No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards

The Chase Freedom foreign transaction fee is 3%. That means the real price of everything you charge to your Chase Freedom Card while traveling abroad will end up being 3% higher than listed. It’s not only then, either. Chase Freedom’s foreign fee will also apply if you’re in the U.S. and buy something from somewhere international.

Know what that sounds like? Like the Chase Freedom Card actually restricts the freedom of those with international tastes. Sure, it’s a fine option for domestic use – if you’re into rotating rewards categories, that is.

But you should never settle for foreign fees if you travel or shop internationally. There’s really no reason to when Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve are available. Neither charges a foreign transaction fee. And both have the same credit score requirement as Chase Freedom: Excellent. There are plenty of great options from other credit card companies too.

There is one Visa exchange rate for every type of currency, which can change once every 24 hours. And that rate is automatically applied to any international transaction made with a Visa credit card or debit card. You can easily check the latest Visa exchange rates online to get an idea of what to expect when traveling.

Here’s how to see your Visa exchange rate:

1. Go to Visa’s online Exchange Rate Calculator.

2. Select United States Dollar for your card’s currency.

3. Select the currency used by the merchant.

4. Enter your bank fee (foreign transaction fee), if applicable. Ideally, you should use a no foreign transaction fee credit card.

5. Put in today’s date (the tool can’t predict the future).

6. Click “Calculate Exchange Rates.”

Using a no foreign transaction fee Visa credit card when traveling abroad will save you up to 9% compared to converting hard currency, according to WalletHub’s Currency Exchange Study. But a Mastercard will do the trick, too. There’s actually not much difference between the exchange rates offered by these two worldwide card networks.

Lastly, you should always avoid Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC). This is when a foreign vendor converts the price of a purchase to U.S. dollars, supposedly for your convenience. But that gives the merchant a chance to use an unfavorable exchange rate in place of the low rate you’d automatically get from Visa.

There is no Capital One foreign transaction fee. Or, in other words, the Capital One foreign transaction fee is 0%. That goes for every single Capital One credit card and debit card too from travel rewards cards like Venture to cash back cards like Quicksilver. Want proof? The Capital One website says: “Capital One does not charge a fee for using your credit card for foreign currency transactions.”

That means you won’t pay extra just for shopping at foreign merchants, whether you’re traveling abroad or buying things online from merchants based in other countries. Typically, a foreign transaction fee will cost you an extra 1%-3% of the purchase amount. Capital One, Discover, USAA and PenFed are the only major credit card companies that don’t charge foreign fees on any of their cards.

Even though there are no Capital One credit card foreign transaction fees, there’s still one thing you need to watch out for: Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC). Capital One doesn’t impose this on you, but they can’t protect you from it, either, unfortunately. Dynamic currency conversion is when a merchant charges you in U.S. dollars rather than the local currency and uses an unfair exchange rate to inflate the price. You should always tell merchants to charge you in the local currency. And if you see on your receipt that they didn’t, you should ask them to void the transaction and do it over.

The Bank of America foreign transaction fee is 3%, when it’s not waived. There are 9 Bank of America credit cards with no foreign transaction fees, including their Premium Rewards and Travel Rewards cards. Those no foreign fee BofA cards clearly are a better choice for international spending than the ones that add a 3% surcharge onto everything you buy abroad. That’s actually one of the highest foreign fees on the market. So international shoppers need to be careful when picking a Bank of America credit card and perhaps consider cards from other issuers too.

Here’s what you have to know about the Bank of America foreign transaction fee:

• Unless your card doesn’t charge a fee, it’ll be 3%.
• You don’t even have to travel to get charged a foreign transaction fee. It gets added onto online purchases from foreign merchants too.
• There are 9 Bank of America credit cards with no foreign transaction fees.

At 3%, the Bank of America foreign transaction fee is too steep for anyone planning to make international purchases. But the cards that charge it are meant more for everyday spending than travel. The good news is there are a handful of foreign fee-less alternatives.

These are the best Bank of America no foreign transaction fee credit cards:

• Biggest Bonus: Bank of America Premium Rewards
• No Annual Fee: Bank of America Travel Rewards
• Best Airline Rewards: Alaska Airlines Credit Card
• Best Student Card: Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students

Plus, more and more cards from other issuers are shedding their foreign fees. So you can shop around for the best deal.

No, there's no foreign transaction fees for this card. So you can use it abroad without any trouble.

There’s a different Mastercard exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and approximately 150 other currencies, and they all fluctuate from day to day. You can easily see what exchange rate your transaction will have by going to Mastercard’s exchange rate calculator. 

It’s very simple to use. All you have to do is put in the date, currency of the merchant, transaction amount, foreign transaction fee (if applicable) and United States Dollar (USD) as your card’s currency. Then click “calculate,” and you’ll see the amount you’re paying in USD at the bottom right. The exchange rate will be to the left of that.

Let’s take a look at some of today’s exchange rates for popular travel spots. These rates are current as of 06/06/18 but are subject to change as time goes on. 

Popular Mastercard exchange rates:

• Euro: 1 EUR = 1.17 USD
• Bahamian Dollar: 1 BHD = 1 USD
• Canadian Dollar: 1 CAD = 0.77 USD
• Great British Pound: 1 GBP = 1.34 USD
• Mexican Peso: 1 MXN = 0.05 USD
• Chinese Yuan Renminbi: 1CNY = 0.16 USD
• Japanese Yen: 1 JPY = 0.01 USD
• Russian Ruble: 1 RUB = 0.02 USD

Credit cards are actually the cheapest way to convert currency. But you may still be subject to a foreign transaction fee, which is an extra charge when you buy from a foreign merchant. While all Mastercards offer the same exchange rates, only some of them charge foreign transaction fees. 

You can compare no foreign fee Mastercard credit cards on WalletHub. And if you’re still unsure about which to apply for, you can join WalletHub for free to get personalized credit card recommendations with high approval odds.

The best credit cards with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee are the Capital One VentureOne Visa and the HSBC Cash Rewards Mastercard. That’s because they offer the most rewards in addition to their lack of fees. Capital One VentureOne gives you a 20,000-mile bonus for spending $1,000 in the first three months, 10 miles per dollar at Hotels.com, and 1.25 miles per dollar everywhere else. With the HSBC Cash Rewards Mastercard, you get 1.5% cash back on all purchases. You also get a $150 initial bonus for spending $500 in the first three months, and 10% of all the cash you’ve earned over the year as an anniversary bonus

But the best credit card with no annual or foreign fees really depends on your credit standing and what type of rewards you’re looking for. Fortunately, there’s a whole range of attractive possibilities.

Here are the best credit cards with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee:

• Travel Rewards: Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card - 20,000-mile initial bonus for spending $1,000 in the first three months. 10 miles per $1 spent on hotels booked through hotels.com/venture, and 1.25 miles per $1 on all other purchases. The VentureOne card requires good credit.
• Cash Back: HSBC Cash Rewards Mastercard - 1.5% cash back on all purchases. $150 bonus for spending $500 in the first 3 months, and 10% of all the cash you’ve earned in the past year as an anniversary bonus. You’ll need good credit to get the HSBC Cash Rewards Mastercard. The Capital One Quicksilver Card is a close second.
• Hotel Points: Best Western Credit Card - 16,000 bonus points after you make your first purchase, and another 16,000 after your first Best Western stay. 13 points per $1 on Best Western stays, and 2 points per $1 on all other purchases. 10% discount when you book a room at the Rewards Member Rate on the Best Western site.This card requires good credit.
• Airline Miles: United TravelBank Card - $150 in TravelBank cash for spending $1,000 in your first three months. Each TravelBank dollar can be redeemed for $1 toward a United flight. 2% back on United tickets, and 1.5% on all other purchases. 25% off in-flight purchases on United flights. This card requires excellent credit.
• Bonus Rewards: Discover it - 5% cash back on a new set of bonus categories every three months, plus 1% cash back on all other purchases. 1st year anniversary bonus matches all the cash back you’ve earned. You need good credit to get this card.
• Dining: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Card - $150 bonus for spending $500 in your first three months of card membership. 3% cash back on dining, 2% on groceries, and 1% on all other purchases. This card requires good credit.
• Students: Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students - 20,000-point bonus for spending $1,000 in purchases within 90 days of opening your account. 3 points per $1 at the Bank of America Travel Center, and 1 point per $1 everywhere else. You can get this card with limited credit.
• Small Business: Capital One Spark Cash for Business - $500 bonus for spending $4,500 on purchases within 3 months of account opening. 2% cash back on all purchases. You need excellent credit to get this card.
• No Credit: Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card - 1.5% cash back on all purchases. 50% statement credit for your Spotify Premium subscription until April 2018.
• Bad Credit: Discover it Secured Credit Card - 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations, up to $1,000 spent each quarter. 1% cash back everywhere else. 1st year anniversary bonus matches all the rewards you’ve earned. You can get this card with bad credit.