.

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