What is the best credit card for travel in Europe?

No, you don’t need a special European credit card before going to Europe. But you do want a card on a network that’s widely accepted in your destination of choice. Mastercard and Visa are your best options, as they’re both accepted pretty much everywhere in over 200 countries and territories. ... read full answerAmerican Express is accepted in all European countries but may not be accepted by the specific merchant you’re doing business with, particularly if it’s a small operation. It’s ideal to get a card with no foreign transaction fee and extra rewards on travel, too.

Some of the Best Credit Cards for Traveling in Europe

The Capital One Venture card offers a bonus of 75,000 miles for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. You also get 5 miles per $1 spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and 2 miles per $1 on all other purchases. Capital One Venture charges $0 foreign fees. The card has a $95 annual fee and requires at least good credit.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers 60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. You also get 5 points per $1 spent on travel purchased through Chase, 2 points per $1 on all other travel purchases, 3 points per $1 on dining and online grocery purchases, 3 points per $1 on select streaming services, and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. Points worth 25% more when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. With this card, you also get a 1:1 point transfer to 13 airline and hotel loyalty programs. That card has a $0 foreign transaction fee and $95 annual fee. Chase Sapphire Preferred requires at least good credit.

The JetBlue Plus Card offers 60,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days and paying the annual fee. You also get 6 points per $1 spent on JetBlue purchases, 2 points per $1 spent at restaurants and grocery stores, and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. The JetBlue Plus Card has a 0% foreign transaction fee and a $99 annual fee. The card requires excellent credit.

The Capital One Quicksilver card offers $200 for spending $500 in the first 3 months. You also earn 5% cash back on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, as well as 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. This card has a $0 foreign transaction fee and a $0 annual fee. Capital One Quicksilver requires at least good credit.

Things to Know About Using a U.S. Credit Card in Europe

If you’re wondering about whether European card readers are compatible with American credit cards, you’ll be fine anywhere there’s a person to check you out. That’s true whether you have a chip card or an older card with only a magnetic stripe. The one place you may need a specific type of card is at an unmanned payment terminal, such as you might find in a train station or parking garage. In that case, not even a chip-and-signature card will work. You’ll need to use a chip-and-PIN credit card or cash. But that shouldn’t amount to much more than a minor inconvenience, even though most U.S. chip cards are the signature variety.

All in all, finding a credit card with no foreign transaction fees should be a bigger concern before traveling to Europe. The average credit card charges 2-3% of every purchase you make abroad, which can add up to a lot over the course of a trip.

Ultimately, you might also want to set a travel notice to tell your card’s issuer where and when you’re going. That way, your purchases away from home won’t be confused with fraud.

The major credit card foreign transaction fees range from 0% to 3% of each purchase processed internationally. The average credit card’s foreign fee is roughly 1.5%. Some credit card companies do not charge foreign transaction fees on any of their cards, including Capital One, Discover and USAA. Other credit card companies charge foreign transaction fees on some, or even most, of their cards. But each of the 10 largest credit card issuers has at least one credit card with no foreign transaction fees.... read full answer

Here are the foreign transaction fees by credit card company:

Issuers charge foreign transaction fees on purchases made outside the U.S., whether in-person or online. The fee is always a percentage of the total purchase amount. The reason credit card companies charge foreign transaction fees is to help pay for the costs of currency conversion in international purchases. It’s essential to take a no foreign transaction fee credit card when going abroad, because those charges can quickly build up.

The best way to avoid foreign transaction fees is to use a debit or credit card that waives foreign fees when you're traveling abroad or making online purchases from international retailers. About 25% of the credit card offers on the market don’t charge foreign transaction fees, so there’s no reason to pay the extra charge.... read full answer

• Get a credit card with no foreign transaction fee
• Understand that foreign fees can be an issue even when you’re not traveling
• Have a no foreign fee debit card handy
• Avoid converting currency at airport kiosks
• Refuse offers for dynamic currency conversion

1. Get a credit card with no foreign transaction fee.

Foreign transaction fees are charged by credit card companies and the surcharge could add as much as 4% to purchases made outside the U.S. These fees also apply to online purchases processed through international merchants. If a card charges a foreign transaction fee, it will be listed in the card’s terms and conditions.

The 10 largest credit card companies all offer at least some cards without foreign transaction fees. Plus, some issuers don’t charge these fees on any of their credit cards. Using credit cards with no foreign fees rather than cash is also a convenient, inexpensive way to avoid having to convert physical currency while traveling abroad.

2. Understand that foreign fees can be an issue even when you’re not traveling.

You don’t have to be in another country to get hit with a foreign transaction fee. If you do business online or by phone through a merchant based outside of the U.S., make sure you pay for your purchase with a no foreign fee credit card to sidestep the surcharge. If you use a card with a foreign fee, you’ll be charged this fee on top of your transaction, the same as you would if you had made the purchase at a physical location abroad.

3. Have a no foreign fee debit card handy.

You may not be able to use credit cards for all your purchases abroad, so having a debit card will allow you to get cash in the local currency when you need it. Many debit cards also charge foreign transaction fees, though. So, make sure to bring a Visa or Mastercard debit card with no foreign fee when you head out of the country.

4. Avoid converting currency at airport kiosks.

Converting your cash at an airport kiosk outside of the U.S. may be convenient, but that convenience will cost you. Currency conversions at airport-based exchange stations come with extraordinarily high fees and less-than-favorable exchange rates.

Instead, use a no foreign transaction fee credit card for most of your purchases, and a no foreign fee debit card to withdraw physical currency. These options are very convenient, and each allows you to take advantage of low Visa and Mastercard currency conversion rates automatically.

5. Refuse offers for dynamic currency conversion.

Dynamic currency conversion (DCC) is a practice in which foreign merchants may offer to charge your purchase in U.S. dollars instead of the local currency. You should never accept these offers because if the merchant converts your payment for you, they may set their own high exchange rate to increase their profits.

With that, you know the basics of how to avoid unnecessary costs when spending money internationally. If you already have a credit card that charges foreign transaction fees, there’s not much you can do to avoid them, except for not using the card abroad. Consider applying for a travel credit card with good ongoing rewards and no foreign transaction fees, instead. There are plenty of options to choose from.