All Capital One credit cards have no foreign transaction fees. With any Capital One credit card, cardholders will save an average of 1.52% on each purchase they make abroad or with an international merchant, compared to the average credit card offer. This may not seem like much, but it can add up over the course of an overseas vacation or when shopping online with foreign merchants.
In addition to using a card with no foreign transaction fees, you’ll want to avoid dynamic currency conversion while you’re abroad. By doing these two things, you could save up to 10% when traveling internationally.
No, you don’t have to set a Capital One travel notification, which is also known as a travel alert. Capital One discontinued its travel notifications in 2016. That’s not the only way Capital One makes travel easy. You also avoid foreign transaction fees because none of Capital One’s cards charge them.... read full answer
Here’s what you need instead of a Capital One travel notification:
Customer service info: Keep the Capital One customer service information handy, in case your card is lost or stolen and you need to contact them.
Card number or Social Security Number: Enter your card number when you call to speak to a representative. If your card is lost or stolen, enter your Social Security Number instead.
A travel notice tells a bank that the cardholder will be away from home during a given time period. That way, charges made from places you don’t normally visit won’t trigger the fraud prevention system and cause the bank to freeze the card. Like many issuers, Capital One uses EMV chip-and-signature technology. But unlike most of them, Capital One believes chip technology has made travel notices obsolete.
Each time you make a payment with a chip card, the chip creates a unique code for the transaction that can only be used one time. That prevents account information from being stolen at the point of sale. And that’s why there’s no longer the need for a Capital One travel notice.
But chip-and-signature technology doesn’t help you if someone steals your physical card. And it’s always good to be prepared. So, it’s important to know the numbers to call if you run into any problems using your card while traveling. For instance, if your card gets stolen, you can call to have it frozen and get an emergency replacement card overnighted to you. You can also get a cash advance by wire transfer in that situation.
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover credit cards can be used internationally. However, Visa and Mastercard credit cards are more widely accepted abroad.
Credit cards without foreign transaction fees are also crucial when traveling internationally. You’ll save an average of 1.52% on each purchase, compared to a card with a foreign transaction fee. As a result, Visa and Mastercard credit cards with no foreign fees are the best credit cards to use internationally.... read full answer
When purchasing from international merchants, remember to also watch out for dynamic currency conversion. By avoiding foreign transaction fees and dynamic currency conversion, you could save up to 10% when using a credit card abroad.
Be aware that chip-and-PIN cards will be slightly more useful when traveling abroad than chip-and-signature cards. Unmanned kiosks, for example, may require a PIN from a chip-and-PIN card. That said, you’ll get around fine if you have any low-fee card on the Visa or Mastercard network and some of the local currency as backup.
The best Capital One travel card is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card because it offers 75,000 miles for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. This card also gives 5 miles per $1 spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and 2 miles per $1 on all other purchases. However, there are several good Capital One credit cards for travel to choose from.
In a sense, every Capital One credit card is a good travel card. Capital One is one of just a few credit card companies that have $0 foreign transaction fees on all their cards.... read full answer
Plus, Capital One’s travel cards are special in the sense that cardholders can redeem rewards for statement credits to pay for any travel purchase charged to the account. This adds flexibility in travel booking without sacrificing any value.
Ultimately, you can check out our editors' latest picks for the best travel credit cards in the market to weigh your options.
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