Can I Avoid Foreign Transaction Fees
Yes: Not all credit cards charge a foreign transaction fee. The best way to avoid foreign transaction fees is to get a .
To find out if a credit card charges a foreign transaction fee, take a look at the card issuer’s website and search for “pricing and terms” or “important rates and disclosures.” The foreign transaction fee is typically listed in the “fees” section below the card’s APR disclosures. If there is no mention of a foreign transaction fee there, your card does not charge one and you can rest easy knowing your international purchases won’t get an extra fee tacked on.
If your primary credit card does charge a foreign transaction fee, you may want to add a card to your wallet that doesn’t, especially if international travel is in your future.
Check If You Need To Share Your Travel Plans
Some credit card issuers might request that you set up a travel notice when youâre going to be away from your home country. Thatâs so they know youâre abroad and donât flag your card for potential fraud. You can typically inform an issuer of your international travel plans on its website, through its mobile app or by phone.
Capital One and others no longer require you to share your travel plans when youâre heading out of the country. Still, those card issuers advise making sure your contact information is updated in case they need to reach you about suspected fraud.
Disadvantages Of The Capital One Ventureone
Its all about perspective here. While you can criticize elite credit cards for lacking perks that are expected alongside a lofty annual fee, its tough to knock the Capital One VentureOne given its annual fee of zero.
With the exception of earning 5 miles per dollar for hotels and car rentals booked with the card through Capital One Travel, there are no opportunities to earn more than 1.25 miles per dollar on the VentureOne. For those who like bonus categories, this may be seen as a disadvantage.
However, you could pair the VentureOne with a credit card like the Chase Freedom Flex to unlock even more potential. For example, you could use the no-annual-fee Freedom Flex card when its rotating bonus categories make sense for your spending habits, and then the VentureOne for all other purchases.
Its also worth noting that while the list of Capital One transfer partners continues to grow, most of the partners are based outside of North America. The list feels a bit less compelling when contrasted with some of the American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners.
Read Also: Best Buy Apr
Do Fx Fees Count When Earning Credit Card Rewards
Sadly, foreign transaction fees don’t count toward rewards spending. In the example above where we spent $100 on lodging using a cash back card, cash back would only be earned on the $100 bill, not on the final $103 cost banks charge the fee separately on your bill. Just like with interest, annual fees and late fees, you won’t earn any rewards for foreign transaction fees. Rewards for general-purpose credit cards tend to hover around the 1.5% to 2% level, so a 3% FX fee would erase any rewards earned.
Capital One Ventureone Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is the best no annual fee card for everyday spending without foreign transaction fees. The card earns 1.25x Venture miles per dollar spent, and those miles can be transfered to airline and hotel partners, mostly at a 1:1 ratio. I value Venture miles at 1.7 cents each, so to me thats like a 2.125% return on spending.
While Id ideally earn 2x Venture miles with one of the premium cards, this is a good option for those who absolutely want to avoid paying an annual fee.
You May Like: Best Buy Credit Card Citi Bank
Which Credit Cards Work Internationally
You wont have trouble using your credit card at home. In the U. S., the four major credit card networks Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover have an acceptance rate of 99% or higher among merchants who accept credit cards. But its a different story overseas.
According to their respective websites, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover are accepted in over 200 countries and territories around the world. But Visa and Mastercard are more widely accepted at over 70 million merchant locations compared to Discovers network of over 50 million merchants. And while American Express has made great strides to increase its international presence beyond 160 countries, it still doesnt match the power of Visa or Mastercard.
But that doesnt mean your Discover or American Express card wont provide tremendous value when traveling abroad or making purchases with a foreign bank. Its just a good idea to have a backup plan, which should include carrying a Visa or Mastercard, as well as your debit card for cash withdrawals and that rare occasion when a merchant doesnt accept any credit card.
Will You Be Charged A Foreign Transaction Fee When Booking International Trips Online
You dont have to be in another country to rack up a foreign transaction fee. If you make a payment online that gets routed through a non-U.S. bank, you might see that pesky fee tacked onto your bill. This can happen when you are buying from a company that is not based in the U.S., but it also happens when booking hotels abroad.
Related: I paid a foreign transaction fee at home reader mistake story
Most properties within major hotel brand portfolios like Hilton or Marriott are individually owned and managed, but reservations are facilitated through a brand-wide website. This means that while your reservation may be made on a U.S. website and you may pay in USD, the room charges may be processed by the hotel itself through a non-U.S. bank.
Its generally hard to tell in these cases whether youll be charged a foreign transaction fee until after the payment is already processed. So its a best practice to use a card with no foreign transaction fees for booking purposes. Luckily, most top credit cards for booking hotel stays come with no such fees.
Don’t Miss: First Premier Bank Platinum Mastercard Reviews
Before Traveling Overseas Learn These Essential Credit Card Tips That Will Help You Travel With Ease
Whether youâre driving into Mexico or jetting off to Monaco, a credit card can come in handy to pay your hotel bill, cover restaurant tabs, purchase souvenirs and a whole lot more. And if you have a travel rewards credit card, you may be able to cover the cost of certain travel-related purchases by using rewards.
Before departing for your trip, you might want to take a few proactive steps to take advantage of all that your credit card offers when youâre in another country. Read on to learn more.
Foreign Transaction Fee: What Is It How Does It Work
Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure: ValuePenguin is an advertising-supported comparison service which receives compensation from some of the financial providers whose offers appear on our site. This compensation from our advertising partners may impact how and where products appear on our site . To provide more complete comparisons, the site features products from our partners as well as institutions which are not advertising partners. While we make an effort to include the best deals available to the general public, we make no warranty that such information represents all available products.
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the authors opinions and recommendations alone. It may not have been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. This site may be compensated through a credit card issuer partnership.
Citi is an advertising partner
If you’ve used your credit card outside of the U.S., you’ve no doubt come across foreign transaction fees. These pesky little charges are often buried deep in the terms and conditions of your credit card agreement. You may be wondering: What exactly are these transaction fees? Are they always the same? And are there cards that don’t charge foreign transaction fees?
We’ve researched and assembled this guide to help consumers find answers to these questions, and better understand foreign transaction fees and how they work.
Don’t Miss: Sony Credit Card Comenity
What Is The Average Credit Score Needed To Get Approved For The Capital One Walmart Rewards Mastercard
Capital One reviews your credit history and application to determine if you qualify for the Capital One Walmart Mastercard. Although it didnt specify the average score needed to get approved, you need to have a good or excellent credit score to enjoy low interest rates. A good FICO score ranges from 670 and 739, and an excellent score is 800 or above.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Review
Review content is produced independently of any business relationships that might exist with the firms mentioned here, and business partners of SmartAsset receive no special consideration in reviews. This page contains links to SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool, which may or may not match you with the advisor mentioned here.
- Earn unlimited 2X milesthat’s 2 miles for every dollar you spend on purchases
- Easy to use rewards: 100 miles are equal to $1 in travel rewards.
- Receive an early spend bonus of 60,000 bonus Miles when you spend $3,000 on purchases during your first 3 months with the card.
Cons
- Miles are worth less than those offered direct with airlines
Also Check: My Best Buy Credit Card Citibank
Advantages Of The Capital One Ventureone
By far, the most compelling individual feature of the Capital One VentureOne card is its no-nonsense approach to earning miles. Its 1.25 miles on every purchase, everywhere, with no cap. It even includes overseas transactions, and with no foreign transaction fees, you can use this card while traveling internationally and earn miles without being dinged for each purchase.
While there arent any broad bonus categories, theres one avenue for scoring even more miles on the VentureOne. Youll earn 5 miles per dollar for hotel and car rental purchases made with the card through Capital One Travel. Just note that hotels can be difficult about providing elite member benefits for stays booked through third-party portals such as Capital One Travel.
The Capital One VentureOne offers a simple redemption path as well. All miles can be redeemed to cover any travel purchase at a value of 1 cent per mile. Through a tool lovingly dubbed the Purchase Eraser, you simply apply your miles to any travel purchase when you get your statement, and what you owe is reduced accordingly.
On the other hand, for those curious about the potential of transfer partners moving miles and points from a credit card to various airlines or hotels in order to book award travel the VentureOne opens that door as well.
Top Credit Card Issuers Foreign Transaction Fees

Heres a look at the standard foreign transaction fees charged by major U.S. credit card issuers. Its important to note that many of these issuers waive the foreign transaction fee on certain cards. Further, some major issuers dont charge foreign transaction fees on any of their cards.
The standard foreign transaction fee for American Express is 2.7%. However, Amex does not charge a foreign transaction fee for cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card.
The standard foreign transaction fee for Bank of America® is 3%. That said, if you have a Bank of America® credit card such as the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card or the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card do not charge foreign transaction fees.
The standard foreign transaction fee for Barclaycard is 3%.
The standard foreign transaction fee for all Capital One cards is 0%. So, if you have the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card or another Capital One card entirely, you wont pay any international transaction fees.
The standard foreign transaction fee for Chase is 3%. So, for the Chase Freedom card, for instance, the foreign transaction fee is 3%. However, if you have certain Chase credit cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you wont pay any international transaction fees.
Read Also: Cfna National Credit Cards Airlines
Foreign Transaction Fees By Card Issuer
Below are the standard credit card foreign transaction fees for top issuers. Some issuers, like Capital One and Discover, elect not to charge a foreign transaction fee on any of their credit cards. Of course, even different cards from the same brand can vary in their fees.
Card Issuer |
---|
What Other Fees Should I Know About
Some cards that skip foreign transaction fees also offer other consumer-friendly terms. Others tout no foreign transaction fees as one of many travel perks. In either case, its important to know what fees you might incur while comparing options. Common include annual fees, late fees , balance transfer fees , cash advance fees and returned payment fees.
Read Also: Why Is My Gift Card Being Declined
A Simple Travel Rewards Card For The Average Traveler
Good/Excellent
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is designed to make booking travel plans a little bit easier. The card earns unlimited double miles per dollar spent on all eligible purchases. This means any travel purchases or any groceries you buy will earn double miles. You will receive a one-time early spend bonus of 60,000 miles for spending $3,000 in purchases within your first three months of owning the card. Your rewards won’t ever expire as long as your account remains open.
Then once you’ve easily earned enough miles, they are best redeemed toward travel purchases. This is because when redeemed for travel rewards, every 100 miles equals $1. You can use your earned miles to book flights, hotels or car rentals through Capital One’s Rewards Center. Already made travel plans on a different travel website? As long as you made your purchase with your Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, you can use Capital Ones Purchase Eraser to redeem your miles for an account credit for the full or partial cost of your travel purchase.
While you can redeem your miles for other rewards, the return isnt as great. You can use your miles toward cash back in statement credit or a check, gift cards and more. You can find out about the rates of redemption for those rewards once you have a Capital One account.
Compare Up To 4 Providers
None of Capital Ones cards have foreign transaction fees even the non-travel products. While its typical for travel cards to have no foreign transaction fees, its relatively unusual for other types of cards. Providers generally charge 3% of the purchase amount for a foreign transaction. Capital One waives this fee for all its products.
Read Also: Pay Ulta Bill By Phone
Best Capital One Student Credit Cards
Students looking for a credit card through Capital One have one great option. Learn more about the card below.
Card name |
- Rewards rate: 1% 1.25%
- Annual fee: $0
- Editors thoughts: This card is our top-rated student credit card and provides cardholders with the opportunity to earn rewards while building their credit history
Card highlights
The Journey Student Credit Card from Capital One offers 1% cash back on all purchases. Cardmembers who pay on time can receive 1.25% cash back for that month. Additionally, there is a $5 streaming subscription credit per month for the first 12 months when you pay on time.
Other benefits of this card:
- Automatically considered for a higher credit line
- Access to credit score and tools to monitor your credit profile with CreditWise from Capital One
- No foreign transaction fees
- Contactless payment for more secure transactions
Final thoughts
The Journey Student Rewards Card is a smart option for students working toward building their credit with responsible credit card use. The bonus cash back for on-time payments incentivizes good behavior, and the potential to earn points with no limit and no annual fee makes this card cost-effective.
To learn more about this card and its benefits, .
Capital One Credit Cards
Capital One credit cards are often highly-rated for the rewards programs and no foreign transaction fees . Arguably the most popular choice is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which allows cardmembers to earn miles on all spending. The miles can be redeemed as statement credit toward recent travel spending or transfered to partner loyalty programs for better value.
For cash back, Savor Rewards from Capital One is designed for those who go out often for dinner and entertainment — plenty of opportunities for cash back on spending.
Finally, Capital One offers one of the best options for those building credit with the Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card, which borrowers can get started with just a $49 security deposit.
Recommended Reading: Account Best Buy Credit Card
Capital One Debit And Credit Card Fees What Do I Need To Know
Capital One has a wide range of credit cards, and you can also get a debit card linked to your 360 Online Checking account. Some cards are only available if your credit status is excellent, while others may charge you an annual fee or require an initial deposit. Others may add a fee for transfers for a period after you sign up for the card, or charge a different Annual Percentage Rate of interest depending on your status. Eligibility criteria vary, so check those for the card youre interested in carefully.
Also keep in mind, that if youre looking to withdraw cash, credit cards carry a cash advance fee, which is either $10 or 3% with Capital One credit cards. You can read more about withdrawing cash in the ATM fees section.
Card name | |
---|---|
360 Checking Mastercard Debit Card | None |