Best Visa Credit Cards

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.

The best Visa credit cards for poor credit are the OpenSky Secured Visa (no credit check), the Harley-Davidson Secured Visa (no annual fee), and the Credit One Platinum Visa (no security deposit). Each is available to people with poor credit and reports info to the credit bureaus monthly. That gives you the opportunity to turn a bad credit score into a fair, or even good, one.

There are lots more Visa credit cards for bad credit available right now, too. So no matter how bad your score happens to be, you should be able to find a decent deal. The key is to compare cards based on how much they charge in annual-, monthly- and one-time fees. If you don’t need a credit card for borrowing purposes, don’t rule out secured cards. The deposit you have to place is refundable, unlike fees. 

That said, why don’t we take a closer look at more top offers?

Here are the best Visa credit cards for poor credit:

• OpenSky Secured Visa (no credit check): $35 annual fee. $200+ deposit.
  
• Harley-Davidson Secured Visa (no annual fee): $300+ deposit. 1 rewards point per $1 spent.
  
• Credit One Platinum Visa (no security deposit): $0-$99 annual fee. $300+ credit limit. 1% back on eligible purchases.
  
• Wells Fargo Secured Visa (low annual fee): $25 annual fee. $300+ deposit.
  
• USAA Secured Platinum Visa (military): $35 annual fee. $250+ deposit.
  
• Green Dot primor Visa Classic (no credit check): $39 annual fee. $200+ deposit.

Of course, there’s no reason to rule out Mastercard credit cards for poor credit, either. There are lots of good options in that category, too, including the Capital One Secured Mastercard. You might also want to consider the Discover it Secured Card, which offers the best rewards among credit cards for people with bad credit.

Citi Double Cash is your best choice. You will earn cash back twice on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% after you pay for those purchases.

You can learn more about it and apply online here. And you can compare it to other top picks for cash back here.

Visa credit card travel insurance covers all Visa credit card users for damage or theft of rental cars. Some cards also provide coverage for accidents while traveling, trip cancellation and lost luggage. Plus, Visa credit card travel insurance never costs extra. You just have to pay for your travel with your Visa card to be eligible for any coverage it might have. But the exact amount of coverage you get, the claims procedures you have to follow, and other fine print depend on the bank or credit union that issues the card. It also makes a difference whether your card is a Visa Platinum, Visa Signature or Visa Infinite (least coverage to most coverage).

The best Visa cards for travel insurance are Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®, according to WalletHub’s latest credit card travel insurance study. But there are lots of good offers out there. So make sure to consult your card’s terms and conditions to see exactly what you’re covered for. And we’ll explain the basic types of Visa travel insurance below.

Here are the types of Visa credit card travel insurance:

• Trip accident: Should you or dependents you’re travelling with die or get seriously disfigured due to the fault of a travel provider, this policy will reimburse you or your family. The amount of money you can get varies, but it could be as much as $1 million with certain cards. But not all cards will have this benefit. Chase Sapphire Reserve has the best coverage.
• Trip cancellation/interruption/delay: If your trip has to be ended early or moved because of things out of your control (e.g. death, injury, severe weather, military orders and more), you can get compensated for the inconvenience. Coverage might be up to $10,000 per trip, but not every card will have it. Chase Sapphire Preferred has the best coverage.
• Lost luggage: It’s hard to enjoy yourself on a trip if you don’t have any of your belongings. If your luggage gets lost or stolen, Visa may pay you for its value. You could get up to $3,000 per person per trip, but whether you have coverage depends on the card. Chase Sapphire Preferred has the best coverage.
• Rental car: Every Visa card should have this, no matter who issues it. If you rent a car with your Visa card and that car gets damaged or stolen, you can be reimbursed. But certain types of cars aren’t eligible (like expensive cars, RVs, motorcycles, and more) and certain situations aren’t either (like drunk driving). You can receive up to the full value of the rental vehicle. Citi cards have the best coverage.

So again, the best course of action is to check your card’s terms to find out what kind of coverage it has. And if you’re in the market for a new card, WalletHub’s editors have prepared a report on the cards with the best travel insurance to help you out.  

The best Visa credit card interest rate is 9.25%, which is possible with the Simmons Bank Visa Platinum Card. But you need excellent credit to get such a card. So there might be a difference between the best overall Visa interest rate and the best interest rate on a Visa credit card that you can actually get approved for. Plus, it’s worth noting that Visa credit cards’ interest rates aren’t actually set by Visa. The banks and credit unions that issue Visa credit cards control that. As a card network, Visa is more about where the card is accepted than anything else.

Of course, you can do a lot better than 9.25% for a limited time, considering the low introductory APRs that many cards offer. For example, the Bank of Hawaii Visa Signature Card gives you 0% for 18 months on purchases and balance transfers. And the Chase Freedom Unlimited Visa offers 0% for 15 months. But their regular rates aren’t as good: 14.98% - 17.98% for Bank of Hawaii and 15.99% - 24.74% for Freedom Unlimited.

By the way, there are two ways a regular, ongoing Visa credit card interest rate might be expressed. The first is as a single number, and the second is as a range. In the latter case, the issuer will assign a rate from that range based on your credit history. Let’s take a look at some examples.

Here are some examples of Visa credit card interest rates:

• Simmons Bank Visa Platinum: 9.25% (V). Requires excellent credit.
• Bank of Hawaii Visa Signature: 0% for 18 months. 14.98% - 17.98% (V). Requires excellent credit.
• Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards: 0% for 9 months. 13.99% - 23.99% (V). Requires good credit.
  
• Chase Sapphire Preferred: 16.99% - 23.99% (V). Requires excellent credit.
• Chase Freedom Unlimited: 0% for 15 months. 15.99% - 24.74% (V) interest rate. Requires excellent credit.
• Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa: 0% for 12 months. 13.99% - 25.99% (V). Requires good credit.
• Costco Anywhere Visa: 0% for 7 months. 16.24% (V). Requires excellent credit.
• Credit One Bank Platinum Visa: 16.99% - 24.99% (V). Can get approved with bad credit.

So you’ll really need to check each individual card to know what your interest rate is going to be. Just a quick note: you’ll often see “(V)” after your card’s interest rate. That just means the rate is “variable,” or can change a bit over time. It’s not anything to be too concerned about though. It’s standard, and your rate shouldn’t change drastically.

Also keep in mind that you won’t have to worry about interest if you pay in full every month. It’s useful to note as well that there are other types of interest rates each card may or will have, such as an introductory rate on balance transfers, an interest rate for cash advances, and a penalty rate that kicks in when you don’t pay your minimum payments.